18-796 Multimedia Communications: Coding, Systems, and Networking

• Syllabus
• Course Outline
• Handouts
• Student projects for Spring '99
• Student seminars for Spring '99
• Suggested Topics for Projects and Seminars
• Documents

• Links

WEB SITE

<http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~ece796> This is where you will find most information about this course, including handouts, homework assignments, homework solutions, etc.

BBOARD

Please check the class bboard <cmu.ece.class.ece796> regularly for announcements.

INSTRUCTOR

Professor Tsuhan Chen tsuhan@ece.cmu.edu x8-7536 Porter Hall B16

Office Hours: MW 2:20-3:30PM or by email appointment

TEACHING ASSISTANT

Frank Lai flai@andrew.cmu.edu x8-1238 HH B106

Office Hours: T 3 PM - 4PM and F 11 AM - 12 PM

COURSE SECRETARY

Carol Patterson carol@ece.cmu.edu x8-7286 Porter Hall B15

LECTURES

MW 12:30-2:20PM HH B103

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course introduces technologies for multimedia communications. We will address how to efficiently represent multimedia data, including video, image, and audio, and how to deliver them over a variety of networks. In the coding aspect, state-of-the-art compression technologies will be presented. Emphasis will be given to a number of standards, including H.26x, MPEG, and JPEG. In the networking aspect, special considerations for sending multimedia over ATM, wireless, and IP networks, such as error resilience and quality of service, will be discussed. The H.32x series, standards for audiovisual communication systems in various network environments, will be described. Current research results in multimedia communications will be reviewed through student seminars in the last weeks of the course.

PREREQUISITES:

18-791 (Digital Signal Processing) and 36-217 (Probability) or equivalents

PROGRAMMING

The best way to understand an algorithm is to program it. Therefore, this course emphasizes computer assignments and projects. Students will complete individual assignments, and form small groups to complete projects in audio, image and video coding. The use of C/C++ is encouraged. If you plan to use other programming languages, please discuss it with the instructor.

REFERENCES

• Digital Video : An Introduction to MPEG-2, Barry G. Haskell, Atul Puri, Arun N. Netravali, Chapman & Hall, New York, NY
• MPEG Video: Compression Standard, Joan L. Mitchell (Editor), William B. Pennebaker (Editor), Chad E. Fogg, Didier J. LeGall, Chapman & Hall, New York, NY
• JPEG: Still Image Data Compression Standard, by William B. Pennebaker, Joan L. Mitchell, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY
• Digital Coding of Waveforms: Principles and Applications to Speech and Video, N.S. Jayant and Peter Noll, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
• Digital Video Processing, A. Murat Tekalp, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
• Digital Pictures: Representation, Compression, and Standards, Arun N. Netravali, Barry G. Haskell, 2nd Edition, Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York, NY
• IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, September 1997
• Special Issue on Digital Television, IEEE Proceedings, June and July, 1995
• More to be provided in class

HOMEWORK

Problem sets will be assigned every week on Wednesday, and will be due in class, before 12:30pm, on the succeeding Wednesday. A component of the homework will be computer assignments. These computer assignments mainly involve building components that may be used later in the projects. The homework policy is as follows:

• You can discuss the homework problems with any number of students currently taking the course, the TA, and the instructor. However, solutions and solution-techniques should not be exchanged. You should make sure that you understand the solution you turn in, and should of course write up every word of the solution by yourself. For problems which have an answer (Problems such as "Find the output" or "Plot the result"), it is OK to compare your final answer with others currently enrolled in the course. But you should fix up any error by your own effort. If these sentences are still vague, just tell yourself "I shall not take undue advantage of any other student" and this should answer other policy-related questions you have in your mind.
• During the entire semester, do not look at the solutions to any homework or exams of previous years.
• In order to work out the homework assignments, you should not look at any sources such as books, solutions manuals, papers, and other articles that are not mentioned or handed out in the class. (The only exceptions are mathematical tables, and standard texts which you have used in your past career, while taking courses at CMU or elsewhere.) Even though this might sound counter-educational, it is not. We believe that it is much more educational to try out a proof or reasoning by yourself, rather than just grab a journal and read it up. In any case, you get the leisure to work on such tutorial exercises by yourself only in a University!
• All the answers you give must be fully justified. However, results proved in the class, in class-given handouts, in past assignments, or in text can be used without proof, provided you specifically cite the source.
• Sometimes you will find that a particular homework problem is apparently unrelated to the lectures. This is intentional, the aim being to get acquainted with additional material that cannot be covered in class.
• No late homework.

Students will form groups to study emerging technologies in multimedia communications. Each group will prepare a written report and present a seminar in class. These seminars will be scheduled in the second half of the semester.

PROJECTS

The midterm project will be due in the week of March 8-12 (the 9^th week). The final project will be due in the week of May 3-7 (the 17^th week). During the week when the project is due, each group will schedule a time slot with the instructor and TA to demonstrate the project. The same policy for the homework should apply to the projects as well. If in doubt, please check with the instructor.

GRADING

THE FILE CABINET

The file cabinet under the exit sign near Porter Hall B20 is where you will find your graded papers in case you do not pick them up in class.

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