Distributed multiparty protocols such as multicast, atomic commit, or gossip are currently underutilized, but we envision that they could be used pervasively, and that developers could work with such protocols similarly to how they work with CORBA/COM/.NET/Java objects. We have created a new programming model and a platform in which protocol instances are represented as objects of a new type called live distributed objects: strongly-typed building blocks that can be composed in a type-safe manner through a drag and drop interface. Unlike most prior object-oriented distributed protocol embeddings, our model appears to be flexible enough to accommodate most popular protocols, and to be applied uniformly to any part of a distributed system, to build not only front-end, but also back-end components, such as multicast channels, naming, or membership services. 
While the platform is not limited to applications based on multicast, it is replication-centric, and reliable multicast protocols are important building blocks that can be used to create a variety of scalable components, from shared documents to fault-tolerant storage or scalable role delegation. We propose a new multicast architecture compatible with the model and designed in accordance with object-oriented principles such as modularity and encapsulation. The architecture represents multicast objects as compositions of smaller objects, glued using a decentralized membership mechanism. The benefits include support for heterogeneous networks by allowing a single multicast protocol instance to simultaneously leverage different mechanisms in different parts of the Internet.
Finally, we describe and evaluate a scalable reliable multicast prototype that incorporates a novel approach to scaling with the number of protocol instances by leveraging regular patterns of overlap. The system achieves exceptional performance, scalability, and stability in the presence of perturbations, in part thanks to a novel application of techniques such as priority scheduling or pull-based processing. We describe a previously unnoticed relationship between memory overheads and scheduling and the performance and scalability of a reliable multicast protocol. Our results demonstrate that to build a new global Web operating system that the live objects vision leads to, the distributed protocol and the local system architecture cannot be treated in isolation.

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Live distributed objects

A scene graph suitable for defining stereoscopic graphical objects, a method and an apparatus for creating such scene graphs, and a method and an apparatus for rendering graphical objects based on such scene graphs are described. The scene graph describes a spatial and/or temporal arrangement of the stereoscopic graphical object and comprises information about image data for a base image (BI) for the stereoscopic graphical object, image data for a dependent image (DI) for the graphical object, and the spatial and/or temporal arrangement of the base image (BI) and the dependent image (DI). For a 3D rendering mode the graphical object is composed of the base image (BI) and the dependent image (DI). For a 2D rendering mode the graphical object is composed of the base image (BI) only.

Scene graph for defining a stereoscopic graphical object

A stereoscopic scene graph suitable for defining 3D- and 2D-compatible graphical objects, a storage medium comprising a scene graph for defining graphical objects, a method and an apparatus for generating such scene graphs, and a method and an apparatus for retrieving graphical objects based on such scene graphs are described. The stereoscopic scene graph is compatible to a 3D rendering mode and a 2D rendering mode and specifies a base image (BI) for a graphical object and an optional dependent image (DI) for the graphical object. For the 3D rendering mode the graphical object is composed of the base image (BI), or, if a dependent image (DI) is specified, of the base image (BI) and the dependent image (DI). For the 2D rendering mode the graphical object is composed of the base image (BI).

Stereoscopic scene graph for defining 3D- and 2D-compatible graphical objects

The ultimate book/DVD package for HD and Blu-Ray DVD applications

This complete book/DVD package covers everything you need to know in order to write optical working code for HD and Blu-Ray DVD applications.This comprehensive tutorial not only teaches the new programming skills but also includes large chunks of reusable code and demonstrates actual code outcomes.

Michael Zink

Papers

Programming HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc