Many emerging technologies such as video conferencing, video-on-demand, and digital libraries require the efficient delivery of compressed video streams. For applications that require the delivery of compressed stored multimedia streams, the a priori knowledge available about these compressed streams can aid in the allocation of server and network resources. By using a client-side buffer, the resource requirements from the server and network can be minimized. Buffering Techniques for Delivery of Compressed Video in Video-on-Demand Systems presents a comprehensive description of buffering techniques for the delivery of compressed, prerecorded multimedia data. While these techniques can be applied to any compressed data streams, this book focusses primarily on the delivery of video streams because of the large resource requirements that they can consume. The book first describes buffering techniques for the continuous playback of stored video sources. In particular, several bandwidth smoothing (or buffering) algorithms that are provably optimal under certain conditions are presented. To provide a well-rounded discussion, the book then describes extensions that aid in the ability to provide interactive delivery of video across networks. Specifically, reservation techniques that take into account interactive functions such as fast-forward and rewind are described. In addition, extensions to the bandwidth smoothing algorithms presented in the first few chapters are described. These algorithms are designed with interactive, continuous playback of stored video in mind and are also provably optimal under certain constraints. Buffering Techniques for Delivery of Compressed Video in Video-on-Demand Systems serves as an excellent resource for multimedia systems, networking and video-on-demand designers, and may be used as a text for advanced courses on the topic.

Interactive Video-on-Demand Systems: Resource Management and Scheduling Strategies addresses issues in scheduling and management of resources in an interactive continuous-media (e.g., audio and video) server. The book emphasizes dynamic and run-time strategies for resource scheduling and management. Such strategies provide effective tools for supporting interactivity with on-line users who require the system to be responsive in serving their requests, and whose needs and actions vary frequently over time. With an emphasis on responsiveness and transient performance, this book elaborates on dynamic strategies for managing and scheduling resources in Video-on-Demand/Multimedia systems. Unlike previous books, this volume presents an unprecedented detailed analysis of the start-up and departure of streams. It gives a comprehensive evaluation of various techniques as workloads are varied in multiple dimensions (including arrival rate, data rate and length of play). Interactive Video-on-Demand Systems: Resource Management and Scheduling Strategies collectively addresses multiple issues including QoS, throughput, responsiveness and efficiency. The solutions discussed in this volume are particularly valuable to practitioners who are building digital library, interactive multimedia and hypermedia servers. Interactive Video-on-Demand Systems: Resource Management and Scheduling Strategies is an excellent reference for researchers, practitioners and educators in the field of multimedia systems, and may be used for advanced courses on multimedia systems and Video-on-Demand servers.

Still Image Compression on Parallel Computer Architectures investigates the application of parallel-processing techniques to digital image compression. Digital image compression is used to reduce the number of bits required to store an image in computer memory and/or transmit it over a communication link. Over the past decade advancements in technology have spawned many applications of digital imaging, such as photo videotex, desktop publishing, graphics arts, color facsimile, newspaper wire phototransmission and medical imaging. For many other contemporary applications, such as distributed multimedia systems, rapid transmission of images is necessary. Dollar cost as well as time cost of transmission and storage tend to be directly proportional to the volume of data. Therefore, application of digital image compression techniques becomes necessary to minimize costs. A number of digital image compression algorithms have been developed and standardized. With the success of these algorithms, research effort is now directed towards improving implementation techniques. The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and Motion Photographic Experts Group(MPEG) are international organizations which have developed digital image compression standards. Hardware (VLSI chips) which implement the JPEG image compression algorithm are available. Such hardware is specific to image compression only and cannot be used for other image processing applications. A flexible means of implementing digital image compression algorithms is still required. An obvious method of processing different imaging applications on general purpose hardware platforms is to develop software implementations. JPEG uses an 8 × 8 block of image samples as the basic element for compression. These blocks are processed sequentially. There is always the possibility of having similar blocks in a given image. If similar blocks in an image are located, then repeated compression of these blocks is not necessary. By locating similar blocks in the image, the speed of compression can be increased and the size of the compressed image can be reduced. Based on this concept an enhancement to the JPEG algorithm is proposed, called Bock Comparator Technique (BCT). Still Image Compression on Parallel Computer Architectures is designed for advanced students and practitioners of computer science. This comprehensive reference provides a foundation for understanding digital image compression techniques and parallel computer architectures.

Delivering MPEG-4 Based Audio-Visual Services investigates the different aspects of end-to-end multimedia services; content creation, server and service provider, network, and the end-user terminal. Part I provides a comprehensive introduction to digital video communications, MPEG standards, and technologies, and deals with system level issues including standardization and interoperability, user interaction, and the design of a distributed video server. Part II investigates the systems in the context of object-based multimedia services and presents a design for an object-based audio-visual terminal, some of these features having been adopted by the MPEG-4 Systems specification. The book goes on to study the requirements for a file format to represent object-based audio-visual content and the design of one such format. The design introduces new concepts such as direct streaming that are essential for scalable servers. The final part of the book examines the delivery of object-based multimedia presentations and gives optimal algorithms for multiplex-scheduling of object-based audio-visual presentations, showing that the audio-visual object scheduling problem is NP-complete in the strong sense. The problem of scheduling audio-visual objects is similar to the problem of sequencing jobs on a single machine. The book compares these problems and adapts job-sequencing results to audio-visual object scheduling, and provides optimal algorithms for scheduling presentations under resource constraints, such as bandwidth (network constraints) and buffer (terminal constraints). In addition, the book presents algorithms that minimize the resources required for scheduling presentations and the auxiliary capacity required to support interactivity in object-based audio-visual presentations. Delivering MPEG-4 Based Audio-Visual Services is essential reading for researchers and practitioners in the areas of multimedia systems engineering and multimedia computing, network professionals, service providers, and all scientists and technical managers interested in the most up-to-date MPEG standards and technologies.

Cellular Automata Transforms describes a new approach to using the dynamical system, popularly known as cellular automata (CA), as a tool for conducting transforms on data. Cellular automata have generated a great deal of interest since the early 1960s when John Conway created the `Game of Life'. This book takes a more serious look at CA by describing methods by which information building blocks, called basis functions (or bases), can be generated from the evolving states. These information blocks can then be used to construct any data. A typical dynamical system such as CA tend to involve an infinite possibilities of rules that define the inherent elements, neighborhood size, shape, number of states, and modes of association, etc. To be able to build these building blocks an elegant method had to be developed to address a large subset of these rules. A new formula, which allows for the definition a large subset of possible rules, is described in the book. The robustness of this formula allows searching of the CA rule space in order to develop applications for multimedia compression, data encryption and process modeling. Cellular Automata Transforms is divided into two parts. In Part I the fundamentals of cellular automata, including the history and traditional applications are outlined. The challenges faced in using CA to solve practical problems are described. The basic theory behind Cellular Automata Transforms (CAT) is developed in this part of the book. Techniques by which the evolving states of a cellular automaton can be converted into information building blocks are taught. The methods (including fast convolutions) by which forward and inverse transforms of any data can be achieved are also presented. Part II contains a description of applications of CAT. Chapter 4 describes digital image compression, audio compression and synthetic audio generation, three approaches for compressing video data. Chapter 5 contains both symmetric and public-key implementation of CAT encryption. Possible methods of attack are also outlined. Chapter 6 looks at process modeling by solving differential and integral equations. Examples are drawn from physics and fluid dynamics.

Design is an art form in which the designer selects from a myriad of alternatives to bring an "optimum" choice to a user. In many complex of "optimum" is difficult to define. Indeed, the users systems the notion themselves will not agree, so the "best" system is simply the one in which the designer and the user have a congruent viewpoint. Compounding the design problem are tradeoffs that span a variety of technologies and user requirements. The electronic business system is a classically complex system whose tradeoff criteria and user views are constantly changing with rapidly developing underlying technology. Professor Milutinovic has chosen this area for his capstone contribution to the computer systems design. This book completes his trilogy on design issue in computer systems. His first work, "Surviving the Design of a 200 MHz RISC Microprocessor" (1997) focused on the tradeoffs and design issues within a processor. His second work, "Surviving the Design of Microprocessor and Multiprocessor Systems" (2000) considers the design issues involved with assembling a number of processors into a coherent system. Finally, this book generalizes the system design problem to electronic commerce on the Internet, a global system of immense consequence.

This is an edited volume, written by well-recognized international researchers with extended chapter style versions of the best papers presented at the SITIS 2006 International Conference. This book presents the state-of-the-art and recent research results on the application of advanced signal processing techniques for improving the value of image and video data. It introduces new results on video coding on time-honored topic of securing image information. The book is designed for a professional audience composed of practitioners and researchers in industry. This book is also suitable for advanced-level students in computer science.

Content-Based Image And Video Retrieval addresses the basic concepts and techniques for designing content-based image and video retrieval systems. It also discusses a variety of design choices for the key components of these systems. This book gives a comprehensive survey of the content-based image retrieval systems, including several content-based video retrieval systems. The survey includes both research and commercial content-based retrieval systems. Content-Based Image And Video Retrieval includes pointers to two hundred representative bibliographic references on this field, ranging from survey papers to descriptions of recent work in the area, entire books and more than seventy websites. Finally, the book presents a detailed case study of designing MUSE–a content-based image retrieval system developed at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

In order to establish technical prerequisites for efficient electronic business and education on the Internet, appropriate system support is needed as a vital condition for maximization of both short-term and long-term profits. Electronic Business and Education: Recent Advances in Internet Infrastructures discusses current research topics in the domain of system support for e-business and e-education on the Internet, and stresses the synergistic interaction of these two components. Attention is given to both scientific and engineering issues. Electronic Business and Education: Recent Advances in Internet Infrastructures is suitable as a secondary text for a graduate level course and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry, particularly in the area of e-business and e-education on the Internet. `There is no longer any question that the Internet and electronic communication are the major new tools for collaborative advances in the creation of new knowledge and in future learning.' Excerpt from Foreword by Robert C. Richardson, Nobel Laureate 1996, Cornell University, USA

Coding and Modulation for Digital Television presents a comprehensive description of all error control coding and digital modulation techniques used in Digital Television (DTV). This book illustrates the relevant elements from the expansive theory of channel coding to how the transmission environment dictates the choice of error control coding and digital modulation schemes. These elements are presented in such a way that both the `mathematical integrity' and `understanding for engineers' are combined in a complete form and supported by a number of practical examples. In addition, the book contains descriptions of the existing standards and provides a valuable source of corresponding references. Coding and Modulation for Digital Television also features a description of the latest techniques, providing the reader with a glimpse of future digital broadcasting. These include the concepts of soft-in-soft-out decoding, turbo-coding and cross-correlated quadrature modulation, all of which will have a prominent future in improving efficiency of the next generation DTV systems. Coding and Modulation for Digital Television is essential reading for all undergraduate and postgraduate students, broadcasting and communication engineers, researchers, marketing managers, regulatory bodies, governmental organizations and standardization institutions of the digital television industry.