CeBIT 2006: Future Living: New applications for multimedia networks
Michael Repplinger and Marco Lohse (Saarland University) with networked multimedia devices (foto: Bilderwerk)
The software architecture NMM allows for transparently connecting all devices available within the network and also extends control to the network. This results in completely new "virtual" devices: A mobile phone can be used for viewing a TV show received from the satellite receiver connected to the home network, or a recorded TV show can be presented simultaneously on several TV sets. As ground-breaking new feature, the software operates cross-platform: Arbitrary networking technologies and various operating systems are supported. For example, NMM runs on commodity Windows PCs, mobile phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) running under Windows, but also on different Linux and Unix systems, such as set-top boxes for TV reception.
The potential of this software architecture will be demonstrated at future market at CeBIT 2006 by showing a networked multimedia home-entertainment system. Visitors will be able to control all devices of a virtual household while sitting on a sofa in the living-room. In addition, media playback can be handed over spontaneously between devices, for example from a portable MP3 player to a hi-fi system in the living room. By using an UMTS mobile phone or laptop computer, the home network stays fully accessible while being on the road, e.g. to browse media content, but also for controlling a surveillance camera or chat with visitors at the front door.
The NMM software that was previously being developed at the Computer Graphics Lab at Saarland University, Germany, is now brought to market by a spin-off company called Motama. Because of the flexible licensing policy of NMM, the developed software can be used in Open Source and research projects as well as in commercial products.
The NMM architecture and the home-entertainment system will be demonstrated at the future market at CeBIT 2006 in Hannover, Germany, from March 9 to 15 (hall 9, booth A 22). As part of the future talks, Marco Lohse will give a talk on "Multimedia without barriers: Networked, mobile, cross-platform" on March 13, 2006, 12 pm (hall 9, booth A 40).
More information is available online
<http://www.networkmultimedia.org/ and http://www.motama.com/>;
Press foto - download free: http://www.informatik-saarland.de/06.Presse/03.Pressefotos/
For further questions, please contact
Marco Lohse
Motama GmbH, Saarbrücken, Germany
Phone: +49 681 302 3833
E-Mail: info@motama.com
Friederike Meyer zu Tittingdorf
Kompetenzzentrum Informatik an der Universität des Saarlandes, Germany
Phone: +49 681 302 58099
Email: presse@cs.uni-sb.de
During CeBIT 2006, appointments can be made by phone:
Phone: +49 681 302 3833
