There are growing opportunities for advanced user-interactive services for online media (including broadcast), especially in the use of object-based media. For instance, personalised video where objects can be acquired and rendered into the playout. This also allows elements of program content to be reused once they are received. Consequently, content description is needed to define audio and video objects, the underlying scene, the usage limits for objects, copyright and revenues.
Researchers
Research background
The key to advanced media services is metadata to define content, content representation in scenes, and also to define the interactions between the various parties involved in commercial media transactions. Current MPEG standards address content description (MPEG-7) and media applications (MPEG-21), but new developments are required for interactive, personalised and adaptive media services.
Research aims
To derive data structures for standards to cover content description and commercial media transactions for advanced media services, typically utilising object-based media for interaction and personalisation.
One of the representations of this type of data is the use of smart contracts to enable commercial legal transactions. A blockchain security layer may also be utilised to support the contractual activities.
Research methods
The activities involve building a trading platform to demonstrate the commercial media trading of audio and video objects, and to define the data structures required for these activities.
Projected outcomes
This work is ongoing but to date resulted in user profiling research at other European universities.