General-Use Multimedia Applications


General-Use Multimedia Applications

Outline
This experiment has been performed on the use of a variety of multimedia information communications using access lines operating at different speeds of up to 156 Mbps depending on each application for companies and self-governing communities.
Test lines are divided into two types: the ATM type and the IP routing type based on the Internet Protocol (*6) used as the standard communications protocol for Internet.

Objectives
This experiment is intended for creating diversified multimedia applications such as News on Demand, remote medicine, and online shopping.

Experimental Network Image

Testing details

Standard for circuits provided	Several speeds (156Mbit/s maximum) will be provided according to applications (Two types of test lines are used: ATM and IP routing types.)
Participants in joint tests	Information Providers and many others, aiming at the development of new applications (111 systems)
Testing areas	Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagano, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Matsuyama, and Fukuoka (10 cities where network terminal equipments are located)
Testing period	From April 1995 to the end of March 1997 (planned)

Major Applications Subject to General-Use Multimedia Network Service Experiment

Scope Application name Contents of Experiment

Entertainment Multiuser network game Allows multiple players to participate in a network game accessed through monitor devices.

Amusement on demand Provides customers with entertainment information, resort information, and video software such as latest movies online from the remote center at the customers' requests.

Newspaper, publishing, broadcasting, advertisement News on demand Distributes composite news including voice and sound, still images, and motion pictures using an image database.

Books on demand Provides customers, at their requests, with desired books printed as required and multimedia books containing information which cannot be provided by paper media.

TV-CF on demand Distributes TV-CF material and investigation data collected in a database online to the advertising agency and client company.

Electronic publishing Interconnects the material and editing centers to construct an electronic publishing network for effective editing and processing.

Medicine Remote medicine Provides general medical practitioner and in-house medical doctors with medical information using a multimedia database and remote diagnostic aids by special doctors.

Welfare Video production assistance Connects physically handicapped persons with experts to help them perform artistic activities and video production by using video information.

Remote dactylology Assists visiting customers who have a hearing or speech disorder with the remote staff familiar with the finger language through a multimedia device in place of sales personnel in the shop.

Education Remote education Gives a person-to-person course of lectures by the remote instructor and establishes a chair using a multimedia database for the virtual class over the network.

Collaboration Provides virtual space which allows children to prepare and present electronic newspapers collaboratively using motion picture transfer and remote collaboration support techniques.

Hobbies and culture Remote culture course Gives a culture class for subjects such as music in interaction with the remote instructor using audio and video information.

Network art Develops artistical representations by means of multimedia and ultra-high-speed network.

Life and consumption Online shopping Enables catalog sales by allowing the monitor device in each area to access the commodity database consisting of video and audio information.

Remote consultation Connects the customer service window in each area with a specialist in the head office, allowing close consultation using video and audio.

Multimedia showroom Interconnects the showroom in each area with the multimedia database, allowing commodity information to be searched and displayed in real time using video and audio.

Local life information Provides audio and video information on local life and administration, which has been collected as a multimedia database.

Sales, development, and production Sales promotion information Provides leaflets, catalogs, and commodity information required for sales activities, which have been collected as a multimedia database.

Design collaboration Enables group work to be performed in real time between the head office and branches or between partner companies by getting the full benefit of audio, video, and CG.

Product development collaboration Allows remote product development points to share text, graphics, video, still image, and motion picture data for collaboration, for example, in deciding specifications.

Remote supervision and control Enabled centralized remote supervision in the supervisory center for security of factory facilities or unattended buildings, allowing remote control to be conducted as required.

Scope	Application name	Contents of Experiment
Entertainment	Multiuser network game	Allows multiple players to participate in a network game accessed through monitor devices.
Entertainment	Amusement on demand	Provides customers with entertainment information, resort information, and video software such as latest movies online from the remote center at the customers' requests.
Newspaper, publishing, broadcasting, advertisement	News on demand	Distributes composite news including voice and sound, still images, and motion pictures using an image database.
	Books on demand	Provides customers, at their requests, with desired books printed as required and multimedia books containing information which cannot be provided by paper media.
	TV-CF on demand	Distributes TV-CF material and investigation data collected in a database online to the advertising agency and client company.
	Electronic publishing	Interconnects the material and editing centers to construct an electronic publishing network for effective editing and processing.
Medicine	Remote medicine	Provides general medical practitioner and in-house medical doctors with medical information using a multimedia database and remote diagnostic aids by special doctors.
Welfare	Video production assistance	Connects physically handicapped persons with experts to help them perform artistic activities and video production by using video information.
Welfare	Remote dactylology	Assists visiting customers who have a hearing or speech disorder with the remote staff familiar with the finger language through a multimedia device in place of sales personnel in the shop.
Education	Remote education	Gives a person-to-person course of lectures by the remote instructor and establishes a chair using a multimedia database for the virtual class over the network.
Education	Collaboration	Provides virtual space which allows children to prepare and present electronic newspapers collaboratively using motion picture transfer and remote collaboration support techniques.
Hobbies and culture	Remote culture course	Gives a culture class for subjects such as music in interaction with the remote instructor using audio and video information.
Hobbies and culture	Network art	Develops artistical representations by means of multimedia and ultra-high-speed network.
Life and consumption	Online shopping	Enables catalog sales by allowing the monitor device in each area to access the commodity database consisting of video and audio information.
	Remote consultation	Connects the customer service window in each area with a specialist in the head office, allowing close consultation using video and audio.
	Multimedia showroom	Interconnects the showroom in each area with the multimedia database, allowing commodity information to be searched and displayed in real time using video and audio.
	Local life information	Provides audio and video information on local life and administration, which has been collected as a multimedia database.
Sales, development, and production	Sales promotion information	Provides leaflets, catalogs, and commodity information required for sales activities, which have been collected as a multimedia database.
	Design collaboration	Enables group work to be performed in real time between the head office and branches or between partner companies by getting the full benefit of audio, video, and CG.
	Product development collaboration	Allows remote product development points to share text, graphics, video, still image, and motion picture data for collaboration, for example, in deciding specifications.
	Remote supervision and control	Enabled centralized remote supervision in the supervisory center for security of factory facilities or unattended buildings, allowing remote control to be conducted as required.