This book addresses fundamental design issues and research topics, related to multimedia systems, and provides a comprehensive study of the issues. The topics covered include: distributed multimedia databases and computing; multiparadigmatic information retrieval; modeling and analysis of distributed multimedia systems; OS support for distributed multimedia systems; multimedia communications and networking; multimedia digital libraries and mail systems; multimedia human–computer interaction; multimedia applications for CSCW, distant education, electronic commerce teleconferencing, telemedicine; visual and multidimensional languages for multimedia applications; multimedia workflows; multimedia stream synchronization. In addition, a number of tutorial and overview articles are included so that the volume strikes a balance between introductory tutorials and advanced topics.

Contents:

• Advances in Multimedia Information Access (S K Chang)
• Fluid-Flow Model for Variable-Bit-Rate Video in ATM Networks (N E Rikli)
• A Network Architecture to Support Policing and Scheduling of Tolerant Real-Time and Best-Effort Applications (M S Boykin & T Znati)
• An Architecture for the Structured Analysis and Design of Participator Dependent Multimedia Presentations (T K Shih et al.)
• Advance Reservation System in VOD Services (K H Lee & Y T Chen)
• Routing with Quality of Service Constraints (M Nour et al.)
• SCM — A Multimedia Conference System (J G P Filho et al.)
• and other papers