Rapid advancements in telecommunications, microelectronics, signal processing, computing and mass production of highly complex communication and computing oriented devices to the consumer market have established unique opportunities for creating large number of image/video-intensive telecommunication applications.
Digital television broadcast and digital two-way video communications have become viable for wide-spread penetration at various image quality levels and bit rates (e.g., MPEG, digital high definition television /HDTV/, videophone). Digital stationary image storage, playback and transmission techniques at varying quality levels have resulted in commercially viable imaging system solutions and applications (e.g., Photo-CD, JPEG)
Low cost integration of computing, image/video and telecommunication platforms and new display techniques permit the creation of new forms of end-user devices: smart-TV, intelligent cable-TV settop box, multimedia-PC, etc. The advances in these end-user platforms are so rapid that they are quickly becoming obsolete. New generation TV's, settop boxes and PC's become communications enabler for other consumer image/video devices (e.g., printer, electronic camera, storage/play-back peripheral, etc.)
From the commercial point of view, implementation of single -killer application" can no longer be the goal. Instead, groups of image/multimedia applications will create the expected revenue to network, services, media and platform providers. In this environment, harmonization of digital image/video/multimedia for all forms of information applications is critical. There is need to agree on a range of system parameters and characteristics that are not specifically application-oriented. These parameters may include colorimetry, pixel aspect ratio, compression, resolution, image encoding and image data identifiers. interoperability, extensibility, scalability and more generally "openness" are ascribed to devices, appliances, applications, systems that can effectively "cope" with an array of alternatives. Devices/systems with these characteristics allow operation in such a way that image impairments are minimized to the viewer.
The focus of business and technology development will shift from hardware and software platforms towards applications, information content, services and media. The key enablers of the "information superhighway" are: fully open network and access solutions to communicate in any desired form including point-to-point, multipoint and broadcast; open access to all types of information service providers globally; easy access to network intelligence to serve multitudes of end-user demands; seamless interoperability across applications, communication services, media and hardware plus software platforms; scalable application dependent features and technical characteristics of platforms and network resources under end- user control.
The information superhighway will have physical and logical components. The application implementation must be extremely user-friendly. Powerful computing resources will be made available for all forms of communications applications. Maturing image science techniques will strongly influence the creation, search, retrieval, storage and presentation of information. Image and video telecommunications will soon become a part of every day's life.
The superhighway should evolve such that it preserves competition in the traditional sense, and it fosters the flow of all types of new and archive information without technical and regulatory bottlenecks. The information superhighway will likely support the creation of entire new skills and industries around it. The task to build this new communication infrastructure requires unprecedented collaboration of multi-billion dollar industries. Numerous strategic alliances and partnering relationships between multiple industries have already been built. Mergers, takeovers and acquisitions are typical signs of the emerging business opportunities. The stakes are high so are the rewards. Participation in this evolution requires real skills and industry leadership.
Arpad Toth joined the Imaging Research Laboratories of Eastman Kodak Company in 1991. He is the Image Telecommunications architect at the Image Telecommunications Center leading systems planning and development of new generation digital image telecommunication architectures, telecommunications access protocols, interfaces and solutions for specific commercial image applications. In a parallel capacity, Arpad is a Marketing Executive in building new Kodak relationships within the telecommunication industry.
Prior to joining Kodak, Arpad was with Philips Laboratories in Briarcliff Manor, New York between 1986 and 1991. He was chief scientist of the Laboratories responsible for advanced television technology and strategic planning, and multi-resolution digital video communication systems and multimedia research. From 1977 to 1986, Arpad was with BellNorthern Research, both at its central research laboratories in Ottawa, Canada and the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina facilities. His responsibilities included exploratory research in fiber access systems, HDTV and management of broadband access network planning for integrated services voice, data and video.
Arpad is member of the Board of the Public Broadcast Station in Rochester. He is also member of the Columbia University Industrial Advisory Board for Electrical Engineering. He was chairman of the First and Second International TV Workshops. He was founder and chairman of the Electrical Industries Association Advanced TV Receiver Committee in defining new architecture and interfaces for digital Advanced TV consumer products.
Arpad is a native of Hungary, has graduate degrees in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Budapest and the University of Toronto. 4