MPEG-21 – Multimedia Framework
Leonardo Chiariglione – Telecom Italia Lab
IP networking and MEDIACOM-2004 Workshop
Geneva, CH – 01/04/24
Slide: 1
MPEG - the beginnings
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The rationale
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The advantage of generic technologies
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Digital technologies destroy industry boundaries
Digital audio and video standards should be developed as
generic technologies
They can be used by multiple industries
They can be used to provide interoperability across
industries
Communication standards are about
interoperability!
Slide: 2
The achievements
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MPEG-1
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MPEG-2
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Approved Oct 1998 and Dec 1999 - Object based AV coding
MPEG-7
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Approved Nov 1994 - Broadcast TV and package media
MPEG-4
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Approved Nov 1992 - Error free environments
To be approved Jul 2001 - Multimedia description
MPEG-21
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First standard approved Mar 2002 – Multimedia framework
Slide: 3
MPEG-1 - ISO/IEC 11172:1992
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Coding of moving pictures and associated
audio for digital storage media at up to about
1,5 Mbit/s
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Part 1 - MPEG-1 Systems - Program Stream
Part 2 - MPEG-1 Video for CD –I
Part 3 - MPEG-1 Audio
Part 4 – Conformance
Part 5 – Reference software
Slide: 4
The use of MPEG-1
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Video CD (>60 million players sold in China)
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“The” format of audio and video for PC (MPEG-1
software decoders in Windows)
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MPEG-1 Audio layer III (a.k.a. MP3) is widely
used for Web music (more than 100 million
software players)
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Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) utilises
MPEG-1 Audio layer II
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Several types of MPEG-1 video cameras on sale
Slide: 5
MPEG-2 - ISO/IEC 13818:1994

Generic coding of moving pictures and
associated audio
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Part -1 Systems - joint with ITU
Part -2 Video - joint with ITU
Part -3 Audio
Part -4 Conformance
Part -5 Reference software
Part -6 DSM CC
Part -7 AAC - Advanced Audio Coding
Part -9 RTI - Real Time Interface
Slide: 6
The use of MPEG-2
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Over 50 million set top boxes for satellite/cable
sold
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Digital television VHF/UHF broadcasting
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Over 30 million hardware DVD players sold
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Several tens of million software DVD players
sold
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The MPEG-2 4:2:2 profile is largely used in the
television production industry
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MPEG-2 has created the entirely new digital
television industry worth ~30 billion USD
Slide: 7
MPEG-4 - ISO/IEC 14496:1998
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Coding of audio-visual objects
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Part 1 Systems
Part 2 Visual
Part 3 Audio
Part 4 Conformance
Part 5 Reference Software
Part 6 DMIF - Delivery Multimedia Integration Framework
Part 7 Optimized Software
Part 8 4 on IP
Part 9 Reference Hardware Description
Slide: 8
The use of MPEG-4
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MPEG-4 Video
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adopted for visual communication in the mobile
environment
used in WMF
Being requested by customers for all low bitrate
applications
Huge open source movement
MP4 file format
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adopted for visual communication in the mobile
environment
Slide: 9
MPEG-7 – ISO/IEC 15938
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Multimedia content description interface
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Part 1 Systems
Part 2 DDL - Description definition language
Part 3 Visual
Part 4 Audio
Part 5 Multimedia description schemes
Part 6 Reference software
Part 7 Conformance testing
Slide: 10
Role of MPEG standards –
past and future
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The past
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MPEG technologies have been used to create
infrastructures on which business can flourish
This happened in the simple transposition of the
physical/analogue world to the digital world
The future
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MP3, DviX and peer-to-peer protocols etc. have shown the
power of digital content in people’s hands
These technologies have resulted in mass abuse of other
people’s IPR because of the absence of an appropriate
infrastructure
Slide: 11
MPEG-21 – The vision
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A future where every human on the Earth is
potentially an element of a network involving
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billions of content providers
billions of value adders
billions of packagers
billions of service providers
billions of consumers
billions of resellers
To make this future real we need an
infrastructure enabling electronic commerce of
digital content
Slide: 12
Is MPEG trying to tame the
hackers?
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MPEG technologies have been used to innovate
substantially the way people produce, offer,
access and consume digital content
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But MPEG has a also long history in working
with the creative industries and rights holders’
communities on the identification, management
and protection of intellectual property carried
on systems designed to MPEG specifications.
Slide: 13
MPEG-21 - Method of work
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Define a framework supporting the vision statement
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Involve relevant bodies in this effort
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Identify the critical technologies of the framework
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Understand how the components of the framework
are related and identify where gaps exist
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For each of the non-available technologies
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If they fall under the MPEG expertise then develop them
Else engage other bodies to achieve their development
Perform the actual integration of the technologies
Slide: 14
The basic elements of the
framework
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What
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A Digital Item is a structured digital object with a standard
representation, identification and metadata within the
MPEG-21 framework.
Who
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A User is any entity that interacts in the MPEG-21
environment or makes use of a Digital Item.
User A
Transaction/Use/Relationship
Digital Item
Authorization/Value Exchange
User B
Slide: 15
Example of Digital Item
“music compilation”
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music
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news related to the song
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photos
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video
statement by an opinion
maker
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animation graphics
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rating of an agency
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position in the hit list
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navigational information
driven by user preferences
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bargains
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...
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lyrics
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scores
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MIDI files
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interview with the singers
Slide: 16
What Users can do
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Create content
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Retail sale of content
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Provide content
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Consume content
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Archive content
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Subscribe to content
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Rate content
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Regulate content
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Enhance/deliver content
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Aggregate content
Facilitate transactions that
occur from any of the above
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Regulate transactions that
occur from any of the above
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Syndicate content
Slide: 17
The MPEG-21 technologies - 1
1.
Digital Item Declaration
a uniform and flexible abstraction and interoperable
schema for declaring digital items
2.
Digital Item Identification and Description
a framework for identification and description of any entity
regardless of its nature, type or granularity
3.
Content management and usage
interfaces and protocols to enable creation, manipulation,
storage, delivery and (re)use of content across the
content distribution and consumption value network
Slide: 18
The MPEG-21 technologies - 2
4.
Intellectual Property Management and Protection
The means to enable content to be persistently and reliably
managed and protected across networks and devices
5.
Content representation
Digital representation of content as different media so that
content can be moved and consumed seamlessly
6.
Terminals and networks
The means to provide interoperable and transparent access
to content across networks and terminal installations
Slide: 19
The MPEG-21 technologies - 3
7.
Event reporting
metrics and interfaces that enable Users to understand
precisely the performance of all reportable events within
the framework
Slide: 20
Event Reporting
Transaction/Use/Relationship
Digital Item
User B
Authorization/Value Exchange
Metrics & Interfaces
Event Reporting
User A
Metrics & Interfaces
The Multimedia Framework
Slide: 21
MPEG-21 – Where we are - 1
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PDTR of “Vision, Technologies and Strategy”
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WD of “Intellectual Property Management and
Protection”
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FDIS approval: Mar 2002
WD of “Digital Item Declaration”
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FDTR approval: July 2001
FDIS approval: Mar 2002
WD of “Digital Item Identification and
Description”
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FDIS approval: Jul 2002
Slide: 22
MPEG-21 – Where we are - 2
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Call for Requirements on “Rights Data
Dictionary and Rights Description Language”
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Deadline for responses: 1 Jun 2001
Other Calls will be produced as requirements on
other areas mature
Slide: 23
From the Call for
Requirements
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Standard ways of expressing information about
intellectual property rights in the machine-tomachine network environment
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Usage permissions expressed by producers and publishers
down the delivery and value chain (‘downstream rights’).
Define and manage the rights of creators and their
relationship with producers and publishers (‘upstream
rights’)
Rights management solutions must look beyond
individual media sectors to cover the IP
industries as a whole
Slide: 24
Stay tuned to
http://www.cselt.it/mpeg/
Slide: 25