Distributed multimedia systems: Introduction, main Features of a DMS,

Resource management of DMS, Networking, Multimedia operating

systems (Chap. 4 - Sections 4.1 to 4.5 of Text 2).

Text Books:
1. Fred Halsall, “Multimedia Communications”, Pearson education, 2001
ISBN -9788131709948.
2. K. R. Rao, Zoran S. Bojkovic, Dragorad A. Milovanovic, “Multimedia
Communication Systems”, Pearson education, 2004. ISBN -
9788120321458

Reference Book:
Raifsteinmetz, Klara Nahrstedt, “Multimedia: Computing,
Communications and Applications”, Pearson education, 2002. ISBN -
9788177584417
 INTRODUCTION
A distributed multimedia system (DMS) is an integrated
communication, computing, and information system that
enables the processing, management, delivery, and
presentation of synchronized multimedia information with
quality-of-service guarantees.
The main component of a distributed multimedia system
consists of major 3 components: Information (content)
providers, a wide area network, and a multimedia client.

communication Interactive television

computing Tele cooperation

DMS
Information Hypermedia
Main features of a DMS
1. Technology integration: integrates information,
communication, and computing systems to form a unified
digital processing environment.

2) Multimedia integration: accommodates discrete data

as well as continuous data in an integrated environment.

3) Real-time performance: requires the storage systems,

processing systems, and transmission systems to have
real-time performance. Hence, huge storage volume, high
I/O rate, high network transmission rate, and high CPU
processing rate are required.
Main features of a DMS
4) System-wide QoS support: supports diverse QoS
requirements on an end-to-end basis along the data path
from the sender, through the transport network, and to the
receiver.

5) Interactivity: requires duplex communication between the

user and the system and allows each user to control the
information.

6) Multimedia synchronization support: preserves the

playback continuity of media frames within a single
continuous media stream and the temporal relationships
among multiple related data objects.

7) Standardization support: allows interoperability despite

heterogeneity in the information content, presentation format,
user interfaces, network protocols, and consumer electronics.
Resource Management of DMS
• DMS integrates and manages the information,
communication and computing subsytem.
• The RM ensures end-to-end QoS which has the following
characteristics:
• System wide resource management and admission control to
ensure desired QoS level.
• Quantitative specification (packet loss probability and delay
jitter)rather than qualitative description as in the internet TCP/IP.
• Dynamic management, which means that QoS is dynamically
adjusted rather than statistically maintained throughout the lifetime
of the connection.
The system support three levels of QoS commitment :
Deterministic
Statistical
Best effort
• The goal of system wide resource management is the
coordination among system components to achieve end-
to-end QoS guarantees .the major function include the
following :
• Negotiate, Control and manage the services contracts of the users.
• Reserve, allocate, manage, adopt, and release system resources
according to the negotiate values.

After the service contract has been negotiated, it will be

preserved throughout the lifetime of the communication.
 Networking
The communication network, encompassing the transmission media
and the transport protocols, transports multimedia traffic to satisfy
QoS guarantees on an end-to-end basis.

According to application requirements, the transmission media may

be wired (twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber optics) or wireless (radio
channels, satellite channels) and the transport protocols may
provide connection-oriented or connectionless services and best-
effort, statistical, or deterministic performance guarantees.

With respect to the taxonomy of the geographical coverage area, the

network can be a LAN, a MAN, or a WAN. A LAN (e.g., Ethernet,
token ring, token bus) may cover an area within a building, a
campus, or an organization; a MAN (e.g., FDDI, DQDB) may cover a
metropolitan area, such as a small city; a WAN (e.g., TCP/IP, ATM)
is a nationwide or an international network.
• Multimedia traffic has diverse characteristics and various QoS
requirements. Discrete media traffic (e.g., file transfer, image
retrieval) requires error-free services but is tolerant of delay.
Continuous media traffic (e.g., video or audio playback)

• The Internet has rapidly evolved into a significant network

infrastructure for communication. It runs the Internet protocol
(IP) with its best-effort delivery service and enjoys a large user
base. Another promising technique, ATM, is rapidly appearing
in the market due to the extensive support of telephone
companies. It allows bandwidth on demand and guaranteed
QoS and is expected to be the best candidate for high-quality
media delivery.

• IP networking – IP multicast
 Resource Reservation protocol (RSVP)

This protocol attempts to provide QoS for heterogeneous

receivers
across the internet With multi-point communications.
Two messages reserve – PATH and RESV
Multimedia Operating system
• CPU management

• Memory management

• IO management

• File system management