The MPEG-21 Book (PDF)

Understand the MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework, the standard for
the creation, delivery and consumption of multimedia.

This text is the comprehensive guide to MPEG-21, the
technology that provides an open framework for multimedia
applications. Whereas previous MPEG standards defined compression
techniques, MPEG-21 offers methods for the search, access, storage
and Rights protection of content. The MPEG-21 Book offers a
complete introduction to standardisation, before proceeding to
discuss the vision behind MPEG-21, what 'Digital Items'
are, how they are adapted and how their contents can be protected.
The book provides coverage of the individual parts of the standard
to an advanced level, with chapters dedicated to each of the core
technologies. The authors describe not only the present situation,
but also emerging developments and the relation of MPEG-21 to the
other MPEG standards, giving essential insights into the future of
MPEG and its impact on multimedia.

The MPEG-21 Book:

* Provides an accessible explanation of the MPEG-21 standards and
specifications.

* Presents a comprehensive overview of the technical issues that
MPEG-21 covers, including the foundational Digital Item
Declaration, Digital Item Identification, Digital Item Adaptation,
and Digital Item Processing.

* Offers in-depth and up-to-date coverage of Rights Expression
Language and Rights Data Dictionary.

* Provides first detailed treatments of Event Reporting and IPMP
Components.

* Reviews the new MPEG technologies Multimedia Middleware,
Multimedia Application Formats (MAFs) and Digital Item
Streaming.

The MPEG-21 Book will provide an essential resource to
researchers, engineers, Internet designers, systems designers, and
content providers, creators and distributors in the entertainment
and broadcasting industries. Students in communications technology,
media technology and multimedia signal processing will also find it
an invaluable guide to this cutting-edge technology.