Multimedia communication technology. Representation, transmission and identification of multimedia signals. (Q1422251)

Today, there are various ways to process, store, distribute and access audiovisual information. Apart from traditional means, such as broadcast, telephone, tape, and film, a new technique emerged: ``multimedia'' which allows for communication that is mobile, interactive, pervasive and accessible from everywhere. One can say that multimedia is gradually changing our everyday life. In the book, the author provides an important tool to come to know and master this new technology. To provide a general idea of the various items included in the present volume, we give its contents: (1) Introduction; Part A: Multimedia signal processing and analysis; (2) Signals and sampling; (3) Statistics; (4) Linear systems and transforms; (5) Pre- and postprocessing; Part B: Content related multimedia signal analysis; (6) Perceptual properties of vision and hearing; (7) Features of multimedia signals; (8) Signal and parameter estimation; (9) Feature transforms and classification; (10) Signal decomposition; Part C: Coding of multimedia signals; (11) Quantization and coding; (12) Still image coding; (13) Video coding; (14) Audio coding; Part D: Applications and standards; (15) Transmission and standards; (16) Signal composition, rendering and presentation; (17) Multimedia representation standards; Appendices: A. Quality measurements; B. Vector and matrix algebra; C. Symbols and variables; D. Acronyms; References; Index. As the subtitle suggestively says, this is the first book which develops in a unitary and modern style the representation, transmission and identification of multimedia signals. The amazing capabilities of multimedia stem in our opinion from three main facts: (a) the ingenious and intelligent use of some main properties of vision and hearing; (b) the progress in coding of signals which allowed for reasonable solutions related to memory; (c) the progress in computer techniques and communications which permitted a global spreading of information throughout the world. The book has plenty of merits amongst which we quote: excellent and suggestive illustrations; up-to-date references; inclusion of a recent standard (e.g., advanced video coding); inclusion of wavelet applications in efficient video coding. All this makes the book good for study and reference in the field of multimedia signals and systems and should be of interest to all workers and developers in the area.