Many activities are being promoted for the coming multimedia age. In this paper, background information for multimedia communications is followed by an outline of joint tests in multimedia communications with some examples of the projects and applications. These trials are also explained from the aspects of project specifications, which include application classifications and details of multimedia-on-demand offerings, as well as technical issues in experimental environments which mainly include those related to ATM technology.

The evolution of access networks towards Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) receives much attention throughout the world because FTTH has a big potential for providing future attractive services. To provide such services in terms of transmission rate, the cable network transition scenario from conventional copper cable network to optical fiber cable one in access field should be clarified. Since network transition scenario deeply depends on the service evolution scenarios (what type of service would appear at a certain time and how many customers move to the other services, for example), this paper firstly categorizes telecommunication services into four kinds of services, i.e. Basic Service (e.g. POTS), Narrowband Symmetrical Service (e.g. NISDN), Broadband Asymmetrical Services (e.g. Video-On-Demand) and Broadband Symmetrical Services (e.g. BISDN) in terms of up-and down-stream transmission rates. Based on this service categorization, it is proposed to formalize service evolution scenarios by a transition pattern of the initial demands and the penetration rates of these services. Then, the evaluation method of network transition scenarios is also proposed in terms of NPV by the service evolution scenarios. It is conclude that the network transition scenarios are deeply related to the amount and behavior of the demands moving to the other services as follows.-The scenario where the new system configuration partly replaces the old one whenever the demands appear for providing higher transmission rate services is applicable, when the demands move little or constantly move to the higher transmission rate services,-The scenario where the new system configuration totally replaces the old one at the early stage for providing all services is applicable, when the demands drastically move to the higher transmission rate services during short period.

Communication latency is central to multiprocessor design. This study presents the design principles of the EM-X distributed-memory multiprocessor towards tolerating communication latency. The EM-X overlaps computation with communication for latency tolerance by multithreading. In particular, we present two types of hardware support for remote memory access: (1) priority-based packet scheduling for thread invocation, and (2) direct remote memory access. The priority-based scheduling policy extends a FIFO ordered thread invocation policy to adopt to different computational needs. The direct remote memory access is designed to overlap remote memory operations with thread execution. The 80-processor prototype of EM-X is developed and is operational since December 1995. We execute several programs on the machine and evaluate how the EM-X effectively overlaps computation with communication toward tolerating communication latency for high performance parallel computing.

This paper concerns optimized facility design for VLSI production. The methods proposed are applicable in planning LSI production facilities with a good balance between the number of machines and the number of operators. The sequence in each processing step is analyzed in detail. A new algorithm based on the queueing model is developed for estimating the simultaneous requirements for the two kinds of resources, machines and operators. This estimation system can be applied to complicated fabrication schemes, such as batch processing, continuous processing, and mixed technologies. This methodology yields guidelines for ASIC LSI production system design.

Three techniques are proposed for reducing the time required for protocol processing: protocol data unit management using page management, assembly and disassembly of data packet header and contents in hardware, and rescheduling of protocol processing. These techniques were shown to be feasible by applying them to the TCP/IP over a fiber-distributed data interface network. The maximum communication throughput was 91.6 Mbps; the total throughput for 64 sessions was 89.6 Mbps, only 2% less than the maximum. These techniques will enable the development of more effcient video-on -demand systems.

For the successful realization of the multimedia information environment, it is strongly required to develop very cost effective optical access networks. Accordingly, ways of reducing system cost are described. At the same time, the development of attractive new services is indispensable to drive network modernization. The connectionless networking service for community user groups is proposed together with the new concept of group communication.

In this paper, a feasible optical code-division multiple-access (CDMA) technique is proposed for high-speed computer networks using prime codes and optical signal processing to guarantee real-time data communications. All-optical architectures for fastly tunable CDMA encoders and decoders are presented, which can be feasibly implemented in the optical domain by using electrooptic switches and optical delay lines. This can support an ultrahigh throughput and a very fast reconfiguration time. Furthermore, we present a self-synchronized sample technique to ensure the correct phase synchronization between optical clock stream and asynchronous electronic data at each electrooptic modulator of an optical CDMA transmitter.

This paper describes communication traffic characteristics in cellular systems employing the concept of reuse partitioning and Dynamic Channel Assignment. Such systems hava a problem of the spatial unbalance of blocking probability. The objective of this paper is overcoming this problem. To accomplish this objective, we use a method for analyzing communication traffic characteristics. We also show results on traffic characteristics in the systems.

In this paper, we propose a timing constrained database system which accesses a database at a host computer via a mobile support server with a wireless portable computer running in mobile computing environments, so that we can provide seamless database access between a communication cell and the host computer even if the user of the portable computer moves from one communication cell to another. Then, we also provide some new kind of database cache algorihm, such as all-cell-cache, neighbour-cell-cache, 1-cell-skip-cache, 2-cell-skip-cache and 3-cell-skip-cache methods, each of which manages the data downloading and uploading among the host database and some cell databases at the mobile support servers so as to minimize the database access fault probability when the user moves from one communication cell to another. And, we show the averaged database access time and the averaged database cache hit ratio which are computed by simulating each of the above database cache algorithms with random variables generation method. Finally, we conclude that each above cache alogorithm is advantageous to the database in mobile computineg einvironments.

This paper describes the concept of the regional community network system. The system provides PC connectionless communication services to residential customers and a platform on which customers can construct closed user groups. The proposed system is superior to conventional dial-up PC communications from the viewpoint of quick response and communication charge. A new mechanism of group management using the MAC addresses of the interface cards embedded in the ONU and PC terminals is proposed. Conventional telecommunication services, multi-channel video distribution services, and connectionless computer communication services can be provided simultaneously by utilizing the fiber-optic access system. The regional community network system is promising for the construction of a regional information platform and would be one of the forces driving FTTH.

A new multi-functional card with a display, sounder and input keys, and related communication equipment, including a microwave base station and a contactless surface reader/writer, have been developed to perform the functions of positioning, paging, returning a message and identity certification. We confirmed that a prototype subsystem was capable of providing a simple and automatic call forwarding service. The multi-functional card as an ID card and a personal data terminal, and its subsystem can provide new personal services for a multimedia office.

The paper deals with the evaluation of performance of current cellular systems which are required to accommodate in an already operating system a wide range of new services, with different quality requirements (on delays, retransmission rates, etc.), and often characterised by a high burstiness (i. e. with relatively short traffic bursts, interleaved by comparatively long silence periods). To this end, an extension of packet communications is appealing for its inherent flexibility; standardisation of packet protocols for data transmission over idle GSM channels is in progress, and a similar service exploiting AMPS radio and network resources is already specified as Cellular Digital Packet Data. In both cases voice traffic retains a higher priority. The paper focuses on the evaluation of the effect of this additional traffic on existing voice traffic in a GSM Phase 2+ system. Although voice calls experience the same channel availability, their performance are worsened by the higher co-channel interference due to the higher average channel occupancy. This impairment cannot be tackled, as a matter of course, by increasing the re-use distance as this would affect the overall system capacity. The paper suggests the use of smart planning strategies capable to ease control of interference levels with a negligible impact on system complexity and signalling load.

In future mobile radio, high-speed transmission and efficient spectrum utilization will be important. However, multipath propagation with large delay difference and cochannel interference are obstacles to the advanced mobile communication system. An adaptive antenna can suppress multipath signals and cochannel interference signals. This paper reviews basic performance of multipath fading reduction and cochannel interference suppression using the adaptive antenna. After a brief explanation of adaptive antenna concepts, we show simulation and experimental results of the fading reduction. It is pointed out that the adaptive antenna cancels multipath signals with large delay difference strongly. This feature is very important for high-speed TDMA systems. Moreover, it is shown from simulation results that the adaptive antenna improves the spectrum efficiency by suppressing the cochannel interference signals.

This paper is a brief survey of mobile applications of meteor burst communications (MBC). Though the capacity of MBC systems is generally not large, this unique long distance communication method has at least two selling points when applied to mobiles. First of all, it is cheap. Secondly, it can easily offer nationwide seamless service. Thus, since the late 1980s, mobile MBC systems have been attracting interests of the industry. Although MBC is today a well established communication technique, there are some difficulties to be overcome before it is widely applied to mobile systems. Two most serious problems are the rather large antenna size and high transmitter power inherent to this beyond line of sight communication which relies on weak reflections of low VHF (typically 35 to 50 MHz) radio waves from ionized meteor trails. Some reduced sized antennas which can be mounted on the roofs of trucks have been tested. The problem of large peak power (a few hundred watts for mobile remotes) is much alleviated by the very low duty cycle (usually less than 1%) of remote transmitters due to their bursty transmissions responding to the probe signals from the master station via infrequent meteor reflections. In this paper, some land and maritime mobile MBC systems are brieflyintroduced.

Time-critical-communication, which should guarantee a time limit of a communication service is getting important in multimedia and factory automation fields. This paper proposes an IP-based protocol, Network Protocol with Performance (NPP) to provide the advanced best-effort service which takes a time constraint into account for real-time applications on the Internet. NPP uses the packet-scheduling function to make an effort to guarantee time constraints. Packet-scheduling algorithm chooses a packet in a NPP queue by a precedent level and a time constraint of each packet. We also discuss an application of NPP to multimedia communication system, and investigate performance of NPP by simulation.

This paper investigates the performance of an integrated voice and data transmission protocol that can be used in mobile communication networks, e.g. mobile cellular and LEOGEO satellite networks. Voice and data are concentrated at place such as base station in a cellular network. Time sensitive voices are supported by the concentrator in the manner of TDMA. Loss sensitive data are collected, stored, and transmitted using idle TDMA slots. Data users transmit data to the concentration point using ALOHA protocol. Characterization of data arrivals to the concentrator is done by the method of moment matching. The emphasis of this study is on the data performance in terms of packet loss rate, average buffer occupancy, and mean packet waiting time. It is demonstrated through numerical examples that a buffer of reasonable size is good enough to offer satisfactory performance. The analysis is also validated by computer simulations.

This paper is concerned with spoken language translation in multimedia communication environment. We summarize the current research activities, by describing various spoken language translation systems and the multimodal technology related to spoken language translation. We propose a spoken language translation system that exploits the multimedia communication environment in order to overcome the limits caused by imperfect speech recognition. Our approach is in contrast to that of most conventional speech translation systems that limit their dialogue domains to obtain better speech recognition. We also propose a performance measure for spoken language translation systems. Our measure is defined as the ratio of the information quantities at each end of communication. Using this measure, we show that multimedia enhance spoken language translation systems.

Multimedia communications, fast growing industry in the world and in Korea, require advanced technology in network, computer, device, and application software. Korean government and industries prepare for this huge opportunity by commitment to national R&D programs. While investing heavily on present multimedia products, private companies also support R&D on future multimedia technologies. This paper surveys key R&D efforts in Korea by programs and organizations.

Intricate Speech Communication Mode (I-SC Mode) is observed in verbal interaction during ISDN-TV conferencing. It is characterized by conflicts and multiple interactions of speech. I-SC Mode might cause mental stress to participants and be obstacles for smooth communication. However, the reasons of I-SC Mode on the environment of information transmission are hitherto unknown. Furthermore, analyses on the talks inside a conference site (LT: local talk or a talk inside a local site) and between remote sites (MT: media talk or a talk between remote sites) are originally conceived on assumed differences in cognitive distance and media intimacy. This study deals with communication effects/barriers and cognitive distance/intimacy of media correlated with audio-video transmission signals and speech modes or talk types and response delay in human speech interactions by using an innovated conference model (decision-making transaction model: DT-Model) in synchronous ISDN-TV conference systems (SYN) and asynchronous ones (ASYN). The effects of intricate communication can be predicted to a certain extent and in some ways. In I-SC Mode, because a timely answer can not be received from recipients (or partner), response time delay and response rate are analyzed. These factors are thus analyzed with an innovated dynamic model, where the recognizable acceptance of delay is evaluated. The nonlinear model shows that the larger the response time delay, the lower the response rate becomes. Comparing the response rate between SYN and ASYN, the latter is notably lower than the former. This indicates that the communication efficiency is lower in ASYN. An I-SC Mode is the main mode that occurs during ASYN conferences, and this in turn causes psychological stress. Statistics show the prevalence of a high incidence of complicated plural talks and a low response rate exists as the main factors preventing smooth human-to-human communication. Furthermore, comparing the response delays in face-to-face LT (Tf) and machine-mediated MT (Tm), human communication delay is significantly extended by the effects of initial mechanical delays. Therefore, cognitive intimacy of media is clearly affected by the existence of physical distance.

This paper describes a new hierarchical bit line organization utilizing a T-shaped bit line(H-BLT) and its practical implementation in a 4-Mb SRAM using a 0.4µm CMOS process. The H-BLT has reduced the number of I/O circuits for multiplexers, sense amplifiers and write drivers, resulting in an efficient multiple blockdivision of the memory cell array. The size of the SRAM die was reduced by 14% without an access penalty. The active current is 30mA at 5 V and 10 MHz. The typical address access time is 35 ns with a 4.5 V supply voltage and a 30 pF load capacitance. The operating voltage range is 2.5 V to 6.0 V. H-BLT is a bright and useful architecture for the high density SRAMs of the future.