A Network Interface Unit to Support Continuous Media

The combination of high speed multi-service networks and multimedia workstations offers considerable potential for the development of distributed multimedia applications. However, many challenges remain before this potential can be realised. One key challenge is how to integrate continuous media types such as audio and video into a distributed workstation environment. This paper describes an experimental system architecture based on a specialised multimedia network interface that attempts to provide this integration. The design and implementation of this system is discussed in depth in terms of workstation enhancement and distributed system support. A new approach to the problem of media synchronisation is introduced, and the importance of Quality of Service in the architecture is highlighted. The paper also relates our experiences from this work, compares it with other approaches and outlines our views on likely future developments in multimedia network interfacing.