Background and justification

ITU-T Study Group 16 has focused on the H.300- and T.120-series standardization of real-time audiovisual conversational services and systems, such as videoconferencing, videophone and data conferencing, over various types of network. As a platform of those systems, the personal computer (PC) is used more and more to implement not only control functions but also audiovisual coding and presentation. PC is also capable to access rich Internet supported services such as hypertext multimedia data retrieval, e-mail, multimedia file transfer which are becoming widely accepted to make business activities more efficient. The network infrastructure to support the video and data conferencing service is converging to the IP-based one which has been developed to provide Internet services. This Question addresses how to enhance video and data conferencing systems by use of Internet supported services in business situations like conferencing, distance learning and telemedicine.

Study Items

• Architecture to integrate video and data conferencing functions with Internet supported service functions.
• Protocols to implement the above integration.
• Mechanism of synchronization between audiovisual and other service presentations.
• Multipoint aspects of the integrated systems.
• Verification tests for interoperability.
• Alignment with goals related to Mediacom 2004, IP, GII Projects.

Specific task objectives with expected time-frame of completion

• Definition of the service and requirements capture: 2001.
• Protocol specifications: 2002.
• Interoperability tests: 2003.

Relationships

• Questions 1/16 and 2/16 for H.300-series systems.
• IETF for Internet supported services.
• SG 16 on Mediacom 2004 Project.
• SG 13 on IP and GII Projects.