Multimedia Communications Protocols and Applications

by Kuo, Franklin F.; Garcia Luna-Aceves, J. Joaquin; Effelsberg, Wolfgang

• ISBN13: 9780138569235
• ISBN10: 0138569231
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-09-26
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This book covers everything LAN and WAN professionals need to know to prepare for -- and deploy -- networked multimedia.Networked multimedia applications are poised for explosive growth. This book gives LAN and WAN managers detailed insights into the hardware, protocol and performance implications of these new applications. Learn how to evaluate and plan for higher bandwidth, quality of service and scalability requirements. Review the unique issues surrounding Internet MBone multicasting, push technology, videoconferencing, real-time streaming media, shared whiteboards and other networked multimedia. The book also includes detailed coverage of MPEG-2; delay and synchronization issues; real-time streaming protocols; and the implications of IPv6.For all communications engineers and WAN managers who must plan for and manage multimedia traffic on their networks.

Author Biography

FRANKLIN F. KUO is a Senior Advisor with General Wireless Communications, Inc., of Santa Clara, CA, and is an Internet pioneer.

J. JOAQUIN GARCIA-LUNA is a Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He heads up a research group in computer communications.

WOLFGANG EFFELSBERG is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Mannheim, Germany. He heads a group conducting research in multimedia networking and applications.

Table of Contents

Authors	xi	(2)
Preface	xiii
Who Should Read This Book	xiii	(1)
What This Book Covers	xiv	(1)
What This Book Does Not Cover	xiv	(1)
How the Book Came To Be	xiv	(1)
Acknowledgments	xv
1 Introduction to Multimedia	1	(18)
1.1 The Internet and Multimedia Communications	1	(2)
1.2 Continuous and Discrete Media	3	(1)
1.3 Digital Signals	3	(2)
1.3.1 Sampling	3	(1)
1.3.2 Quantization and Encoding	4	(1)
1.3.3 Bit Rate	5	(1)
1.4 Still Images	5	(1)
1.5 Text and Graphics	6	(1)
1.6 Moving Graphics and Images	7	(1)
1.7 Encoding and Decoding	7	(2)
1.8 Bandwidth vs. Compression	9	(2)
1.9 Project TeleTeaching	11	(5)
1.9.1 Background and Motivation	11	(1)
1.9.2 Teleteaching Scenarios	12	(3)
1.9.3 Multimedia Teaching Materials	15	(1)
1.9.4 Industrial Partners	16	(1)
1.9.5 Comparable Projects	16	(1)
1.10 References	16	(3)
2 Multimedia Networks: Requirements and Performance Issues	19	(16)
2.1 Distributed Multimedia Applications	19	(1)
2.2 Peer-to-Peer and Multipeer Communications	20	(1)
2.3 Network Performance Parameters for Multimedia	21	(3)
2.3.1 Throughput	21	(1)
2.3.2 Error Rate	22	(1)
2.3.3 Delay	22	(1)
2.3.4 Round-trip Delay	23	(1)
2.3.5 Delay Variation or Jitter	24	(1)
2.4 Characteristics of Multimedia Traffic Sources	24	(2)
2.4.1 Throughput Variation with Time	24	(1)
2.4.2 Time Dependency	25	(1)
2.4.3 Bidirectional Symmetry	25	(1)
2.5 Factors That Affect Network Performance	26	(3)
2.5.1 Throughput Performance Factors	26	(2)
2.5.2 Issues in Network Error Performance	28	(1)
2.5.3 Network Delay Performance Issues	29	(1)
2.6 Multimedia Traffic Requirements for Networks	29	(3)
2.6.1 Throughput Requirements	30	(1)
2.6.2 Reliability (Error Control) Requirements	30	(1)
2.6.3 Delay Requirements	31	(1)
2.7 Quality of Service	32	(1)
2.8 References	33	(2)
3 Compression Methods	35	(44)
3.1 Introduction to Compression Methods	35	(4)
3.2 Basic Coding Methods	39	(8)
3.2.1 Run-Length Coding	39	(1)
3.2.2 Huffman Coding	40	(1)
3.2.3 Arithmetic Coding	41	(1)
3.2.4 Discrete Cosine Transform	42	(3)
3.2.5 Differential Pulse Code Modulation	45	(1)
3.2.6 Motion-Compensated Prediction	46	(1)
3.3 Video Compression	47	(20)
3.3.1 Nonstandardized Techniques	47	(1)
3.3.2 JPEG	48	(4)
3.3.3 H.261	52	(4)
3.3.4 MPEG-1 Video	56	(4)
3.3.5 MPEG-2 Video	60	(1)
3.3.6 MPEG-4 Video	61	(1)
3.3.7 H.263	62	(1)
3.3.8 Wavelet Image Compression	62	(3)
3.3.9 Fractal Image Compression	65	(2)
3.4 Audio Compression	67	(5)
3.4.1 Variants of Pulse Code Modulation	68	(1)
3.4.2 MPEG-1 Audio	68	(4)
3.4.3 Perceptual Audio Coder	72	(1)
3.5 More Information about Compression Methods	72	(1)
3.6 References	73	(6)
4 Subnetwork Technology	79	(46)
4.1 Networking Requirements of Multimedia Applications	79	(3)
4.1.1 Throughput	79	(1)
4.1.2 End-to-End Delay	80	(1)
4.1.3 Multipoint Communication	81	(1)
4.1.4 Reliability	81	(1)
4.1.5 Channel Synchronization	82	(1)
4.2 Networking Technologies	82	(25)
4.2.1 Relevant Parameters	82	(1)
4.2.2 Ethernet	83	(1)
4.2.3 100Base-T (Fast Ethernet)	83	(1)
4.2.4 Isochronous Ethernet	84	(1)
4.2.5 Token Ring	85	(1)
4.2.6 Demand Priority	86	(2)
4.2.7 FDDI	88	(1)
4.2.8 FDDI II	89	(1)
4.2.9 DQDB	90	(2)
4.2.10 X.25 Packet-Switching	92	(1)
4.2.11 Frame Relay	92	(2)
4.2.12 IP Packet-Switching Networks	94	(1)
4.2.13 ISDN	94	(2)
4.2.14 ATM	96	(7)
4.2.15 IP-Switching	103	(2)
4.2.16 Summary of Network Characteristics	105	(2)
4.3 Networking Infrastructure Evolution	107	(13)
4.3.1 Network Deployment Issues	107	(1)
4.3.2 WAN Evolution	108	(2)
4.3.3 LAN Topology Evolution	110	(3)
4.3.4 Integration of ATM into the LAN Infrastructure	113	(1)
4.3.5 Classical IP over ATM (RFC 1577)	113	(2)
4.3.6 IP Multicasting over ATM	115	(3)
4.3.7 LAN Emulation Services over ATM	118	(2)
4.3.8 Native Multimedia Communication over ATM	120	(1)
4.4 Summary	120	(1)
4.5 References	121	(4)
5 Network and Transport Layer Protocols for Multimedia	125	(44)
5.1 Principles and Algorithms of Traditional Protocols	125	(13)
5.1.1 Routing	126	(8)
5.1.2 Reliability	134	(1)
5.1.3 Multicast	135	(3)
5.2 Problems with Traditional Protocols	138	(10)
5.2.1 Traditional Protocols Cannot Guarantee Quality of Service	140	(3)
5.2.2 Traditional Protocols Do Not Support Multicast	143	(5)
5.3 A New Generation of Protocols for Multimedia	148	(11)
5.3.1 ST2, the Stream Protocol Version II	148	(2)
5.3.2 The Tenet Protocols	150	(1)
5.3.3 Multicast IP and the MBone	151	(2)
5.3.4 IP Version 6	153	(2)
5.3.5 RSVP, a Resource Reservation Protocol for the Internet	155	(3)
5.3.6 RTP, a Real-Time Transport Protocol	158	(1)
5.4 Media Filtering, Media Scaling, and Adaptive Applications	159	(3)
5.4.1 Media Filtering	160	(1)
5.4.2 Media Scaling	161	(1)
5.4.3 Adaptive Applications	161	(1)
5.5 Summary	162	(1)
5.6 References	163	(6)
6 End-to-End Reliable Multicast	169	(24)
6.1 Defining End-to-End Reliability	169	(1)
6.2 A Taxonomy of Reliable Multicast Protocols	170	(7)
6.2.1 Sender-Initiated Protocols	171	(2)
6.2.2 Receiver-Initiated Protocols	173	(1)
6.2.3 Tree-Based Protocols	174	(2)
6.2.4 Ring-Based Protocols	176	(1)
6.3 Maximum Throughput of Reliable Protocols	177	(2)
6.4 Protocol Implementations	179	(4)
6.4.1 Scalable Reliable Multicast (SRM)	179	(2)
6.4.2 Tree-Based Protocols	181	(2)
6.5 Scaling and Efficiency Issues	183	(5)
6.5.1 Deallocating Memory	183	(3)
6.5.2 Common ACK Trees	186	(1)
6.5.3 Efficient Ack Tree Construction	187	(1)
6.5.4 Tree Maintenance	187	(1)
6.6 Summary	188	(1)
6.7 Acknowledgments	189	(1)
6.8 References	189	(4)
7 Multimedia Applications in Networks	193	(38)
7.1 Introduction	193	(1)
7.2 Application-Level Framing	194	(2)
7.3 Audio/Video Conferencing	196	(15)
7.3.1 Session Directories	196	(1)
7.3.2 Audio/Video Conferencing	197	(3)
7.3.3 Adaptive Applications	200	(5)
7.3.4 Receiver Heterogeneity	205	(3)
7.3.5 Real-Time Applications with Resource Reservations	208	(3)
7.4 Video Servers	211	(3)
7.4.1 Architecture of Video Server Systems	211	(3)
7.4.2 MBone VCR: A Video Server for the MBone	214	(1)
7.5 Applications Requiring Reliable Multicast	214	(4)
7.5.1 Whiteboard	214	(2)
7.5.2 Network Text Editor for Shared Text Editing	216	(1)
7.5.3 MultiTalk	216	(1)
7.5.4 Multicast File Transfer	217	(1)
7.6 Multimedia Applications in the World Wide Web	218	(5)
7.6.1 Multicast Web Page Sharing	218	(3)
7.6.2 Audio/Video Streams in the WWW	221	(2)
7.6.3 Conferencing Java Applets	223	(1)
7.7 Interactive Multiplayer Games	223	(2)
7.7.1 On-Line Casino	224	(1)
7.7.2 MiMaze	225	(1)
7.8 Summary	225	(1)
7.9 References	226	(5)
Index	231

Excerpts

Preface At the dawn of a new millennium, an information revolution is taking place that involves the convergence of communications with computers. The Internet is a first manifestation of that revolution. Soon to come are technologies that will integrate commerce, education, entertainment, and telecommunications. New consumer products are emerging that will combine the functions of the telephone, the personal computer, and television. Radically innovative telecommunications systems are being developed that will enable the free flow of multiple mediavoice, data, image, video informationbetween these new personal information terminals. These new telecommunications systems involve combinations of the switched public telephone network, broadcast and cable-TV (CATV) nets, as well as wide- and local area data networks. In this telecommunications-driven information revolution, the major technology enabler is multimedia. Who Should Read This Book The book is a professional reference for electrical engineers and computer scientists. It is also intended as a classroom resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in telecommunications and in computer science. What This Book Covers This book presents the basic technical concepts of multimedia technology and the communications principles underlying multimedia networking. It covers the systems aspects of computer communications, centering on the network protocols needed to make multimedia communications practicable. The coverage extends from the lowest (physical) layer protocols to the highest (application) layer. We also emphasize communications requirements for multimedia, with particular stress on what these requirements imply for the design of network protocols. In addition to coverage on protocols, we include a comprehensive chapter on the network technology underpinnings that pertain to multimedia communications, including the very important Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technology. Again, systems issues are emphasized, rather than the hardware and software bases of these technologies. Finally, we examine important applications of multimedia communication and address new systems approaches needed to render these communications as efficient and inexpensive as possible. Thus, the kinds of applications presented in this book involve both multimedia and communications. What This Book Does Not Cover Not covered here are applications involving the representation of multimedia information, such as multimedia authoring and the design of multimedia databases, because they do not necessarily involve communications aspects. Among other topics not presented in this volume are baseline computer networking principles, such as TCP/IP, routing, and local area networking. It is assumed that the reader has a basic background in computer networking and knows how to use the Internet and browse the World Wide Web. How the Book Came To Be The idea for this book resulted from a series of discussions in Mannheim, Germany between two of the editorsFranklin Kuo and Wolfgang Effelsberg. Kuo spent the academic year 1995-96 as a visiting professor at the University of Mannheim and was supported by an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award. His host was Professor Effelsberg, chair of Praktische Informatik IV (Computer Science) at Uni Mannheim. Kuo was very impressed by the high degree of technological sophistication in multimedia communications that was exhibited not only at the Mannheim center but at other research institutes in Germany, including the IBM European Networking Center in Heidelberg (about 20 kilometers from Mannheim). Kuo and Effelsberg decided to edit a book on multimedia communications, focusing on the expertise and technical insights of European computer scientists working in the field. Since mult