Delivering Interactive Multimedia Services in Dynamic Pervasive Computing Environments

This paper introduces a distributed system for next generation multimedia support in dynamically changing pervasive computing environments. The overall goal is to enhance the experience of mobile users by intelligently adapting the way a service is presented, in particular by adapting the way the user receives multimedia content from the service and how he interacts with the service. The system tailors this presentation to the user’s context, for instance based on his current activity (e.g., driving or walking) or the characteristics of the devices that surround him (e.g., devices for multimedia rendering and user interaction devices). The system integrates with the (IMS-based) service platforms of “beyond 3G” telecom operators and allows multimedia content to be rendered on multiple devices at the same time. It can also dynamically and seamlessly adapt the way a service is presented while it is being used (e.g., from gesture-based input to voice commands). These changes are triggered by changes in the user’s context (e.g., when the user gets into his car). This paper discusses the system’s requirements, presents an architecture proposal and describes its current implementation.