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Question 2/16

Question 2/16 - Packet-based conversational multimedia systems and functions

(Continuation of Questions 2/16, 4/16 and 12/16)

Motivation

As the lead study group on multimedia coding, systems and applications, Study Group 16 strives to make advances in multimedia communication systems that take advantage of emerging technologies, as well as advances in and deeper understanding of existing technologies, in an effort to enable new and better forms of communication capabilities for end users such as ubiquitous services and applications such as any devices, anytime and anywhere.

To that end, Study Group 16 developed Recommendation ITU T H.323, one of the most widely used packet-switched communication systems supporting audio, video, and data collaboration. Typical applications of ITU T H.323 include "Voice over IP", audio and video conferencing and telepresence, which improve communication quality and efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need for travel. It can be used inter alia over the Internet, private global networks, corporate LANs, and corporate WANs.

In line with its objective to improve the lives of users through improved multimedia communications capabilities, Study Group 16 continues its study of newer multimedia communications systems and functions. Central to that is the next generation multimedia system referred to as the advanced multimedia system (AMS), which is targeted for future networks, NGN and other packet-based networks. AMS is focused on enabling users to utilize a plurality of devices in concert in order to provide highly converged media applications involving multiple personal and public devices, enterprise systems and network services in support of communications, collaboration and entertainment.

In addition to the core multimedia system specifications, various supporting protocols and functions are essential to successful deployment of terminals, gateways, gatekeepers, service nodes, multipoint control units, and other elements that comprise a system. This Question explores advanced multimedia functions that will enable videoconferencing, data conferencing, telepresence, distance learning, e-health, interactive multimedia information distribution, real-time multimedia collaboration in future networks environment and existing packet-based networks. Aspects include multimedia directory services, quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE), multimedia security, and multimedia mobility. These aspects are studied together in an integrated way for next generation multimedia systems.

Study items

Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:
  • advanced multimedia system and its related functions and capabilities, including system architecture; signalling protocols; downloadable codecs; service discovery; transcoding functions; distributed applications; integrated QoS, security, and mobility; and accessibility considerations;
  • explore solutions for NAT and firewall traversal for AMS;
  • identify the common and specific security requirements of next generation multimedia applications and services such as videoconferencing and collaboration;
  • address security in multimedia communication systems, including focus on both wired and wireless networks over which H.323 and AMS will operate;
  • ongoing work in ITU T H.225.0, H.245, H.246, H.249, H.323, H.332, H.341, H.450-series and H.460-series;
  • identification of changes or additions to ITU T H.323 for operation over NGN and future networks, and to support telepresence;
  • increase accessibility features for ITU-T H.323 multimedia conferencing systems;
  • standardizing the means for interworking between ITU-T H.323 systems and other systems, including the legacy telephone network and advanced multimedia system, through additions to ITU-T H.246 and other Recommendations as necessary;
  • architecture and protocols to integrate advanced service features such as directory services, QoS/QoE, security and mobility with the Study Group 16 defined multimedia system platforms;
  • QoS/QoE mechanisms for multimedia systems and coders, including preferred QoS/QoE signalling methods, end-to-end application level methods to provide better QoS/QoE in lossy networks, common API or interfaces to network-based QoS mechanisms, advanced methods for optimizing end-to-end latency and various QoS/QoE parameters, and other aspects of end-to-end performance as perceived by the user;
  • service level QoS classification of multimedia applications and services and application service level agreement (SLA) definitions;
  • descriptions of network QoS capabilities in terms of network QoS classes and/or network SLA definitions;
  • mapping between multimedia application QoS/QoE requirements and network QoS capabilities;
  • performance monitoring and measurement functions for multimedia applications;
  • further develop user, terminal and service mobility for ITU T H.323 and H.324;
  • study the requirements for metadata in descriptions of user profile, terminal capability, access network characteristics and service profile that relate to service mobility;
  • considerations on how to help measure and mitigate climate change.
Tasks

Tasks include, but are not limited to:
  • Complete work on the core system architecture specification for the advanced multimedia system.
  • Define the system signalling specification for the advanced multimedia system.
  • Define application protocols and associated signalling for the advanced multimedia system.
  • Definition of new services and of their technical requirements.
  • New and enhanced feature development for existing systems.
  • Introduce changes in existing Recommendations and create new Recommendations to support the work on telepresence.
  • Produce additional extensions to the ITU T H.323 protocol through the addition of ITU T H.450-series and H.460-series Recommendations.
  • Enhance ITU-T H.323 system to align it with the architecture of NGN and future networks.
  • Produce enhanced QoS/QoE, security, and mobility mechanisms for multimedia systems.
  • Produce amendments to and/or new revisions of ITU T H.225.0, H.235-series, H.245, H.246, H.249, H.323, H.332, H.341, H.350 sub-series, H.360, H.361, H.362, H.450-series, and H.460-series, H.501, H.510, H.530, and H-series Supplements 4 and 11.
An up-to-date status of work under this Question is found in the SG 16 work programme (http://itu.int/ITU-T/workprog/wp_search.aspx?sp=15&q=2/16).

Relationships
  • Recommendations
    • ITU-T F.700-series; G.700-series audio codecs, G.1000, G.1010, G.1080; H.225.0, H.26x, H.245, H.248, H.310, H.320, H.321, H.322, H.323, H.324, H.360.x, H.460.x; Q.931, Q.1707; X.509, X.680, X.800-series; Y.1540, Y.1541, Y.2111
  • Questions
    • 1/16, 3/16, 5/16, 6/16, 7/16, 10/16, 15/16, 21/16, 26/16
  • Study groups
    • ITU-T SG 2 for operational and management aspects of networks and human factors
    • ITU-T SG 5 for ICT environmental aspects
    • ITU-T SG 9 on security for IPCablecom, CableHome systems and home networking
    • ITU-T SG 11 for signalling
    • ITU-T SG 12 for QoS/QoE aspects and performance
    • ITU-T SG 13 for future networks aspects, including NGN aspects and mobility (including security aspects of mobile communications and lawful intercept)
    • ITU-T SG 15 for transport aspects
    • ITU-T SG 17 for security, web services, languages, directories and ASN.
  • Other bodies
    • 3GPP for IMS multimedia security and mobility
    • ATIS for T1M1sec management plane security, T1S1sec signalling security including SS7 security
    • Broadband Forum for QoS, security
    • IEEE for 802.x WLAN and Link Layer security, P1363 PKI
    • ETSI TISPAN for QoS, security, testing, and protocol interworking
    • ISO/IEC JTC1/SC27 for digital signature, key management, non-repudiation, etc.
    • ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29 for MPEG aspects, content and copy protection, watermarking, IPMP, secure JPEG 2000, etc.
    • IMTC for interoperability aspects and enhancements to existing Recommendations and telepresence considerations
    • IETF for HTTP, TLS, media transmission, media packetization, Internet supported services, QoS, security, IP mobility
    • Liberty Alliance Project for ID-FF Identity Federations, Identity Management, SSO, network wide authentication
    • MSF for NGN security
    • NIST for AES and other crypto algorithms, FIPS security documents, security guidelines, etc.
    • OASIS for Web services security, SAML, XTASS, XACML
    • TIA
    • W3C for HTML, XML signature, XML encryption, XACL, XML Schema and EXI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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