MediaSync: Handbook on Multimedia Synchronization

This book provides an approachable overview of the most recent advances in the fascinating field of media synchronization (mediasync), gathering contributions from the most representative and influential experts. Understanding the challenges of this field in the current multi-sensory, multi-device, and multi-protocol world is not an easy task. The book revisits the foundations of mediasync, including theoretical frameworks and models, highlights ongoing research efforts, like hybrid broadband broadcast (HBB) delivery and users' perception modeling (i.e., Quality of Experience or QoE), and paves the way for the future (e.g., towards the deployment of multi-sensory and ultra-realistic experiences). Although many advances around mediasync have been devised and deployed, this area of research is getting renewed attention to overcome remaining challenges in the next-generation (heterogeneous and ubiquitous) media ecosystem. Given the significant advances in this research area, its current relevance and the multiple disciplines it involves, the availability of a reference book on mediasync becomes necessary. This book fills the gap in this context. In particular, it addresses key aspects and reviews the most relevant contributions within the mediasync research space, from different perspectives. Mediasync: Handbook on Multimedia Synchronization is the perfect companion for scholars and practitioners that want to acquire strong knowledge about this research area, and also approach the challenges behind ensuring the best mediated experiences, by providing the adequate synchronization between the media elements that constitute these experiences

Perceived synchronization of mulsemedia services

Multimedia synchronization involves a temporal relationship between audio and visual media components. The presentation of "in-sync" data streams is essential to achieve a natural impression, as "out-of-sync" effects are often associated with user quality of experience (QoE) decrease. Recently, multi-sensory media (mulsemedia) has been demonstrated to provide a highly immersive experience for its users. Unlike traditional multimedia, mulsemedia consists of other media types (i.e., haptic, olfaction, taste, etc.) in addition to audio and visual content. Therefore, the goal of achieving high quality mulsemedia transmission is to present no or little synchronization errors between the multiple media components. In order to achieve this ideal synchronization, there is a need for comprehensive knowledge of the synchronization requirements at the user interface. This paper presents the results of a subjective study carried out to explore the temporal boundaries within which haptic and air-flow media objects can be successfully synchronized with video media. Results show that skews between sensorial media and multimedia might still give the effect that the mulsemedia sequence is "in-sync" and provide certain constraints under which synchronization errors might be tolerated. The outcomes of the paper are used to provide recommendations for mulsemedia service providers in order for their services to be associated with acceptable user experience levels, e.g. haptic media could be presented with a delay of up to 1 s behind video content, while air-flow media could be released either 5 s ahead of or 3 s behind video content

Inter-destination Multimedia Synchronization: A Contemporary Survey

The advent of social networking applications, media streaming technologies, and synchronous communications has created an evolution towards dynamic shared media experiences. In this new model, geographically distributed groups of users can be immersed in a common virtual networked environment in which they can interact and collaborate in real- time within the context of simultaneous media content consumption. In this environment, intra-stream and inter-stream synchronization techniques are used inside the consumers’ playout devices, while synchronization of media streams across multiple separated locations is required. This synchronization is nown as multipoint, group or Inter-Destination Multimedia Synchronization (IDMS) and is needed in many applications such as social TV and synchronous e-learning. This survey paper discusses intraand inter-stream synchronization issues, but it mainly focuses on the most well-known IDMS techniques that can be used in emerging distributed multimedia applications. In addition, it provides some research directions for future work

Enhanced adaptive RTCP-based inter-destination multimedia synchronization approach for distributed applications

[EN] Newer social multimedia applications, such as Social TV or networked multi-player games, enable independent groups (or clusters) of users to interact among themselves and share services within the context of simultaneous media content consumption. In such scenarios, concurrently synchronized playout points must be ensured so as not to degrade the user experience on such interaction. We refer to this process as Inter-Destination Multimedia Synchronization (IDMS). This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of an evolved version of an RTCP-based IDMS approach, including an Adaptive Media Playout (AMP) scheme that aims to dynamically and smoothly adjust the playout timing of each one of the geographically distributed consumers in a specific cluster if an allowable asynchrony threshold between their playout states is exceeded. For that purpose, we previously had also to develop a full implementation of RTP/RTCP protocols for NS-2, in which we included the IDMS approach as an optional functionality. Simulation results prove the feasibility of such IDMS and AMP proposals, by adopting several dynamic master reference selection policies, to maintain an overall synchronization status (within allowable limits) in each cluster of participants, while minimizing the occurrence of long-term playout discontinuities (such as skips/pauses) which are subjectively more annoying and less tolerable to users than small variations in the media playout rate.This work has been financed, partially, by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), under its R&D Support Program in PAID-05-11-002-331 Project and in PAID-01-10. Authors also would like to thank the anonymous reviewers that helped to significantly improve the quality of the paper with their constructive comments.Montagud, M.; Boronat, F. (2012). Enhanced adaptive RTCP-based inter-destination multimedia synchronization approach for distributed applications. Computer Networks. 56(12):2912-2933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2012.05.00329122933561

QoS Control in Remote Robot Operation with Force Feedback

Recently, many researchers focus on studies of remote robot operation with force feedback. By using force feedback, since users can touch remote objects and feel the shape, weight, and softness of each object, the efficiency and accuracy of operation can be largely improved. However, when the haptic information such as force and/or position information is transmitted over a QoS (Quality of Service) non-guaranteed network like the Internet, QoE (Quality of Experience) and stability may seriously deteriorate. Therefore, it is important to carry out QoS control and stabilization control together to solve the problems. In this chapter, we mainly focus on QoS control. We also introduce our remote robot system with force feedback which we constructed to study QoS control and stabilization control by experiment. In the system, a user operates a remote industrial robot with a force sensor by using a local haptic interface device while monitoring the robot operation by a video camera. We handle two types of operation; operation with a single remote robot system and that between two remote robot systems. We explain several types of QoS control which we have proposed so far for remote robot operation with force feedback. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future directions of QoS control in remote robot operation with force feedback

Inter-Destination Multimedia Synchronization; Schemes, Use Cases and Standardization

Traditionally, the media consumption model has been a passive and isolated activity. However, the advent of media streaming technologies, interactive social applications, and synchronous communications, as well as the convergence between these three developments, point to an evolution towards dynamic shared media experiences. In this new model, geographically distributed groups of consumers, independently of their location and the nature of their end-devices, can be immersed in a common virtual networked environment in which they can share multimedia services, interact and collaborate in real-time within the context of simultaneous media content consumption. In most of these multimedia services and applications, apart from the well-known intra and inter-stream synchronization techniques that are important inside the consumers playout devices, also the synchronization of the playout processes between several distributed receivers, known as multipoint, group or Inter-destination multimedia synchronization (IDMS), becomes essential. Due to the increasing popularity of social networking, this type of multimedia synchronization has gained in popularity in recent years. Although Social TV is perhaps the most prominent use case in which IDMS is useful, in this paper we present up to 19 use cases for IDMS, each one having its own synchronization requirements. Different approaches used in the (recent) past by researchers to achieve IDMS are described and compared. As further proof of the significance of IDMS nowadays, relevant organizations (such as ETSI TISPAN and IETF AVTCORE Group) efforts on IDMS standardization (in which authors have been and are participating actively), defining architectures and protocols, are summarized.This work has been financed, partially, by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), under its R&D Support Program in PAID-05-11-002-331 Project and in PAID-01-10, and by TNO, under its Future Internet Use Research & Innovation Program. The authors also want to thank Kevin Gross for providing some of the use cases included in Sect. 1.2.Montagud, M.; Boronat Segui, F.; Stokking, H.; Van Brandenburg, R. (2012). Inter-Destination Multimedia Synchronization; Schemes, Use Cases and Standardization. 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Design, Development and Assessment of Control Schemes for IDMS in a Standardized RTCP-based Solution

[EN] Currently, several media sharing applications that allow social interactions between distributed users are gaining momentum. In these networked scenarios, synchronized playout between the involved participants must be provided to enable truly interactive and coherent shared media experiences. This research topic is known as Inter-Destination Media Synchronization (IDMS). This paper presents the design and development of an advanced IDMS solution, which is based on extending the capabilities of RTP/RTCP standard protocols. Particularly, novel RTCP extensions, in combination with several control algorithms and adjustment techniques, have been specified to enable an adaptive, highly accurate and standard compliant IDMS solution. Moreover, as different control or architectural schemes for IDMS exist, and each one is best suited for specific use cases, the IDMS solution has been extended to be able to adopt each one of them. Simulation results prove the satisfactory responsiveness of our IDMS solution in a small scale scenario, as well as its consistent behavior, when using each one of the deployed architectural schemes.This work has been financed, partially, by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), under its R&D Support Program in PAID-01-10. TNO's work has been partially funded by European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. ICT-2011-8-318343 (STEER Project). CWI's work has been partially funded by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. ICT-2011-7-287723 (REVERIE Project).Montagud Aguar, M.; Boronat Segui, F.; Stokking, H.; Cesar, P. (2014). Design, Development and Assessment of Control Schemes for IDMS in a Standardized RTCP-based Solution. Computer Networks. 70:240-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2014.06.004S2402597

Cooperation among Humans and Robots in Remote Robot Systems with Force Feedback

By using remote robot systems with force feedback, we can largely improve the efficiency and accuracy of work among the systems over a network. In such a system, a human can operate a remote robot by manipulating a haptic interface device while monitoring the movement of the robot arm and perceiving force applied to an object touched/moved by an arm of the robot having a force sensor. The remote robot systems with force feedback are expected to be used in many areas such as outer space, deep sea, nuclear power plants, and disaster areas, which humans cannot enter easily. In these situations, three types of cooperation among humans and robots (that is, between humans and robots, between humans, and between robots) are highly demanded. In this chapter, we introduce our remote robot systems with force feedback and describe the three types of cooperation among humans and robots in the systems. We also explain QoS (Quality of Service) control and stabilization control as our challenges and solutions for effective cooperation. Furthermore, we discuss future directions of the cooperation