For one/two-semester, undergraduate/ graduate-level courses in Data Communications and Networks, Networked Multimedia, and Multimedia Information Networking. Ideal for those with little background in the subject, this text provides a cohesive and seamless presentation of both the fundamental and advanced concepts related to Multimedia Information Networking from basic technologies and communication systems, protocols, and networks, to a variety of multimedia applications. It offers balanced coverage of communication and multimedia issues focusing on multimedia information, as well as on techniques and technologies used in making this information available on computer networks.

Compiled for professionals working in designing, building and implementing multimedia-related hardware and applications, this volume examines media and content processing, systems-based solutions and networking suport for multimedia data types.

In recent years rapid Internet growth has pushed the development of new multimedia applications in all aspects of life such as entertainment, communication, collaborative work and electronic commerce. Future applications will make use of different technologies like voice, data and video, but in order to make such a wide variety of multimedia applications successful, a number of technology and management issues must be addressed. Multimedia Networking: Technology, Management and Applications addresses the dynamic and efficient uses of resources ? a fundamental aspect of multimedia networks. Geared toward professionals, educators and students alike, this exciting new book will detail current research and the future direction of multimedia networking.

Advances in multimedia communication systems have enhanced the need for improved video coding standards. Due to the inherent nature of video content, large bandwidths and reliable communication links are required to ensure a satisfactory level of quality experience; inspiring industry and research communities to concentrate their efforts in this emerging research area. Multimedia Networking and Coding covers widespread knowledge and research as well as innovative applications in multimedia communication systems. This book highlights recent techniques that can evolve into future multimedia communication systems, also showing experimental results from systems and applications.

The result of decades of research and international project experience, Multimedia Communications and Networking provides authoritative insight into recent developments in multimedia, digital communications, and networking services and technologies. Supplying you with the required foundation in these areas, it illustrates the means that will allow

This practical resource provides a survey on the technologies, protocols, and architectures that are widely used in practice to implement networked multimedia services. The book presents the background and basic concepts behind multimedia networking, and provides a detailed analysis of how multimedia services work, reviewing the diverse network protocols that are of common use to implement them. To guide the explanation of concepts, the book focuses on a representative set of networked multimedia services with proven success and high penetration in the telecommunication market, namely Internet telephony, Video-on-Demand (VoD), and live IP television (IPTV). Contents are presented following a stepwise approach, describing each network protocol in the context of a networked multimedia service and making appropriate references to the protocol as needed in the description of other multimedia services. This book also contains questions and exercises to provide the reader with insight on the practical application of the explained concepts. Additionally, a laboratory practice is included, based on open-source tools and software, to analyze the operation of an Internet telephony service from a practical perspective, as well as to deploy some of its fundamental components.

Multimedia Information Systems explores the technical, human, organizational and socio-economic issues which underpin the implementation and use of multimedia information systems. This unique book comprehensively defines multimedia information systems and its emerging architecture. Today's important issues of networked multimedia information systems and multimedia trafficking on the information superhighway are thoroughly investigated. Multimedia information systems applications and organizational implications are also discussed along with multimedia authoring systems. Multimedia Information Systems is essential reading for all students and professionals faced with the challenges of multimedia information systems management and development. Multimedia Information Systems develops an awareness of the problems associated with multimedia information systems management, and the ability to understand and address these emerging challenges on an organizational and technical level. The book explores the limitations of multimedia on the information superhighway, and offers solutions for present and future development on the Internet. This book also scrutinizes the current applications of multimedia information systems, and examines how they can be developed. Multimedia Information Systems serves as an excellent text for courses on the subject, and as an invaluable reference for multimedia information systems professionals.