Next meeting of TSAG - Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (including meeting of the Seminar Coordination Committee (SCC))
 
Geneva, 26 February - 1 March 2007

Registration Form

See TSB Collective-letter 4/TSAG for more information.

TSAG Home

Study Group 9 recently approved a Recommendation on IP multicast.

IP multicast is seen a promising technology for providing IP-based video distribution because of its bandwidth efficiency while accommodating millions of clients.

Recommendation J.283 provides a set of architectural concepts for constructing and meeting the service quality requirement of a stable IP-based video distribution network. It uses network layer (Layer-3) route diversity between the server edge routers and the client edge routers.

Three new Recommendations providing architecture for advanced set-top boxes have been approved by Study Group 9.

The Recommendations (J.290-J.292) take into account advances in technologies and architectures for delivery of multiple types of services – including video, voice and data. The three include a core Recommendation along with two adjuncts which provide for a cable solution and a media independent solution. The core document (J.290) describes key functional aspects of the next generation set-top box (STB), such as configurable security including downloadable conditional access, advanced codecs, video over IP, QoS control and extension of these functions to in-home networks.

J.291 describes the cable network architecture component of the next-generation STB. When combined with companion Recommendation J.290 the architecture defines a cost-efficient platform with capacity and flexibility to support growth of on-demand video, high definition digital TV, managed in-home networks connecting a wide range of consumer-provided devices, and future IP multimedia services including IP voice, video telephony, and multiplayer gaming. It reflects key functional aspects of the next generation cable STB, such as a common application platform (globally executable MHP (Multimedia Home Platform), which is the common core among OCAP (OpenCable project), MHP and ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses), MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group) transport including advanced compression technology, and downloadable conditional access (configurable security).

J.292 describes a core architecture that is not dependent on transport media for a next generation STB which will allow service providers to offer existing and new advanced services regardless of the transport media. In this Recommendation it is assumed that all contents are transported on IP packets with an adequate QoS controlled mechanism. The Recommendation reflects key functional aspects of the next generation STB, such as network resource adaptability, secure two-way authenticated communication and session resource management and a QoS-control mechanism.

Three new Recommendations from ITU-T’s Study Group 9 provide the first steps towards the next generation of cable modems. According to SG insiders new cable modems will boost bandwidth, increase security and provide greater flexibility overall for network operators to deploy data services.

Recommendations J.210-J.212 provide a basis for modularizing cable modem termination systems (CMTS) and were designed as an extension to the DOCSIS Recommendations to allow for flexibility and independent scaling of certain CMTS functions.

DOCSIS (data over cable service interface specifications) – defined in Recommendations J.112 and J.122 - specifies transmission systems for interactive cable television services - IP cable modems. It defines the requirements for the two fundamental components that comprise a high-speed data-over-cable system: the cable modem (CM) and the CMTS.

The modular-CMTS (M-CMTS) architecture splits the CMTS function into three fundamental components: the M-CMTS Core, the EQAM (downstream modulator), and the Timing Server. Inasmuch as the modular components may be located on different chassis, and potentially at different physical locations, the new Recommendation J.211 (Timing Interface for CMTS) provides the robust and highly accurate transport of timing signals from the Timing Server to the other components of the M-CMTS network in order to ensure that the system components work in lock-step.

Recommendation J.212 defines the protocol used to tunnel downstream user data across an Ethernet network between the M-CMTS Core and EQAM. Finally, the new Recommendation J.210 defines the downstream physical layer modulator requirements for the EQAM. 

Another new Recommendation in the DOCSIS series, J.213, describes requirements on both CMTSs and CMs in order to implement a Layer-2 Virtual Private Network feature which allows operators to offer a Transparent LAN Service along the lines of Carrier Ethernet.

ITU-T’s Study Group 9 has approved an array of Recommendations in several areas including broadband IP multimedia services and next generation digital set top box architectures.

Study Group experts say that the advancements will greatly extend the service capabilities of broadband cable and other networks. The Recommendations were approved by ITU-T Study Group 9, Integrated Broadband Cable Networks and Television and Sound Transmission, during its October meeting in Tokyo.

SG 9’s Recommendations include key work in IPCablecom2, modular CMTS (cable modem termination systems), next generation video set-tops, and architecture for deploying an IP multicast video distribution network using network layer route diversity.

IPCablecom is a project initiated by SG 9 several years ago on time-critical interactive services over cable television networks using IP. It is a suite of Recommendations (J.160-178) which provides for telephony, and J.179 (IPCablecom Multi Media), which creates a bridge that allows for the expansion into a full range of multi-media services. 

IPCablecom2 is contained in a new suite of Recommendations (J.360-363 and J.365-366) and is designed to support the convergence of voice, video, data, and mobility technologies through a modular non-service specific approach. This modular approach allows operators flexibility to deploy network capabilities as required by their specific service offerings, while maintaining interoperability across a variety of devices from multiple suppliers.

These new Recommendations define an architecture and a set of open interfaces that leverage emerging communications technologies, such as the session initiation protocol (SIP), to support the rapid introduction of new IP-based services onto the cable network. IPCablecom2 is also based on Release 6 of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), as developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which is a SIP-based architecture for providing multimedia services.

The November meeting of Study Group 16 saw a significant reshaping of the group’s media coding work according to experts.

The wording of the title of the Question – ITU-T’s term for work area – has changed from Video to Visual Coding. This is to incorporate work in the areas of still image, graphics, computer displays
and medical imaging as well as the more traditional video sequences.

The Question is home to video coding spec H.264 and an amendment to that Recommendation was made to give new profiles supporting H.264’s use in high-end studio applications that use the 4:4:4 color sampling system.

From the official wording of Question 6/16: “This Question will focus on the maintenance and extension of existing video and still-image coding Recommendations, and laying the ground for new Recommendations using advanced techniques to significantly improve the trade-offs between bit rate, quality, delay, and algorithm complexity. Video, still-image, and other visual coding standards will be developed with sufficient flexibility to accommodate a diverse number of transport types (Internet, LAN, Mobile, ISDN, GSTN, H.222.0, NGN, etc.).”

Study Group 16 will start work in a new area, generic sound activity detection (GSAD).

Voice activity detection (VAD) is widely used in telecommunications networks as a means of differentiating between wanted and unwanted in-band audio signals, for example to obtain trunking efficiency in circuit multiplication equipment; to ensure correct operation of echo control and other signal enhancement devices etc.

The proposal for generic sound activity detection (GSAD) is motivated by two problems.

1.         With rapid changes in the telecommunication network environment, more and more multimedia services are being provided. Although the network is evolving from a voice to a multimedia network, most VAD algorithms are still mainly designed to handle voice signals and can not work properly in the presence of rich audio signals, which include voice, music, background environmental noise, information tones etc.

2.         Historically, VAD algorithms have been developed separately for individual network elements and applications, and there are currently numerous VAD algorithms. However, they are based on different principles, which make it difficult to provide common performance enhancements across all VADs.

Therefore it is seen as beneficial to develop a generic sound (rather than voice) activity detector, which can be applied across a range of applications. The benefits from a standardised GSAD are predicted to be:

·           Enhanced performance to deal with new types of in-band audio signals

·           Reduced development time and cost for new equipment requiring sound activity detection, eg codecs, circuit multiplication equipment, echo control, signal enhancement devices, VoIP gateways, terminal adapters etc.

·         Opportunity for use in existing speech and audio coders which do not include VAD.

Meeting of Study Group 2 - Operational aspects of service provision, networks and performance
 
Geneva, 30 January – 8 February 2007

Registration Form

See TSB Collective-letter 4/2 for more information.

Study Group 2 Home

ITU-T Study Group 16 Work on E-health
E-health and Standardization

The evolution of advanced digital telecommunication techniques has enabled the development of multimedia systems to support e-health  applications, in particular in the area of telemedicine.

In order to allow for a wide deployment of e-health applications (with an initial focus on telemedicine applications), in particular in developing countries, it is important to achieve interoperability among systems and to reduce the cost of devices through economies of scale. Consequently, the development of global international standards with the involvement of the major players (such as governments, inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, medical institutions and medical doctors) is a key factor to achieve these objectives.

In the Standardization Sector of the ITU (ITU-T), this is handled by Question 28/16 (Multimedia framework for e-health applications), which focuses on standardization of Multimedia Systems to support e-health applications. Question 28 is allocated under ITU-T Study Group 16, which is the Lead Study Group on ubiquitous applications (“e-everything”, such as e-health and e-business). This high-level Question will coordinate the technical standardization of multimedia systems and capabilities for e-health applications in ITU-T and will develop corresponding Recommendations.