6 March 2015 MACRo 2015 6 March, 2015 N ETWORKED MULTIMEDIA : STATE OF THE ART AND PERSPECTIVES Csaba A. Szabó Budapest University of Technology and Economics

6 March 2015

MACRo 2015

6 March, 2015

NETWORKED MULTIMEDIA: STATE OF THE ART AND PERSPECTIVES

Csaba A. SzabóBudapest University of Technology and Economics

Department of Networked Systems and Services

Networked multimedia, or multimedia communications?

MACRo 2015 2© Csaba A. Szabo, Dept. of Networked Systems and Services, BME

From the old television in a living room …

Networked multimedia?


…through IPTV and Internet TV and mobile multimedia…

Networked multimedia?


… to social TV and social media.

Objective of this presentation

Give an overview of the state-of-the art multimedia communications technologies and services

Analyse their present significance and expected future role

Identify some development trends


Outline Networked multimedia: a short history Delivery over dedicated networks

• Digital television• IPTV

Delivery over the public Internet• Internet TV/OTT

The social element in multimedia communications• Social media• Social TV

Some development trends• Presentation technologies• Moving from dedicated delivery networks to broadband

wireless/mobile access


SOME SNAPSHOTS OF HISTORY


How old is networked multimedia?Tivadar Puskás’ telephone news service


Source of multimedia: a studio similar to today’s radio studios

Delivery of multimedia : via a dial-up network (the telephone network) as opposed to a radio broadcasting system

Wireless communications and radio broadcasting

First demonstrations of wireless transmission• 1896 - Guglielmo Marconi• 1898 – Nikola Tesla

• 1897 – Alexander Popov

Voice over Radio• 1914 - First voice over radio transmission• 1940s – Penetration of FM radio

Mobile telephony• 1979 - NTT/Japan deploys first cellular communication

system• 2000s – 3rd, 4th generation cellular system standards


Television broadcasting

Systems based on electronic transmitting tubes• RCA’s “iconoscope” in 1931, based on Zworykin’s experiments

(1923) and Kálmán Tihanyi’s (1924). Commercial transmitting tubes and broadcasting systems

• “Super-iconoscope” by Zworykin in Germany (1934)• First public tv broadcasting in 1936 (Germany, Olympic games)• 525-line/625-line TV system implemented in the USA (1941), in

the Soviet Union (1946), 625-line becomes the European (CCIR) standard

Colour television• NTSC in the USA (1953)• SECAM in France (patented in 1946, first broadcasting in 1967)• PAL in West Germany (1953), first broadcasts in 1967 in the UK

and in Germany


Overview of current comm. systems used for multimedia delivery

Wireline telecommunications networks (analogue – the PSTN - , ISDN)

Wireless broadcasting systems: terrestrial, satellite

Cable TV distribution systems Mobile communications networks (currently 3G,

4G) Internet (access via telephone local loop – xDSL

-, via cable TV network or satellite, via mobile)


MULTIMEDIA (TV) DELIVERY OVER DEDICATED NETWORKS


Digital television broadcasting

Advantages of digital as opposed to analog TV:• For subscribers

• Improved quality, larger choice of channels (1 free multiplex of 8 TV channels plus radio stations)

• For broadcasters• Distributing more channels without having to purchase more

bandwidth

• For regulators• Governments can sell the frequency bands freed up by the digital

switchover

DVB (Europe) and ATSC (USA) Digital TV by satellite, then cable and terrestrial systems

(DVB-S/C/T) DVB 2nd generation


DVB technology

Sophisticated source coding and channel coding methods Source coding: MPEG-2 (3…10 Mbps), MPEG-4 (1.5 Mbps) Channel coding:

• Forward error correction, scrambling, efficient digital modulation technique to cope with the noises in terrestrial and satellite radio channels, and with limited bandwidth in cable TV channels

• Common units for S-C-T: Scrambler, outer FEC, outer interleaver, PLUS:

• Satellite: low SNR: additional error correcting coding, enough bandwidth: QPSK modulation

• Cable: good SNR, low bandwidth: efficient 16QAM…64QAM modulation schemes

• Terrestrial: the most demanding channel. Inner FEC and interleaver, 16…64QAM, OFDM


Conceptual scheme of the three DVB systems


Digital switchover worldwide


RED: completed ORANGE: large trsmtrs are digitalYELLOW: in progress GREEN: analogueGREY: no information

Source:Vikipedia

Importance of digital terrestrial broadcasting for the society?

For low-income population groups, living in rural areas, in less developed countries, terrestrial broadcasting is the only way to consume:• news• entertainment programs• educational programs

For them, the digital switchover means that the terrestrial broadcasting will survive in its new form, and will remain available in the foreseeable future.

One multiplex for free. A successful government support project in Hungary.


IPTV

Technically: TV distribution/delivery over IP, the Internet Protocol

From business point of view: opportunity for “classical” telecom operators to enter into the broadcasting business

“Triple play” providers: TV + Internet + telephone What can IPTV offer (compared with digital TV

broadcasting)? • High quality picture and sound as in digital broadcasting. • “Time shift” - allowing playback of content after its initial

transmission. • EPG or Electronic Program Guide.• Personalized interactive media consumption services.


The IPTV delivery network


As access network, ADSL and FTTH are dominant

IPTV functional architecture


Importance of IPTV

IPTV is an excellent opportunity for telecom operators to enter into broadcasting business without having to build a new network infrastructure for it.

IPTV offers attractive features for customers, too, that are virtually unavailable from traditional broadcasters and are only partly offered by cable operators: flexibility and interactivity.

Examples of target groups: • Housewifes (flexibility of enjoying programs while taking care

of family businesses• Younger people accustomed to consuming media in an

interactive way on the Internet


DELIVERY OVER THE PUBLIC INTERNET


Moving from dedicated delivery networks to the public Internet

Linear media consumption:• Traditional TV broadcasting• Edited programmes, based on a schedule known in advance

Non-linear media consumption• Desktop or laptop or mobile device with Internet access• Access to, download, watch/listen the media we choose• When we want, consume it again, in parts if we wish so• Just like in the past with VHS video casette player and later

with DVD Generation divide But the non-linear content consumption principle is not

unfamiliar also to non-Internet generations: after all books are non-linear content, too


Transition

Rigid boundaries seem to be softening• Home media players bring non-linear content into TV sets• Linear content can be viewed also on desktops, laptops,

smartphones Penetration of smart TVs

• Smart TV, connected TV, hybrid TV: integration of Internet and Web2.0 capabilities into TV sets and set-top boxes

OTT – Over-the-top content - can be seen as an effort to bridge this gap


OTT content delivery?

OTT = content distribution over the Internet Separating content provider and distributor/network service

provider roles (the latter are the ISPs)• As opposed to traditional broadcasting companies or to the

majority of IPTV providers (they are “vertical” service providers)

OTT could be called Internet TV• Internet TV IPTV? The former uses the public Internet, the

latter uses a dedicated, managed IP network OTT should not be called Internet TV

• It is too general and only refers to the technical side• OTT is also a service/business model


OTT vs IPTV


OTT IPTV

Delivery network The open Internet A proprietary – managed - network

Network ownership by the content provider/aggregator?

No, network provider and content provider roles are separated

Usually the content provider owns the delivery network

Quality of Service In general, best effort provided by an ISP, a CDN* may be used to improve it

QoS can be guaranteed

Protocol for media transport

HTTP/TCP, adaptive streaming like HLS is emerging

Transport stream over RTP/UDP

Routing topology Unicast Multicast

* CDN: Content Delivery Network

Components of the OTT ecosystem

Content providers Content aggregators and distributors ISP – Internet Service Providers CDN – Content Delivery/Distribution network – provider Access/core network provider

Example:• Content provider: e.g. BBC• Content aggregator and distributor: Netflix (USA, UK)• ISP: Verizon (USA), T-Home (in many European countries)• CDN provider: Akamai (USA), StreamZilla (The Netherlands),

Antenna Hungaria (Hungary)• Access/core network providers: most traditional telcos and

mobile operatorsMACRo 2015 27© Csaba A. Szabo, Dept. of Networked Systems and

Services, BME

OTT Services: Netflix


• Netflix is the world's leading Internet television network with more than 50 million customers in 40 countries

• USA, Central and South America, many European countries (currently 12) incl. UK, Ireland, Scandinavian countries, Central Europe

• Unlimited amount of movies and TV shows for a monthly subscription fee

Apple tv


• iTunes Store • YouTube, Vimeo etc.• News and sport channels (Wall Street

Journal)• Netflix, Hulu (where accessible)• Any media from MAC, iPhone, iPad

• Connected to tv set via HDMI, to Internet via Ethernet or Wi-Fi

• Remote controller or application for iPhone

Technical issues

How can the service provider ensure QoS without owning the distribution network or having access to it (because the distribution network is the Internet)?• Only monitoring and collecting information at the receiver side is

possible, no intervention• ISP cannot monitor the content of the IP packets (the “network

neutrality” principle)• Also different business interests

Fortunately, broadband Internet is penetrating, with increasing quality and reliability• In EU: min. 100 Mbps access shall be granted for the whole

population by 2020. Inclusion of a CDN – Content Delivery Network) provider into

the delivery process.• What is a CDN?


OTT: Pricing structures

• Case-by-case (transaction-based) charging• Subscription-based (flat rate) charging• Combination of the two can be a good solution:

• Subscription to a certain amount of programs (TV channels) plus transaction-based charging for stored content (e.g. for DVDs)

• Free• How to collect revenues then?

– Advertisements• Rarely used as the only scheme, rather in combination with the

first two schemes

• Example: Hulu, offers free access (ad-supported) and subscription based Hulu Plus, currently for 7.99 USD per month


THE SOCIAL ELEMENT IN MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS


Social networks and sharing sites


Social network Usage Users

FaceBook General, blogs, photos, applications

1.3 billion (2014)

Google+ General 500 million

Twitter Microblogging, RSS, video sharing

100 million

Tumblr General, microblogging

210 million blogs

LinkedIn Professional/business contacts

200 million

Sharing sites Usage Users

Flickr Photo 30 million

Instagram (FBook) Photo, video 150 million

YouTube (Google) Video 14 billion views (2010)

So, what is social media?

Content produced and consumed by many• Personal content (photos, videos – digital storytelling)• Content collected by individuals and published on the web• Content is multimedia (today: picture, video, voice, data, in

the future: smell, tactile info etc.) Sharing plays an essential role New approach to multimedia content search

• Using tags, recommendation, collaborative annotations of social network users


Example: digital storytelling (1)

Digital storytelling is a combination of narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to produce a short movie, typically with a strong personal character and usually with emotional component.

Who is doing digital storytelling?• An earlier project by BBC: encouraged and sponsored people

all around the UK to capture videos on local histories and cultures.

• San Francisco broadcasting station KQED solicited high school students to shoot stories about how they are living in California.

• Digital storytelling has a great significance in education.


Example: digital storytelling (2)

What do you need for that?• A script and some hw/sw• Capturing device (video camera, smartphone, iPad etc.)• Editing environment (a desktop or laptop with the necessary

inputs and with an editing software, e.g. Apple iMovie, Microsoft MovieMaker).

Visit these sites: • http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu (many samples)• http://project.unimarconi.it/eu_tune/ (a recent EU project)

Users become content producers too („prosumers“= producers and consumers)• Generate personal content and share via social networks• Generate content for broadcasters and news portals


http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

http://project.unimarconi.it/eu_tune/

Social TV: What is it?

Community interactions in the context of viewing TV programs

How do we view TV programs?• Home living room environment • Desktop environment• Mobile media consumption


Home living room environment Main components:

• Large plasma, LCD or LED screens

(waiting for OLED),• HD presentation, 3D is

penetrating,• high-fidelity sound systems.

Content comes:• from air or cable as before,• more recently, via IPTV,• from the Internet and presented

on living room equipment (supported by proprietary „media center“ type solutions).


This set-up can be called a „linear“ media consumption environment, with limited interaction possibilities.

Desktop environment

PCs or notebooks, both in the office and at home, Numerous TV and radio broadcasting programs are directly

available on the Internet, More and more content can be acquired from the social

sites (Facebook, YouTube), In the latter case, content consumption is often

accompanied by annotation and recommendation services, thus bringing more interactivity than can be achieved in the living room environment.

Interactivity is supported by several communication capabilities (instant messaging, voice/video calls e.g. via Skype, voice/video conferencing)


Mobile media consumption

Mobile and portable devices (smartphones, tablets. Radio broadcasting receivers are often built in. TV channels are accessible via Internet, alternatively DVB-

H where available. Internet connectivity (everywhere via Wi-Fi and 3G/4G

mobile) Interactivity is supported by the inherent communication

capabilities: voice calls, SMS, MMS, video calls These devices both serve for media presentation and

production.


Social TV?

Combine the three settings making use of what the social networks offer: tagging, recommendations etc. to create community interactions in the context of viewing tv programs.

Collecting multimedia information related to the piece of media just being watched/listened

Collecting and presenting multimedia information related to the geographical location the user is currently visiting• Hitchcock‘s „Vertigo“


The “Golden Gate”


Social TV @ MIT

MIT „10 most important emerging technologies, 2010”

A central database aggregates

video from online sources like YouTube,

shares user-specified data with

social networks, delivers video to the user's TV, lets users and the people in their

networks send comments and ratings

via an iPhone app.


http://www2.technologyreview.com/article/418541/tr10-social-tv/

http://www2.technologyreview.com/article/418541/tr10-social-tv/

So what is social TV? [5]

Content selection and sharing• Making decisions on what to watch based on peers; sharing

programs or edited versions Communication

• Direct communication via chat, audio, or video with other peers

Community building• Commenting about a television program with a large

community Status update

• Making available to others what you are watching


SOME DEVELOPMENT TRENDS


Presentation technologies (1)

Current 3D possibilities or higher resolution? 3D-capable TV sets have been around for several years, Several broadcasters started 3D trials in 2001 and 2002 then

suspended them Why 3D TV (based on current technologies) is not breaking

through?• viewing inconvenience, not adequate image quality• not a real 3D, no space experience just depth• 3D has added value only for a few genres• content offering is far from satisfactory

On the other hand, higher resolution (beyond HD) seems to be attractive for users• UHD 4k (3840x2160 pixels) and 8k (7680x4320 pixels)• First in monitors then from 2013 in TV sets


Presentation technologies (2)

“True” 3D: Free Viewpoint Video and Television

A multiview system where the user can freely choose the viewpoint he/she wants to watch a scene from.

Is based on FVV, Free Viewpoint Video, a breakthrough technology: The scene is recorded simultaneously by several (many)

cameras, controlled by the master camera and the operator The resulting multiple video stream is processed by appropriate

coding technologies, transmitted to the receiver side, where it is decoded and rendered to a special display.

So far this technology was commercially utilized mainly on the production side.

The world’s first real-time free-viewpoint TV system, including the complete chain of operation from image capture to display, was constructed by Masayuki Tanimoto and his team in 2010.


Delivery: Moving from dedicated networks to broadband wireless

Because of the new frequency bands, freed up by the digital switchover, will mostly go to mobile operators, they will significantly improve their broadband Internet access service

So the analogue-to-digital transition, that has just been completed in the developed world and is underway elsewhere, paves the way towards its own replacement by OTT, eventually causing its death???


What will likely be the future? Analogue TV distribution will soon be terminated in CATV

networks, too, so everything will be digital DVB-T will grow in the next few years then a decrease will

likely start IPTV will remain significant in the next few years Mobile broadband Internet access will grow due to reuse of

the digital dividend and later due to freeing up new bands Further development of the mobile broadband technologies

is expected from the present 3G, HSDPA, 4G/LTE to 5G services

The share of the non-linear media consumption will grow and will eventually become dominant

Commercial introduction of novel 3D technologies that will provide unprecedented viewing and listening experience


What will likely be the future?

The near future is characterised by a multiplicity of platforms, interfaces etc., no universal worldwide standard is expected to be established

In longer term, mobile broadband access will likely become dominant


THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!


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6 March 2015 MACRo 2015 6 March, 2015 N ETWORKED MULTIMEDIA : STATE OF THE ART AND PERSPECTIVES Csaba A. Szabó Budapest University of Technology and Economics