H2B2VS (HEVC Hybrid Broadcast Broadband Video Services) – building innovative solutions over hybrid networks

Broadcast and broadband networks continue to be separate worlds in the video consumption business. Some initiatives such as HbbTV have built a bridge between both worlds, but its application is almost limited to providing links over the broadcast channel to content providers’ applications such as Catch-up TV services. When it comes to reality, the user is using either one network or the other. H2B2VS is a Celtic-Plus project aiming at exploiting the potential of real hybrid networks by implementing efficient synchronization mechanisms and using new video coding standard such as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). The goal is to develop successful hybrid network solutions that enable value added services with an optimum bandwidth usage in each network and with clear commercial applications. An example of the potential of this approach is the transmission of Ultra-HD TV by sending the main content over the broadcast channel and the required complementary information over the broadband network. This technology can also be used to improve the life of handicapped persons: Deaf people receive through the broadband network a sign language translation of a programme sent over the broadcast channel; the TV set then displays this translation in an inset window. One of the most important contributions of the project is developing and testing synchronization methods between two different networks that offer unequal qualities of service with significant differences in delay and jitter. In this paper, the main technological project contributions are described, including SHVC, the scalable extension of HEVC and a special focus on the synchronization solution adopted by MPEG and DVB. The paper also presents some of the implemented practical use cases, such as the sign language translation described above, and their performance results so as to evaluate the commercial application of this type of solution

Présentation d'une étude expérimentale visant à modifier les attitudes des élèves de classe terminale à l'égard des changements de mode de vie à venir

Fournet Michel, Monnier Camille, Normand Raoul. Présentation d'une étude expérimentale visant à modifier les attitudes des élèves de classe terminale à l'égard des changements de mode de vie à venir. In: Bulletin de psychologie, tome 40 n°379, 1987. Psychologie sociale. pp. 317-320

CONVINcE: Towards Power-Optimized Video Distribution Networks

CONVINcE is a CELTIC-PLUSproject dedicated to minimizing the power consumption in IP-based video distribution networks,from theheadend to the terminal. The entirevideo distribution chain is considered in the project, covering a wide range of entities involved in this process. Examples of theseentities are headend, edge cloud, Content Distribution Network (CDN), core backbone network, Radio Access Network (RAN) as well asfixedand mobile terminals. Related to this, one of the most difficult research questions is regarding the provision of minimum end-to-end power consumption for video streamscombined with the best possible Quality of Experience (QoE) obtained at the terminal. It requiressolving a number of sophisticated research questions, among them modellingand optimization problems

SEU testing of a novel hardened register implemented using standard CMOS technology

International audienceA novel memory structure, designed to tolerate SEU perturbations, has been implemented in registers and tested. The design was completed using a standard submicron non-radiation hardened CMOS technology. This paper presents the results of heavy ion tests which evidence the noticeable improvement of the SEU-robustness with an increased LET threshold and reduced cross-section, without significant impact on the real estate, write time, or power consumption

An Overview of the SVC4QoE project

The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the SVC4QoE project which purpose is to use Scalable Video Coding (SVC) to optimize video transmission in terms of Quality of Experience over DVB-T2 channels. The originality of this project is to consider the influence of the whole chain of treatments performed on the video data in terms of user-perceived quality. The encoding process, as well as transmission, decoding and display are included in the optimization process. Particularly, the multi-layer structure of SVC is to be exploited to circumvent alterations of the video related to transmission on error-prone networks. Combining SVC with QoE thus provides a way to reduce network operating costs, while increasing the quality from the user's point of view. Several innovations are also to be mentioned, such as the use of a real-time open-source SVC decoder, evaluation of visual quality through subjective quality assessment tests, transmission and synchronization of SVC layers on the receiver's side, and development of a DVB-T2 Gateway which implements the multi-PLP functional-ity in an SVC context

Low incidence of SARS-CoV-2, risk factors of mortality and the course of illness in the French national cohort of dialysis patients

International audienceThe aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of COVID-19 disease in the French national population of dialysis patients, their course of illness and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality. Our study included all patients on dialysis recorded in the French REIN Registry in April 2020. Clinical characteristics at last follow-up and the evolution of COVID-19 illness severity over time were recorded for diagnosed cases (either suspicious clinical symptoms, characteristic signs on the chest scan or a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) for SARS-CoV-2. A total of 1,621 infected patients were reported on the REIN registry from March 16th, 2020 to May 4th, 2020. Of these, 344 died. The prevalence of COVID-19 patients varied from less than 1% to 10% between regions. The probability of being a case was higher in males, patients with diabetes, those in need of assistance for transfer or treated at a self-care unit. Dialysis at home was associated with a lower probability of being infected as was being a smoker, a former smoker, having an active malignancy, or peripheral vascular disease. Mortality in diagnosed cases (21%) was associated with the same causes as in the general population. Higher age, hypoalbuminemia and the presence of an ischemic heart disease were statistically independently associated with a higher risk of death. Being treated at a selfcare unit was associated with a lower risk. Thus, our study showed a relatively low frequency of COVID-19 among dialysis patients contrary to what might have been assumed