This practical resource provides a survey on the technologies, protocols and architectures that are widely used in practice to implement networked multimedia services. The first part of the book presents the background and basic concepts behind multimedia networking, and provides an introductory high-level overview of the different services and protocols that will be covered in the book. Each of the subsequent parts of the book is focused on the practical analysis of a specific multimedia service, reviewing the diverse network protocols that are of common use to implement it. In particular, 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 IPTV. This book also contains exercises based on open source tools and software, analyzing the practical operation of diverse multimedia services as well as implementing and deploying some of its fundamental components. This understand the detailed operation of individual multimedia networking protocols, as they are described in depth from a technical perspective; second, it will provide a contrasted reference to current solutions and best practices to implement and deploy networked multimedia services. Contents are presented to the reader 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 subsequent parts of the book.

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.

The transportation of multimedia over the network requires timely and errorless transmission much more strictly than other data. This had led to special protocols and to special treatment in multimedia applications (telephony, IP-TV, streaming) to overcome network issues. This book begins with an overview of the vast market combined with the user’s expectations. The base mechanisms of the audio/video coding (H.26x etc.) are explained to understand characteristics of the generated network traffic. Further chapters treat common specialized underlying IP network functions which cope with multimedia data in conjunction which special time adaption measures. Based on those standard functions these chapters can treat uniformly SIP, H.248, High-End IP-TV, Webcast, Signage etc. A special section is devoted to home networks which challenge high-end service delivery due to possibly unreliable management. The whole book treats concepts described in accessible IP-based standards and which are implemented broadly. The book is aimed at graduate students/practitioners with good basic knowledge in computer networking. It provides the reader with all concepts of currently used IP technologies of how to deliver multimedia efficiently to the end user.

As the Internet has grown, so have the challenges associated with delivering static, streaming, and dynamic content to end-users. This book is unique in that it addresses the topic of content networking exclusively and comprehensively, tracing the evolution from traditional web caching to today's open and vastly more flexible architecture. With this evolutionary approach, the authors emphasize the field's most persistent concepts, principles, and mechanisms--the core information that will help you understand why and how content delivery works today, and apply that knowledge in the future. Focuses on the principles that will give you a deep and timely understanding of content networking. Offers dozens of protocol-specific examples showing how real-life Content Networks are currently designed and implemented. Provides extensive consideration of Content Services, including both the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP) and Open Pluggable Edge Services (OPES). Examines methods for supporting time-constrained media such as streaming audio and video and real-time media such as instant messages. Combines the vision and rigor of a prominent researcher with the practical experience of a seasoned development engineer to provide a unique combination of theoretical depth and practical application.

A rapidly growing number of services and applications along with a dramatic shift in users' consumption models have made media networks an area of increasing importance. Do you know all that you need to know?Supplying you with a clear understanding of the technical and deployment challenges, Media Networks: Architectures, Applications, and Standard

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.

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