Showing papers by "Christian Timmerer published in 2011"
28 Nov 2011
TL;DR: The implementation of a VLC media player plugin enabling Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP, an emerging ISO/IEC MPEG and 3GPP standard for HTTP streaming, which provides a very flexible structure that could be easily extended with respect to different adaptation logics or profiles of the DASH standard.
Abstract: This paper describes the implementation of a VLC media player plugin enabling Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). DASH is an emerging ISO/IEC MPEG and 3GPP standard for HTTP streaming. It aims to standardize formats enabling segmented progressive download by exploiting existing Internet infrastructure as such. Our implementation of these formats as described in this paper is based on the well-known VLC. Hence, it is fully integrated into the VLC structure and has been also submitted to the VLC development team for consideration in future releases of VLC. Therefore, it is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). The plugin provides a very flexible structure that could be easily extended with respect to different adaptation logics or profiles of the DASH standard. As a consequence, the plugin enables the integration of a variety of adaptation logics and comparison thereof, making it attractive for the research community.
109 citations
23 Feb 2011
TL;DR: A multimedia test-bed enabling session mobility in the context of the emerging ISO/IEC MPEG standard, Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), which can conclude that interoperability is achieved adopting existing standards while the performance of the system does not depend on these standards.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a multimedia test-bed enabling session mobility in the context of the emerging ISO/IEC MPEG standard, Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). In general, session mobility is defined as the transfer of a running streaming session from one device to another device where it may need to be consumed in an adaptive way. The two main challenges are: (1) taking into account the new context of the device (e.g., capabilities) to which the session is transferred and (2) performing the actual transfer in a seamless and interoperable way. Our system addresses both challenges supported by a prototype implementation integrated into VLC. In anticipation of the results we can conclude that interoperability is achieved adopting existing standards while the performance of the system does not depend on these standards. That is, the modules responsible for the performance are usually not defined within such standards and left out for competition. However, our system is designed in an extensible way and is able to accommodate this fact.
64 citations
TL;DR: This chapter proposes a novel concept towards the deployment of a networked 'Media Ecosystem', based on a flexible cooperation between providers, operators, and end-users, enabling every user first to access the offered multimedia services in various contexts, and second to share and deliver his own audiovisual content dynamically, seamlessly, and transparently to other users.
Abstract: This chapter proposes a novel concept towards the deployment of a networked 'Media Ecosystem'. The proposed solution is based on a flexible cooperation between providers, operators, and end-users, finally enabling every user first to access the offered multimedia services in various contexts, and second to share and deliver his own audiovisual content dynamically, seamlessly, and transparently to other users. Towards this goal, the proposed concept provides content-awareness to the network environment, network- and user contextawareness to the service environment, and adapted services/content to the end user for his best service experience possible, taking the role of a consumer and/or producer.
12 citations
08 Sep 2011
TL;DR: This paper presents a plug-in for Web browsers which is able to render such sensory effects provided via Web content, and describes a demonstrator that uses this plug- in to control an amBX system.
Abstract: More and more multimedia content is becoming available via the World Wide Web (WWW). These contents stimulate only senses like hearing or vision. Recently, it has been proposed to stimulate also other senses while consuming multimedia content, through so-called sensory effects. These sensory effects aim at enhancing the user's viewing experience by providing effects such as light, wind, vibration, etc. These effects are represented as Sensory Effect Metadata (SEM) which is associated to multimedia content and is rendered on devices like fans, lamps, or vibration chairs. In this paper, we present a plug-in for Web browsers which is able to render such sensory effects provided via Web content, and we describe a demonstrator that uses this plug-in to control an amBX system.
10 citations
TL;DR: The MXM standard provides the necessary mechanisms to digitally manage the rights over Intellectual Property, the tools to protect the media and the means to grant the rights enforcement, besides a rich set of libraries to reproduce the content.
Abstract: This paper describes an interoperable Digital Rights Management architecture promoted by the MPEG standardization group in its new standard known as MPEG-M or MPEG Extensible Middleware (MXM). The goal of this standard is to promote the packaging and reusability of MPEG technologies, and for this it specifies a software middleware platform and a complete set of APIs and protocols. These APIs allow uniformly handling digital content and developing generic multimedia applications, through a set of modules communicated with standard protocols. The MXM standard provides the necessary mechanisms to digitally manage the rights over Intellectual Property, the tools to protect the media and the means to grant the rights enforcement, besides a rich set of libraries to reproduce the content.
9 citations
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: Scalable Video Coding (SVC) is introduced as a tool for Content-Aware Networks (CANs) which is currently researched as part of the EU FP7 ALICANTE project.
Abstract: The demand for access to advanced, distributed media resources is nowadays omnipresent due to the availability of Internet connectivity almost anywhere and anytime, and of a variety of different devices This calls for rethinking of the current Internet architecture by making the network aware of which content is actually transported This paper introduces Scalable Video Coding (SVC) as a tool for Content-Aware Networks (CANs) which is currently researched as part of the EU FP7 ALICANTE project The architecture of ALICANTE with respect to SVC and CAN is presented, use cases are described, and finally research challenges and open issues are discussed
7 citations
11 Jul 2011
TL;DR: The results show that layered piece-picking algorithms can significantly improve the quality in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio and are compared to traditional single layer solutions.
Abstract: In this paper the performance of layered piece-picking algorithms for Bittorrent-based peer-to-peer systems is evaluated and compared to traditional single layer solutions. In a Bittorrent-based peer-to-peer system, the piece-picking algorithm needs to ensure that the pieces of an audiovisual content are received in time to ensure smooth playback of the content. For layered content provided in multiple qualities, the task of the algorithm becomes more complex, as it has to consider the layer of the pieces to be fetched in addition to the deadline. Thus, the goal of the layered piece-picking algorithm is to ensure that the best possible quality under the given network conditions is received while the playback is not disturbed. To illustrate the advantages of such a layered piece-picking algorithm, its performance is evaluated and compared to a single layer piece-picking algorithm. The results show that layered piece-picking algorithms can significantly improve the quality in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio.
3 citations
11 Jul 2011
TL;DR: The concept of SVC tunneling developed in the EU FP7 ALICANTE project, which attempts to provide device-independent access to media resources at reduced network load, is introduced and the quality impact of these transcoding steps for a transcoding chain from MPEG-2 to SVC and back to MPEG-1 accumulates to a PSNR reduction.
Abstract: 1Today's omnipresent demand for access to multimedia content via diverse devices places new challenges on efficient content delivery. While the Scalable Video Coding (SVC) extension of Advanced Video Coding (AVC) has proven to be a useful tool for the advanced delivery of video content, it has not yet found major adoption in practice. This paper introduces the concept of SVC tunneling developed in the EU FP7 ALICANTE project, which attempts to provide device-independent access to media resources at reduced network load. For SVC tunneling, video transcoding is performed at the ingress/egress points of the network, which may impact the video quality. We show that the quality impact of these transcoding steps for a transcoding chain from MPEG-2 to SVC and back to MPEG-2 accumulates to a PSNR reduction of up to 2.1 dB for transcoding at fixed target bitrates. We also discuss research challenges and open issues in SVC tunneling.
1 citations
11 Jul 2011
TL;DR: A cooperation framework is proposed between a high level Service Provider (SP) - managing high level services - and a Content Aware Network Provider (CANP), managing an overlay, multi-domain, transportation network.
Abstract: This work is a part of complex multi-domain eco-system specification and design aiming to deliver multimedia Quality of Services (QoS) enabled services. A cooperation framework is proposed between a high level Service Provider (SP) - managing high level services - and a Content Aware Network Provider (CANP), managing an overlay, multi-domain, transportation network. The virtual CANs are requested by a SP, negotiated with, and realised by the CANP. This cooperation, through online Service Level Agreements, creates a cross-layer optimization loop between the transport, application, and services layers. Inside the VCANs the resources for QoS assurance are assured by static and dynamic provisioning, service differentiation and media flow dynamic adaptation.
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: A low-cost consumer electronics set-top box for streaming live video content using cost-efficient P2P networks that includes content discovery, highquality playback, easy user management, and social interaction is presented.
Abstract: The distribution of audio-visual content over the Internet has become very popular in recent years. However, due to the bandwidth requirements of videos in high definition, a costefficient distribution is desirable. In this paper we present a low-cost consumer electronics set-top box for streaming live video content using cost-efficient P2P networks. The main features of the set-top box include content discovery, highquality playback, easy user management, and social interaction.
04 Mar 2011
TL;DR: This white paper concludes the first phase of the working group by proposing a FMIA reference model, covering delivery, in the network adaptation/enrichment and consumption of media over the Future Internet ecosystem.
Abstract: The Future Internet (FI) is expected to be a communication and delivery ecosystem, which will interface, interconnect, integrate and expand today's Internet, public and private intranets and communication networks of any type and scale, in order to provide efficiently, transparently and securely highly demanding services to humans and systems. This complex networking environment may be considered from various interrelated perspectives: the networks & infrastructure viewpoint, the services viewpoint, the media & information viewpoint. This document has been produces by a discussion forum of experts in the area of media and networks, named: Future Media Internet - Think Tank (FMIA-TT). FMIA-TT aims to create a reference model of a “Future Media Internet Architecture”, covering delivery, in the network adaptation/enrichment and consumption of media over the Future Internet ecosystem. This white paper concludes the first phase of the working group by proposing a FMIA reference model.