One paper from our workshop actually received the best paper award (sponsored by CISCO) of the whole conference.

A big thanks goes to all PC members! Thanks to their hard work we were able to organize a well-received and successful workshop.

http://www.mobimedia.org/ws_SVCVision.html

Michael Ransburg, Eduardo Martínez Graciá, Tiia Sutinen, Jordi Ortiz, Michael Sablatschan, Hermann Hellwagner, Scalable Video Coding Impact on Networks, accepted for publication at Workshop on Impact of Scalable Video Coding on Multimedia Provisioning (SVCVision 2010), Lisbon, Portugal, September 2010.

Abstract:
This paper describes the CELTIC project on “Scalable Video Coding Impact on Networks” with the focus of designing a streaming system based on the Scalable Video Coding extension of the AVC standard. The system is designed to cope with streaming scenarios that can be classified in four use cases: session handover, network congestion, receiver heterogeneity and user driven adaptation. A complete overview of the architecture of the system is given. Two demonstration scenarios are described in detail, which point out the advantages of scalable video coding compared to single layer approaches in multimedia transmission and adaptation scenarios. A concluding section summarizes the work and provides an outlook to future work items.

http://www.mobimedia.org/ws_SVCVision.html

Michael Sablatschan, Jordi Ortiz, Michael Ransburg, Hermann Hellwagner, Efficient SVC-to-AVC Conversion at a Media Aware Network Element, accepted for publication at Workshop on Impact of Scalable Video Coding on Multimedia Provisioning (SVCVision 2010), Lisbon, Portugal, September 2010.

Abstract:
H.264/SVC, the Scalable Video Coding extension of the H.264/AVC video coding standard, features spatial, quality and temporal scalability. Backwards compatibility with legacy decoding devices is maintained through an H.264/AVC compliant base layer, which represents the lowest quality of an H.264/SVC bit-stream. However, it is often desirable to also provide the higher quality layers to legacy H.264/AVC devices. This is achieved by a process commonly known as “bit-stream rewriting”, which allows for an efficient H.264/SVC to H.264/AVC conversion by exploiting the similarities of the two codecs. This paper describes a demonstrator showing the advantages of including an improved version of the bit-stream rewriting tool from the existing JSVM H.264/SVC reference software in an H.264/SVC-based multimedia delivery system, by integrating it into a Media Aware Network Element.

A big thanks goes to all program committee members (see SVCVision). Thanks to your hard work we were able to provide at least 3 (sometimes 4) reviews for every submission.

Thanks as well to all authors who submitted their H.264/SVC papers to the workshop!

As a next step we will work on the technical program. We are excited to meet you all in September in Lisbon.

Hardware-accelerated encoders are being worked on by SeaWell Networks with their recently announced Lumen 1000 and Stretch with their VRC6004HD 4 Channel High Definition PCIe DVR Add-in Card. Mainconcept as well as eInfoChips are working on optimized H.264/SVC software CODECs (Mainconcept, eInfochips). Vidyo, Radvision and Global IP Solutions (who got bought by Google recently) are using H.264/SVC in their video conferencing solutions (Vidyo, Radvision, Global IP Solutions). Finally, Aventura are using H.264/SVC in their CCTV products.

Do you know of more companies offering H.264/SVC products? Please let me know and I’ll add them to the list.

9:00        Session Opening

Welcome from the IWMMN Chairs

9:00-10:30        Morning Session: Wireless Multimedia Networking Practices, Applications and Experiments
Chair: Honggang Wang

Bootstrapped Low Complexity Iterative Decoding Algorithm for Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) Codes, Albashir Mohamed, Maha Elsabrouty, Salwa El-Ramly

Quick Prototyping of Multifacete Interface for Healthcare Wireless Sensor Network, Rahul Dubey, Hong Liu

10:30-11:00        Coffee Break

11:00-12:30        Morning Session: Wireless Multimedia Networking Practices, Applications and Experiments
Chair: Wei Wang

An Evaluation of Mobile End Devices in Multimedia Streaming Scenarios, Michael Ransburg, Mario Jonke, Hermann Hellwagner

An Extended IGMP Protocol for Mobile IPTV Services in Mobile WiMAX, Eunjo Lee, Sungkwon Park, Joohan Lee, Phooi Yee Lau

12:30-14:00        Lunch Break

14:00-15:30        Afternoon Session: Wireless Multimedia Networking Theories, Current Benchmark, and Strategy Optimization
Chair: Wei Wang

Optimal Expected Discounted Reward of a Wireless Network with Award and Cost, Wenlong Ni, Wei Li, Demetrios Kazakos

A Spectrum Sharing Scheme in Two Cellular Wireless Networks, Yuhong Zhang, Wei Li

A Perspective on Estimation of Available Capacity in Wireless Networks, Ramesh Babu

Mobile Healthcare Infrastructure with QoS and Security, Afsheen Mughal, Mohammed Raza Kanjee, Hong Liu

15:30-16:00        Coffee Break

16:00-17:30        Afternoon Session: Wireless Multimedia Networking Theories, Current Benchmark, and Strategy Optimization
Chair: Honggang Wang

A Survey on the Cross-layer Design for Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks, Honggang Wang, Wei Wang, Shaoen Wu, Kun Hua

A Survey on Cognitive Radio Networks, Jingfang Huang, Honggang Wang, Hong Liu

A Comprehensive P-Persistent Algorithm in Multi-channel and Multi-interface Cognitive Network, Junwei Lv, Weili Lei, Tigang Jiang

More information can be found at: http://www.mobilware.org/techprog.shtml

http://www.mobimedia.org/ws_SVCVision.html

First, many thanks to all the people who submitted papers to the workshop.

Second, many thanks to all programm commitee members – your efforts to publicize the workshop helped to attract a very satisfying number of submissions.

The papers are now undergoing peer review. We aim to have every paper reviewed by three industry/academic reviewers. We will send out the acceptance notification by the 12th of June.

If you are interested in H.264/SVC, please join us in Lisbon (Portugal) in September. I’ll provide more information on the program and further logistics as they become available.

http://www.mobilware.org/cfp-iwmmn.shtml

Michael Ransburg, Mario Jonke, and Hermann Hellwagner, An Evaluation of Mobile End Devices in Multimedia Streaming Scenarios, accepted for publication at First International Workshop on Mobile Multimedia Networking (IWMMN 2010), Chicago, USA, June 30, 2010.

Abstract:
This paper compares handhelds based on the iPhone and Android operating systems in multimedia streaming scenarios. We simulate typical Internet network impairments, i.e. packet delay and packet loss, and evaluate their effects on the end devices. Additional evaluations include bandwidth overhead inflicted by the different streaming approaches and traffic shape and fairness when both handhelds consume media simultaneously. Based on the quantitative evaluation, both approaches show weaknesses and strengths. A final qualitative discussion points out additional advantages for the streaming approach implemented in the iPhone operating system.

The photo below showing the “Lindwurm” (a monument in my home city Klagenfurt) was published in the April 2010 issue of National Geographic Russia. The photo is also available on my Flickr account, where the photo editor of National Geographic Russia originally found it.

Their photo editor contacted me some time ago. They were going to write a story on the Lindwurm in their April 2010 issue on “Fossil Countrymen”. The story is about how the Lindwurm came to be as a monument modeled after an animal skull of a woolly rhinoceros, an extinct mammal originally at home (not only) in Russia. At least, this is what I could translate from the original National Geographic article, which can be seen below.

I’m very happy that my photo was selected for this. Additionally, now I know how my name is written in Russian: МИХАЭЛЬ РАНСБУРГ

If you want to take a look at my other photos, please visit my Flickr page!