Multimedia technologies

This unit provides an understanding of the nature and limits of processing of media (image, video, audio) for telecommunications, storage, interpretation and analysis. It includes compression of multimedia from basic information theoretic concepts through to advanced video (e.g. MPEG), image (JPEG, JPEG2000) and audio (CELP, MP3, AAC, Dolby Digital) coding. XML-based metadata systems are used to illustrate concepts of content characterisation and discovery. The ability of modern network protocols to support media streaming is related directly to service requirements such as error and delay tolerance. Where media is intended for human consumption, the characteristics of human perception of image and sound determine minimum quality requirements, but also reveal limitations that can be exploited when compressing media data. Machine interpretation and analysis of multimedia is also investigated. Case studies in media analysis (e.g. Shazam), delivery (video on demand) and consumption (digital cinema) are used to illustrate the technologies investigated.