Playback

This following describes the cross-platform MPEG-4 standard compliant playback technologies that we have developed which are designed to provide a lightweight portable client playback solution.

The IBM MPEG-4 Toolkit player code is written in Java and is designed to implement function as specified by the ISO/IEC 14496 standard, i.e. MPEG-4. The player code is designed for use as the complete core of an MPEG-4 compliant playback sub-system over which a suitable GUI can be simply developed. For example the code can be built as used as a standalone player, or it can be integrated into a larger project, e.g. to provide a playback preview as part of an authoring tool.

Of the MPEG-4 standard the player code is currently focused on the 2D composite, dynamic, interactive media functionality comprised of media elements as Images, Text, Audio, Video and geometric shapes. Interactivity with the resultant composite 2D scene is achieved through in-scene behavior whose input is from sensor nodes. Dynamic content is supported via external timed updates in the BIFS stream as well as in-scene nodes such as interpolators. Advanced intelligent content is available too where Java class files can be packaged as part of the content to eventually run and interact with it - this is MPEG-J, also part of MPEG-4 standard.

The interface to MPEG-4 media content, provided through DMIF (Delivery Multimedia Integration Framework), allows content to be streamed over networks or be played from local files. The DMIF implementation is modular allowing new streaming or file formats to be easily added. DMIF is part of the MPEG-4 standard, and the MPEG organization also works with other standards bodies, e.g. IETF, to define appropriate transports for the content. The IBM MPEG-4 player supports IETF defined RTP/RTSP streaming, local mp4 file playback, AVI file playback (MPEG-4 and MP3 stream content only), and interleaved MVR files and M4X M4Mux-based files over HTTP or from local file. Additionally playback of individual raw media streams, and simple audio/video from QuickTime files or transmitted over RTP/RTSP according to ISMA specification is supported.

MVR is a pre-interleaved, transmission ready format for use above a defined bandwidth, and is multi-media track file that is suitable for lightweight streaming of content over HTTP (for which it was designed). This IEEE Multimedia edition has further details concerning its design etc.

M4X is also pre-interleaved, transmission ready format. The interleave is based on the MPEG-4 standard M4Mux flexible multiplex interleaving, and the file format simply adds the necessary IOD and stream map table both of which are required for MPEG-4 playback. Documentation for the M4X format is provided as part of the IBM Toolkit For MPEG-4 SDK package, available for download from IBM alphaworks.

Figure 1: Player Block Diagram

The block diagram of the player above illustrates the major features described above. For more information on any aspect of the player please contact us.

The player supports wide range of MPEG-4 features, and various networking and file support for access to the media content. It is designed with options to facilitate deployment of the code according to target application needs and device specifications. Code can be deployed in conformance with MPEG-4 profiles and to suit specific needs. The player can run wherever a Java 1.1 VM or above is available, and on various platforms from handheld devices such as iPAQ to desktop machines, running under Windows, Linux, OS/2 etc.

See the extensive full feature list.

The player core code can be used, and an applet readily created to play MPEG-4 media content in only a few lines of code. We have already implemented an applet which also includes facilities to control it externally from JavaScript. This applet, in a productized form, is included with VideoCharger 8.1 product; the code deployed for that product is for ISMA compliant streaming and as such includes just the RTP/RTSP streaming.

Progressive download and playback via HTTP can also be supported by the applet, as can local file playback. Due to applet security model both RTP/RTSP support and local file playback require the code to be signed. The player core code contains the necessary security code in order to support Netscape 4.x and above and IE 4.0 and above security managers.

The applet can also be augmented by installing dlls (shared libraries) to improve performance.

The various demos directly playable from this site use our applet player. Fully featured applet players are available for evaluation from our download section.

A standalone MPEG-4 application can be created as easily as the MPEG-4 player applet described above. The optional code deployment and features listed above all apply, except, being a standalone application, it is not constrained by a security manager and does not need signing.

Fully featured standalone application players are available for evaluation from our download section.

As an example of the integration of the player core code into another application we have successfully implemented the player as a plug-in to Eclipse. Please contact us if you would be interested in this.