STMicroelectronics presents its latest advances in multimedia streaming

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Taipei, January 30, 2007 - STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a world leader in the design and production of semiconductors for consumer applications, has published a new issue of the ST Journal of Research, focusing on multimedia streaming technologies. Earlier issues, similarly built around particular technology themes, have highlighted the company’s research findings and advances in Networked Multimedia and MEMS.
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Multimedia streaming technologies consist of a portfolio of algorithms and techniques that allow users to share multimedia content seamlessly within a range of different terminals (set-top boxes, PCs, DVD players/recorders, mobile phones, and other on-the-go products), connected through wired and wireless links. The implementation of streaming technologies in consumer devices will allow consumers to seamlessly access preferred movie, music, or other data wherever, whenever they want it without regard to where the content is physically stored or created.
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* Q" M0 j. a) G6 O/ Q" {% o3 i7 P2 uThe techniques allow the enhancement of technologies such as multimedia coding/playback with robust and adaptive delivery/rendering algorithms. These algorithms optimize multimedia transmission and sharing through Internet Protocol and packet-based communication, with the final aim to offer the best experience to the user.

Because of the complexity of the technologies to be interconnected, multimedia streaming poses a number of technical challenges. Among the complexities are the particular nature of still images, video and audio signals, the best-effort nature of the Internet Protocol, the lossy nature of most wireless links, and the need to connect devices already present in the field.

& r/ r  o7 I/ M, x1 wThe editors of the ST Journal of Research have collected ten technical papers that address a broad spectrum of the important issues and proposed solutions in the domain of multimedia streaming. In particular, research papers describe the most promising solutions for the adaptation of terminals to the network and processing power conditions, including the usage of scalable video coding, the adaptation of video and audio transmission to different networks/terminals, the mitigation of video and audio data losses in wireless transmission, the insertion of explicit redundancy into the stream in order to increase its passive resistance to losses, and techniques to optimize cost/performance implementation for motion estimation.
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“Multimedia Streaming technologies are the enablers of the distribution of multimedia content throughout the home based on the ‘anytime, anywhere’ paradigm,” said Alessandro Cremonesi, Group Vice President, Strategy and System Technology and General Manager, Advanced System Technology, STMicroelectronics. “Mastering these technologies requires a deep knowledge of the consumer and multimedia domains, where ST has a long and successful tradition. The ST Journal of Research is an excellent vehicle with which to share the results of ST’s activities in this field with the technical community.”
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The ST Journal of Research aims to facilitate knowledge sharing and exchange on key research issues, methodologies and solutions. ST publishes its journal in electronic format and it is available at http://www.st.com/stonline/press/magazine/stjournal/index.htm.
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$ U1 O  A! P8 Z2 ]Written by STMicroelectronics’ researchers, in cooperation with scientists and researchers at leading universities and research partners, the ST Journal of Research hosts technical papers and discussions on selected themes. All papers are peer-reviewed and coverage is coordinated by an expert in the relevant field.