Full HTML for

Basic foilset MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback

Given by Geoffrey Fox, Marek Podgorny at ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU on 6 May 98. Foils prepared 7 May 98
Outside Index Summary of Material

This describes the role of multimedia databases in Web training
and relevance of collaboration
We describe particular technology produced by NPAC for ASC to
record and playback audio and video

Table of Contents for full HTML of MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback

 Denote Foils where Image Critical
Denote Foils where HTML is sufficient
1 MultiMedia Databases for Training Lecture Recorder and Player
2 WebWisdom Architecture
3 Database Architecture for WebWisdom
4 Critical Tools and Services in WebWisdom
5 CSC499 at Jackson State
6 Tango WebWisdom Model Collaborative University model for Education
7 Current Architecture of JSU Distance Education
8 Database Backend for Synchronous or Asynchronous Learning
9 Some Global Issues
10 Basic Technical Approach
11 Abstract of NPAC Project Report
12 Project Goal
13 Courseware Conversion
14 Status Review: Playback tools
15 Status Review: Playback tools
16 Status Review: Slide playback tools
17 Status Review: Video conversion tools
18 Status Review: Web Publisher
19 What is needed for publishing?
20 Requirements for lecturers
21 Formats we will support
22 Video and audio formats
23 Video and audio formats
24 Navigation and random access
25 Progress since last demonstration
26 Encoding station
27 Database support for courseware
28 Database support for courseware
29 Lecture recording for linking synchronous and asynchronous collaboration

Outside Index Summary of Material

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 1 MultiMedia Databases for Training Lecture Recorder and Player

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
ASC Presentation May 6 1998
Dayton
Geoffrey Fox, Marek Podgorny
NPAC
Syracuse University
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 2 WebWisdom Architecture

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 3 Database Architecture for WebWisdom

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Educational Objects i.e.
Data Defining Content of Curricula Pages
Server side
Java(JDBC) or
LiveWire
Metadata
Web Server
Conventional HTML Pages
Dynamically Generated
Including XML syntax Dublin Core (IMS)
Web Browser
Templates Defining How educational data stored in Pages
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 4 Critical Tools and Services in WebWisdom

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Database query and access including indexed video clips
Delivery including specialized VRML, GIS (virtual worlds), Simulations as well as classic HTML
Collaboration or sharing of interactive objects
  • Asynchronous and Synchronous
User interfaces for disabled individuals (universal access)
Security for proprietary material and personal information
Quality of Service based on replication and bandwidth trade-offs
  • Asynchronous has less demands than synchronous
Conversion and Integration of Legacy material
Authoring (object creation) tools
Assessment Administration and Logging Tools
Specialized services such as programming laboratories
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 5 CSC499 at Jackson State

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Taught using Tango/WebWisdom over Internet (now DREN via CEWES) every Tuesday and Thursday from Syracuse
  • Course material based on Syracuse Senior Undergraduate class ECS406
Jackson State major HBC University with many computer science graduates
Do not compete with base courses but offer addon-on courses with "leading edge" material (Web Technology) which give JSU graduates skills that are important in their career
  • Job fair employers liked Java Programming!
Needs guaranteed 30 (audio) to 100 (two way) kilobits per second bandwidth assuming course material mirrored at JSU
  • Can be offered using CD-ROM's to homes with audio only link and 28.8 kbaud modem
Hope to offer our analogous K-12 Java Academy to middle and high school students
JSU will use Tango/WebWisdom to teach to others -- train the trainers
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 6 Tango WebWisdom Model Collaborative University model for Education

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Universities "specialize" and deliver courses in areas of expertise
  • Provide all students and faculty with access to broader range of leading-edge courses
JSU will lead HBCU wide deployment
NPAC will attempt to use internationally
Pilot for distance training of DoD users.
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 7 Current Architecture of JSU Distance Education

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
NPAC Web Server
JSU Web Server
JSU Tango Server
...
Audio Video Conferencing Chat Rooms etc.
Address at JSU of Curriculum Page
Teacher's View of Curriculum Page
Student's View of Curriculum Page
Participants at JSU
Teacher/Lecturer at NPAC
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 8 Database Backend for Synchronous or Asynchronous Learning

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
JSU Tango Server
...
Audio Video Conferencing Chat Rooms etc.
Database Entry for Curriculum Page
Teacher's View of Curriculum Page
Student's View of Curriculum Page
Participants at JSU
Teacher/Lecturer at NPAC
Classic Distributed Replicated Curriculum
and Administrative Database
NPAC Server side
Java(JDBC) or
LiveWire
JSU Server side
Java(JDBC) or
LiveWire
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 9 Some Global Issues

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
There are many different video and audio encoding formats
  • Wide variation and tradeoff between quality, bandwidth needs and CPU demands for encoding and decoding
  • Popular ones (Real Audio, Real Video) are not designed for audio video conferencing but rather asynchronous streaming
Image quality requires that one take "foils" from computer and not video shots. This is impossible unless lecture delineated into "nuggets" and beginning and end of each nugget time stamped
Need very good time synchronization between video and computer and between different participants in distance delivery
Quality of recorded lectures is often poor and suggests need for editing
Should one associate audio/video with a "nugget" or a lecture?
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 10 Basic Technical Approach

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Put the "nuggets" (educational objects) into a database -- either directly or as URL pointers to HTML or Images on a file system
Record audio/video (either by shooting lectures or from audio-video conferencing), time stamp, digitize into high (MPEG 1,2) and low resolution (H263)versions
  • edit if required
  • store pointers to file system store in database
Lectures are now "play-lists" of multiple linked objects arranged in order
  • link "curricula nuggets" (ɭ at a time in general) and multiple digitized A/V streams
Supply tools to view material
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 11 Abstract of NPAC Project Report

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
This is an interim report on an NPAC activity to generate multimedia database support for ASC as part of DoD Modernization program
ASC wishes to use their in class video cameras and audio recorders to archive training material.
NPAC's task was the Design, implementation, and deployment of automated system for capture, storage, indexing and retrieval of this information.
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 12 Project Goal

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Design, implementation, and deployment of automated system for capture, storage, indexing and retrieval of classes
  • System components:
    • capture station with format conversion capability
    • automated publishing system for quick Web deployment
    • automatic indexing system for two-way video/foils synchronization
    • searchable audio/video and presentation repository
    • a set of playback tools for streaming delivery of foils over video
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 13 Courseware Conversion

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Conversion of the existing recorded material
  • Chuck Koelbel's MPI class has been digitized and converted as follows:
    • entire 2-day course recorded on tape has been digitized to high-quality MPEG1 video
    • Internet-quality (H263) video of the entire course has been produced
    • all presentation slides have been converted to the Web-compliant format
    • the entire class has been indexed to provide synchronous foils over video playback
  • entire package ready for Web publication now.
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 14 Status Review: Playback tools

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Java audio/video and audio players
  • H.263 video and ADPCM audio
  • streaming players using either http protocol or local data files as data source
    • video server support will be available in the next phase
  • available in both stand-alone and collaborative versions (same set of tools for synchronous and asynchronous delivery)
  • support for time/event indexes
  • Status: available
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 15 Status Review: Playback tools

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Recent development: Java Media Framework
  • support for audio and video playback applications
  • applets available for playback of
    • MPEG1
    • H263
    • Real Audio/Video
    • GSM
Initial evaluation by NPAC researchers:
  • interesting, but buggy
  • very high startup times (3-4 times longer compared to tools implemented by NPAC)
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 16 Status Review: Slide playback tools

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Current support for the following tools:
  • interactive Java whiteboard
    • displays arbitrary images in multiple formats, including GIF, JPEG, and highly-compressed wavelets, as well as standard text
    • supports PowerPoint slides
    • supports drawings created in collaborative synchronous sessions
  • Net-Scene PointPlus Java PowerPoint player
    • compressed, "streaming" PowerPoint presentations.
    • current delivery does not include contents in this format
Not yet supported: arbitrary HTML pages
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 17 Status Review: Video conversion tools

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
MPEG1 to H.263/ADPCM converter
  • Off-line audio/video format re-encoder for Win 95/NT
  • Supports multiple qualities of H.263 video
    • adjustable frame size and frame rate
    • full set of advanced encoding options
  • supports random-access streams
    • optional I-frames and frame/file offset look-up tables
  • compatible with output format of the MPEG1 real-time encoder
  • Status: available
In Process: GSM/CELP/MPEG4 audio encoder
  • Designed for low bit rate Tango A/V conferencing
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 18 Status Review: Web Publisher

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Purpose: one stop interface for automated Web publishing of "video over foils" lectures
  • assemblies all elements of the lecture from local disks
  • transfers all contents to the selected HTTP server
  • automatically creates HTTP server directory structures and all needed HTML files
  • works with all HTTP servers
  • "one button click" operation
  • Status: 2nd version available
This is interim solution: should be replaced by database backend
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 19 What is needed for publishing?

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Elements needed to publish the course:
  • H.263 video and ADPCM audio files
    • these files do not need to be chopped!
  • PowerPoint presentation converted via Internet Assistant
  • index file (time stamp/foil # pairs)
    • currently must be created manually
    • will be created automatically by lecture recorder
    • a tool for semi-automatic creation for legacy material is optional
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 20 Requirements for lecturers

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Presentation in electronic form turned in few hours (a day?) before the class
  • critical for automatic recording, as automatic indexing will not work without electronic presentation
  • MSRC staff will convert the presentation to one of the supported formats
Lecturers MUST use one of the tools provided with the package to deliver their presentations
  • suggest a PC in the delivery room with pre-installed SW
  • lecturer laptops can be accommodated as presentation/ recording tools downloadable
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 21 Formats we will support

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
We will or do support Persuasion, PowerPoint, series of Images (As exported by Framemaker), lists of URL's
We will NOT support formats that can not be described in terms of information nuggets
  • e.g. "Spaghetti" HTML files with or without anchor addresses, where the lecturers use scrollbars to navigate
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 22 Video and audio formats

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
MPEG1 for DREN and intranet distribution
  • Bandwidth: 1.5 Mbps
  • Quality: 30fps, CD quality audio, SIF (320x240)
    • perceptual quality equivalent to VHS
  • Actual performance CPU-dependent
  • Current player: ActiveMovie, PC only
    • needs video server support (no http streaming)
  • in the works: Java Media Framework player
    • platform-independent, internally uses platform-specific C implementation
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 23 Video and audio formats

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
H.263 for low-bitrate (Internet) video
  • format/encoder enhanced to accommodate random access and error tolerance by adding I-frames
  • Bandwidth: variable, but starts at 9 Kbps
  • Quality: 3-10 fps, QCIF-CIF (9 Kbps=10 fps, QCIF)
  • Current player: both ActiveMovie and Java applet
Audio: ADPCM, GSM, MPEG-4 CELP
  • ADPCM: done, 32 Kbps
  • GSM: codec done, integration in progress (13 Kbps)
  • MPEG-4: ongoing, slated for early July (4 - 6 Kbps)
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 24 Navigation and random access

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Current version: video or audio stream drives slideshow
  • Control: play, stop, rewind - but no random seek
    • Reason: uses HTTP protocol for continuous media stream
    • to facilitate random access, video segmentation is necessary (can be labor intensive; tools may be provided)
    • We do this segmentation for Real Audio now
Target version: two-way navigation with random access
  • unless video stream edited/segmented, needs video server support for random stream access
    • Reason: needs random access protocol such as RTSP
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 25 Progress since last demonstration

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Automatic publishing tool improved
  • Error and special situations handling
  • Enforces creation of metadata
  • Created HTML files with more descriptive contents
Playback tools:
  • improved protocol for video/slideshow tools communication (now supports pre-fetch)
  • foils over audio for low-performance platforms
  • Java video player version for SGI machines
    • modified object handling to circumvent garbage collection problems in SGI Java VM
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 26 Encoding station

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Hardware MPEG1 encoder provided by Optibase
  • real time encoder of industrial quality
  • provides archival quality digital video stream
API allows remote control of the encoding process
  • encoding daemon socket-connected to the presentation tool on the presentation workstation
Automatic creation of indexing information
Hardware delivered a week ago
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 27 Database support for courseware

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Current authoring tools do not or poorly support courseware reuse
  • Problem: in 20 minutes, build, publish, and print handouts of a new module consisting of parts of five other presentations
  • Find all slides related to a particular topic in presentations delivered during last 6 months
  • Allow for search of the educational nuggets according to the standard metadata attributes
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 28 Database support for courseware

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
NPAC WebWisdom database support
  • conversion tools for transformation of legacy formats into self-describing educational objects
  • relational database loading tools with metadata creation support
  • presentation management tools to create and edit new presentations
  • templates for automatic creation of Web presentation layer from database contents
Lectures recorded using NPAC technology can be immediately loaded in the database.
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared 7 May 98

Foil 29 Lecture recording for linking synchronous and asynchronous collaboration

From MultiMedia Databases - Collaboration, Recording and Playback ASC Dayton OH Web Training Meeting organized by CSU -- 6 May 98. *
Full HTML Index
Lecture recording is a special case of the general session recording capability in the virtual and desktop collaborative environment
NPAC TANGO Interactive session recording capability assumes session recording on the client side (as opposed to the central server recording)
Session record re-assembly is done in the central repository with the clients uploading end-user recording information at session termination
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