MPEG-4 Systems is a subgroup of MPEG in charge of the development of tools to support the coded representation of the combination of streamed elementary audiovisual information in the form of natural or synthetic, audio or visual, 2D and 3D objects within the context of content-based access for digital storage media, digital audiovisual communication and other applications. More precise information on MPEG-4 Systems and in MPEG Systems in general can be find in the MPEG Systems WebSite.

This position paper gives an overview of the Systems technology developped within the MPEG community and states that the MPEG specifications currently provides for the technology needed to achieve Web/TV integration.

2. MPEG-4 Systems and Web/TV Integration

The MPEG-4 Systems Sub-group has delivered in Tokyo (Nov. 1998) the Systems FCD for ISO/IEC 14496-1 (MPEG-4 Systems Version 1). This document specifies a first set of tools and profiles that are made available to the industry. On-going activities in the Systems sub-group are developing MPEG-4 Systems Version 2 specification. This specification will become CD in October 1998.

Moreover,  MPEG-4 set up Im1, an activity in charge of developing the Systems software and of providing the framework to integrate other elements (such as audio and visual tools) in a complete and copyright free MPEG-4 browser. Im1 will demonstrate a broadcast scenario (including TV like features jointly with Web like features) using the MPEG-4 technology in the next MPEG meeting (July 1998).

TV/Web integration is therefore a domain where the MPEG-4 technology can be successfully be applied.

3. Conclusion

The MPEG-4 technology provides in version 1 a powerfull presentation engine : integration of different media types (natural and synthetic, 2D and 3D, audio and video), synchronization mechanism as tight as in MPEG-1/2, extended set of scene description features (integration of 2D and 3D, scene updates, scene animation, compression of scene graph, ...). This presentation engine interfaces with the network through a well-defined and normative interface.

In version 2, the MPEG-4 presentation engine is completed with an application engine using the Java technology. Other tools, like intellectual property management, new scene graph features, and a versatile file format for exchange, authoring and streaming of multimedia information will complete the Version 1 set of tool.

The author thinks  that the MPEG-4 technology is fully relevant within the context of a Web/TV integration effort. Moreover, such effort will increase its chances of success if relevant bodies, like ISO and W3C  talk and work together to solve the industry standardization needs.