Multimedia Environment for Mobiles

Deliverables

The MEMO-Cube is the communication and pre-processing part of the 2nd generation terminal equipment managing the DAB and GSM networks. It is connected through a wireless LAN to a PC host (the application terminal) running the MEMO applications. It is a system for mobile trials. Therefore, no moving parts are used. It is designed to allow operation in an automotive environment. Integrated into this PC/104 system are a DAB module based receiver card with the DABMOS on board, a DAB data extraction unit, a wireless LAN interface, a GSM connection interface and a overall control module. The DABMOS is the second generation of BOSCH DAB-Receivers, developed outside the MEMO project. This module allows for building a highly integrated DAB radios. The full DAB-date rate up to 1.7 Mbit/s can be decoded. The Cube Software runs with the Operating System LINUX. This software consist of several modules, where some are developed outside the MEMO project. As part of the MEMO 2nd generation terminals the MEMO-Cube is in a prototype stage and can be used as starting point for a product development, for DAB trials or as starting point for PC basis in mobile (e.g. automotive environments.). The MEMO-Cube is the communication and pre-processing part of the 2nd generation terminal equipment managing the DAB and GSM networks. It is connected through a wireless LAN to a PC host (the application terminal) running the MEMO applications. It is a system for mobile trials. Therefore, no moving parts are used. The temperature should not exceed the range of 0 to +40 degrees Celsius. The humidity should be less than 70% without condense. HARDWARE COMPONENTS OF THE MEMO-CUBE. The Cube is based on the modularity of the PC/104 system. See PC/104 specification for more details. It consists of the modules listed: -CPU-Module: AMD 5x86-133MHz processor, 20 Mbytes DRAM, 10 Mbytes solid state flash disk, 2 serial ports, 1 parallel port, floppy port. -PC-Card-Module: 2 slots for Type-II PC-Cards. -DC/DC-Converter: power supply for the MEMO-Cube, including Battery charger and power management. -Accumulator. -DABMOS-Card: Interface-Card to adapt the DABMOS to the PC/104 interface. -SFC-Interface: This module converts the Simple-Full-Capacity-Output (SFCO) of the DABMOS to the PC/104 interface. The supported data rate is up to 1.7 MBit per second (DAB-Full stream). -wLAN: Wireless LAN interface complying with the PC Card standard. -GSM-modem: Modem for GSM connection. -Housing: Covering the above listed components. CAPABILITIES AND PERFORMANCE The supported data rate is up to 1.7 Mbit per second (DAB-Full stream). ACCESSORIES Within a MEMO-Cube the following accessories are available -GTI-flex DAB1 antenna for Band III and L-Band DAB reception. -AC power adapter for 230V (output of about 12 V / 30 VA). -GSM-Handy Bosch GSM-COM-607. MECHANICAL DATA -130 x 120 x 150 mm. SOFTWARE COMPONENTS OF THE MEMO-CUBE. overview: The Cube Software runs with the Operating System LINUX. This software consist of several modules. Modules designed outside the MEMO Project. The following modules were designed outside the MEMO Project: -Dual Ported RAM Interface. This module supplies the control over the DABMOS. It reads the FIC data via the Dual Ported RAM and performs functionality like tuning and sub-channel selection. -FIC: This module decodes the information about the current Ensemble from the FIC and stores it into the Data Base. -Data Base. The Data Base contains the information about the current Ensemble. -Radio Manager. The Radio Manager performs the necessary handling while tuning and sub-channel selection. -Control API. In order to control the modules which where designed outside the MEMO project the control API is used. -PMD (Packet Mode Decoder). The PMD decodes the Packed Mode Data and sends the DG (Data Group) to the Notebook via a TCP/IP connection. The MOT Decoder runs on the Notebook due to performance reasons. Modules designed by the MEMO Project. The following modules were designed by MEMO Project: -Inter Controller. The main part of the software is realised in the Inter Controller. The Inter Controller receives messages from the Notebook via the TCP/IP connection and reacts on them. These messages are formed in the MEMO message protocol. The command set is used by the communication protocol between the MEMO control program on the Notebook and the MEMO-CUBE. The MEMO message protocol-atoms: -Integer: an unsigned value of 4 bytes in Internet byte order. -Visible string: a sequence of printable ANSI-characters, preceded by an Integer for length coding. -Octet string: a sequence of bytes, preceded by an Integer for length coding. There are four structures in the protocol: -Compound statement: a sequence of a field identifier (type: Integer) and one of atom, sequence, choice or set. -Sequence: a sequence of Compound statements. -Choice: one Compound statement. -Set: a sequence of count (type: Integer) and count x compound statement. SFCI (Simple Full Capacity Interface Driver). This is a low level driver. The driver reads the data from the SFC-Interface card. Then it sends the data to the PMD or Stream Audio Video module. GSM Kernel Driver + PPP

The Application Programme Interfaces (APIs) at the terminal of the MEMO system enable applications to be developed to access broadcast and interactive services transmitted over DAB networks. The results include a high level API that enables the MEMO requirements to be met and that supports services from other networks (specifically internet and DVB), together with a low level API that makes DAB services via standard BSD sockets; hiding the complexity of DAB. In overview, the DAB terminal is divided into three functional layers. The bottom layer consists of transport services and associated name services and is accessed via the low level API. The top layer consists of applications that are using the DAB services, via the high level API. These applications may or may not be MEMO aware and include Internet and DVB (DSM-CC) applications. In between the two API layers there is a service and session management layer. This layer contains functionality that would otherwise have been contained in the applications themselves, thus allowing applications to be less complex and more easily developed. Applications can access the low level API directly and this is the case for legacy Internet applications. Where appropriate, existing/standard APIs have been incorporated as follows: -Winsock 2 for windows platforms (BSD sockets with extensions for non-windows). -GSS for security and identity management. -DSM-CC User-User Library (from MPEG 2). -Profile management from the ACTS On-The-Move project. This means that some existing applications and services can be supported directly. It also presents application programmers with familiar interfaces, thus speeding application development. It has been necessary to introduce some new ideas. In particular, a DAB address family is defined, enabling applications to access broadcast services via sockets. These addresses represent the locations of a service or object within a DAB ensemble and sockets may be connected to these addresses in order to access these services. The Specification of APIs document is structured in seven sections. The first section provides an introduction and the second section gives a summary of requirements for the MEMO system and services. The subsequent section gives an overview of the MEMO terminal architecture and identifies functional entities and protocols within the terminal. Following this, the remaining four sections define the APIs and give scenarios for their use; the high-level API and associated scenarios being presented first.

MEMO is an opportunity to explore the development and introduction of a technology as well as its deployment in different domains. Thus, we have begun to investigate how developments in formerly distinct organisations like Telecommunication and broadcasting, become interrelated. As an academic institution King's will exploit the results from MEMO in particular for the transfer of know-how to industry (practitioners), the research community, and students. Exploitation results will be made available to researchers, students and practitioners through books (i.e. applied research methods), paper publications, paper presentations, workshops, colloquia, and courses. Requirements Specifications: Detailed specifications of the functional and non-functional requirements for mobile interactive broadcast services in a range of application domains. These cover the entire technical change from information production to service provision to the end user. Particular attention is paid to the requirements of the construction and news industries. Exploitation Strategy Identification of the key-facilities and barriers to the exploitation of MEMO services and devices focused on the exploitation potential in a range of markets, i.e. emergency services, organisation with a large number of staff and communications organisations as well as general users (e.g. car drivers). Identification of key-strategies for information producers, service providers as well as user organisations to enable the exploitation of interactive DAB services. Methods Provision of video-based field-methods, identification of social science based field methods for requirements analysis and exploitation analyses and strategies for utilising those methods in combination with more conventional data collection and data analysis methods (e.g. surveys and interviews).

MEMO draws together both broadcasting and telecommunications technologies, to provide opportunities for a distinctive range of services. It makes use of developments in DAB, which provides the opportunity to broadcast not only sound, but text, graphics or even real-time video. The distinctive additional feature that MEMO provides is a 'return channel' using GSM technology to enable the user to 'interact' with the broadcast services. In bringing these technologies together, MEMO provides the foundation for services that can be classified into three general categories: -Data downloading - the DAB downlink is used to broadcast large amounts of information to all receivers. The user is then able to locally interact with that data. -Interactive broadcasting/push services - Information is 'pushed out' to a selected number of addressed receivers. The user can then reply to the received information via the GSM return channel, for example to send back a simple report. It is also possible to add this information to the information being broadcast to other users. -Personal services - DAB is used as an extension to GSM data communication for downloading large data files to an individual user via a broadband link. In such a way, it could provide, for example, a wireless (mobile) Internet service. These different kinds of service are all possible within the same session. What is distinctive about MEMO is that it uses asymmetrical data rates, by coupling the broadband downlink (using DAB) with a low bit-rate interactive link (using GSM). Bringing together these two technologies allows for interactive services with downloading rates of up to 1.7 Mbit/s. Furthermore, the data can be broadcast over large geographical areas, facilitating high mobility. Most interactive multimedia applications use asymmetric communications. A typical example is browsing the Internet: a very short request from a user terminal stimulates the download of huge data streams from the server to the user’s terminal. Digital audio broadcast (DAB) was developed within EUREKA 147 and is standardised within ITU, ETSI and EBU. DAB, originally developed for sound broadcasting to mobile and portable receivers, is well suited to carry also any kind of digital data. The key features of the DAB system are its high data rate of up to 1.7 Mbps, the reliable transmission (convolution coding and interleaving in both time and frequency domain) and the flexibility of its general-purpose multiplex (including packet mode data transfer) that reconfigured at any time. Associating GSM with DAB, such a system can provide interactive multimedia services to fully mobile users. The relatively low bandwidth of GSM does not limit these asymmetric services. The use of existing components based on well established standards for the technical chain (GSM and DAB) can lead to an early implementation of such services. The MEMO system can handle broadcast and personal services as well as combinations of these, they can be categorised into 3 main types: -Broadcast Type Services and Virtual Interactive Services. The DAB downlink is used to mainly broadcast information of general interest (push mode). On the receiver side the information is filtered and stored in a local database, consequently the interactivity is only virtual. -Interactive Broadcast Type Services. In the case the user needs additional, specific material, this information could be downloaded using the interactive method (pull mode). Furthermore, the user can reply to the received information via the GSM link (e.g. e-mail to the author or for public auctioning). Personal Services. DAB is used as a broadband extension to GSM data communication for downloading data to an individual user. In overview, the DAB terminal is divided into three functional layers: -The bottom layer consists of transport services and associated name services and is accessed via the low level API. -The top layer consists of applications that are using the DAB services via the high level API. These applications may or may not be MEMO aware. -Between the two API layers there is a service and session management layer. This layer contains functionalities that would otherwise have been contained in the applications themselves, thus allowing applications to be less complex and more easily developed. Applications can access the low level API directly and this is the case for legacy Internet applications. The MEMO Terminal consists of two units: -One for pre-processing of the data embedded into a DAB data stream. -One for the application software. The overall software structure for this system is based on the MEMO Terminal API. The two terminal parts are connected to each other by a wireless LAN interface, providing limited local mobility to the application part of the terminal system. The pre-processing part of the terminal (MEMO-Cube) consists in a PC/104 based computer system, running LINOX.

The prototype illustrates mobile interactive multimedia services in the construction industry: one for accessing common information (e.g. regulations, codes of practices, technical assessments), another for accessing project related information (e.g. specifications, plans, progress reports). Beside the prototype, a description of end-user requirements and potential MEMO services in the construction industry is available. The result is the prototype of a new interactive multimedia service for the construction industry. It is based on the generic MEMO platform and allows mobile professionals (e.g. on construction sites) to access Internet sites providing several types of information (regulations, standards, technical assessments on innovative products, etc.). It allows also to access project related information such as plans, technical notes, reports, etc. The DAB technology enables end-users to download rapidly large (multimedia) documents, thus increasing work efficiency on the site. The other potential MEMO services that have been envisaged are characterised relatively to the information content, the content providers involved, the professional target and the professional context of use.

A MEMO compliant platform for Multimedia Broadcast and Interactive Broadcast Services has been completely set up over an existing DAB network and is fully operational for service experimentations. This platform includes in addition with the network: -A new version of the Broadcasting Network Server (BNS) possibly connected to a conditional access system. This BNS encodes multimedia data for broadcasting over DAB. -A Multi-Network Server (MNS) running a MEMO-HTTP server that feeds the BNS with multimedia data. It manages the return channel through Internet to provide HTTP sessions from end to end using both GSM and DAB. The main result is the full control and knowledge of all the equipment of the MEMO chain on the server side.

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