Videophone

Abstract: We discuss the ITU-T H.263+ (or H.263 Version 2) low-bit-rate video coding standard. We first describe, briefly, the H.263 standard including its optional modes. We then address the 12 new negotiable modes of H.263+. Next, we present experimental results for these modes, based on our public-domain implementation (http:ilspmg.ece.ubc.ca). Tradeoffs among compression performance, complexity, and memory requirements for the H.263+ optional modes are discussed. Finally, results for mode combinations are presented.

Abstract: An Internet-based electronic shopping system hosted on a television-set-top-box combination controlled by a remote control unit The set-top box (STB) includes a tuner, an internal or external modem and/or cable modem, configured to communicate with an Internet service provider over the appropriate transmission media The STB also includes purpose-type application software such as voice recognition software and bar code recognition software to support an electronic shopping system The STB further includes an external interface for connection to a multiplicity of external peripheral devices, such as an interphone, VCR, video camera, printer, and the like The remote control unit includes a keypad, a microphone, an optional speaker, an optional digital camera, and an optional speaker Data input to an Internet shopping Web program accessed through the STB's Web browser may thus be made through the microphone, keypad, and optionally through the digital camera If the remote control unit includes the digital camera, bar code information may be scanned by the remote control unit and transmitted to the STB for identifying an item to be purchased The remote control unit is also capable of being used as a cordless telephone or videophone, and might also function as a handset for an interphone when the appropriate communication links are connected to the STB through its external interface When the system is used as a videophone, videographic images of a party on the other end of the line is displayed on the TV screen via a pop-up window

Abstract: video streaming, video delivery, streaming media content delivery networks, video coding, errorresilient; multiple description coding Video has been an important media for communications and entertainment for many decades. Initially video was captured and transmitted in analog form. The advent of digital integrated circuits and computers led to the digitization of video, and digital video enabled a revolution in the compression and communication of video. Video compression became an important area of research in the late 1980’s and 1990’s and enabled a variety of applications including video storage on DVD’s and Video-CD’s, video broadcast over digital cable, satellite and terrestrial (over-the-air) digital television (DTV), and video conferencing and videophone over circuit-switched networks. The growth and popularity of the Internet in the mid-1990’s motivated video communication over best-effort packet networks. Video over best-effort packet networks is complicated by a number of factors including unknown and time-varying bandwidth, delay, and losses, as well as many additional issues such as how to fairly share the network resources amongst many flows and how to efficiently perform one-to-many communication for popular content. This article examines the challenges that make simultaneous delivery and playback, or streaming, of video difficult, and explores algorithms and systems that enable streaming of pre-encoded or live video over packet networks such as the Internet.

Abstract: A videophone. The videophone can include an imaging mechanism for taking a video picture of a scene. The videophone can include a mechanism for producing a first video stream of the scene and a second video stream of the scene from the video picture and sending the first video stream and the second video stream onto a network at the same time, the producing mechanism in communication with the imaging mechanism. The videophone can include a mechanism for receiving a plurality of video streams of different scenes from a network. The videophone can include a mechanism for displaying the different scenes of the plurality of video streams alongside each other. A method for a video call.