Service Platform for Converged Interactive Broadband Broadcast and Cellular Wireless

A converged broadcast and telecommunication service platform is presented that is able to create, deliver, and manage interactive, multimedia content and services for consumption on three different terminal types. The motivations of service providers for designing converged interactive multimedia services, which are crafted for their individual requirements, are investigated. The overall design of the system is presented with particular emphasis placed on the operational features of each of the sub-systems, the flows of media and metadata through the sub-systems and the formats and protocols required for inter-communication between them. The key features of tools required for creating converged interactive multimedia content for a range of different end-user terminal types are examined. Finally possible enhancements to this system are discussed. This study is of particular interest to those organizations currently conducting trials and commercial launches of DVB-H services because it provides them with an insight of the various additional functions required in the service provisioning platforms to provide fully interactive services to a range of different mobile terminal types

Achieving User Interface Heterogeneity in a Distributed Environment

The introduction of distribution into the field of computing has enhanced the possibilities of information processing and interchange on scales which could not previously be achieved with stand-alone machines. However, the successful distribution of a process across a distributed system requires three problems to be considered; how the functionality of a process is distributed, how the data set on which the process works is distributed and how the interface that allows the process to communicate with the outside world is distributed. The focus of the work in this paper lies in describing a model that attempts to provide a solution to the latter problem. The model that has been developed allows the functionality of a process to be separated from and to exist independently from its interface and employs user interface independent display languages to provide distributed and heterogeneous user interfaces to processes. This separation also facilitates access to a service from diverse platforms and can support user interface mobility and third-party application integration. The goals and advantages of this model are partially realised in a prototype that has been designed around the WWW and its associated protocols, and it is predicted how the model could be fully realised by adopting a modular and object-oriented approach, as advocated by the Java programming environment

Lirolem: A virtual studio/Institutional Repository for the University of Lincoln

Gives an account of the Lirolem project at the University of Lincoln which was to build a repository capable of handling multimedia material as well as providing a repository for the University's research output

Rapid prototyping and fast user trial of multimedia broadcast and cellular services

This paper presents the results of fast user trial of multimedia services that are enabled when a mobile terminal has access to converged services over digital broadcast and mobile telecommunications networks. It first describes the motivations behind developing this system and describes the service scenarios that benefit most from it. It then provides an overview of the service components of the test case scenario. Finally, it presents the results of fast user trials on end users of the services that were developed. This work was conducted as part of the EU-funded CISMUNDUS project

HELIN Digital Initiatives Task Force Final Report

Final report to the Executive Director of the HELIN Library Consortium. The charges of the Task Force were: 1. Perform an environmental scan of digital initiatives in HELIN institutions, to produce an inventory of such projects. 2. Determine if there is a unique collection of material that qualifies for a HELIN, grant-funded project. 3. Identify the best practices, processes, procedures that would benefit the Consortium in providing access to our digital collections. 4. Advise the Board on the benefits of in-house vs. outsourcing digital projects. The Task Force concluded that there is sufficient material to build a strong digital collection across the participating repositories that encompasses the theme “People, Places and Society in Southern New England.” The theme is broad and allows for future growth. There are a number of proven best practice guidelines from which HELIN may select as its guide and refine as is necessary to conform to the unique needs of the consortium. Whether the collections are digitized in-house or outsourced, central management of the project will be necessary

The use of hypermedia to increase the productivity of software development teams

Rapid progress in low-cost commercial PC-class multimedia workstation technology will potentially have a dramatic impact on the productivity of distributed work groups of 50-100 software developers. Hypermedia/multimedia involves the seamless integration in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a wide variety of data structures, including high-resolution graphics, maps, images, voice, and full-motion video. Hypermedia will normally require the manipulation of large dynamic files for which relational data base technology and SQL servers are essential. Basic machine architecture, special-purpose video boards, video equipment, optical memory, software needed for animation, network technology, and the anticipated increase in productivity that will result for the introduction of hypermedia technology are covered. It is suggested that the cost of the hardware and software to support an individual multimedia workstation will be on the order of $10,000