CMP 366.

3 Multimedia System

Chapter 8
Documentation, Hypertext and MHEG

Documents
A document consists of a set of structural information that can be in different forms of
media, and during presentation can be generated or recorded. A document is aimed at the
perception of a human, and is accessible for computer processing.

A multimedia document is a document which is comprised of information coded in at

least one continuous (time-dependent) medium and in one discrete (time-independent)
medium. Integration of the different media is given through a close relation between
information units. This is also called synchronization. A multimedia document is closely
related to its environment of tools, data abstractions, basic concepts and document
architecture.

Document Architecture
Exchanging documents entails exchanging the document content as well as the document
structure. This requires that both documents have the same document architectures are
the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and the Open Document
Architecture (ODA). There are also proprietary document architectures, such as DEC's
Document Content Architecture (DCA) and IBM's Mixed Object Document Content
Architecture (MO:DCA).
Information architectures use their data abstractions and concepts. A document
architecture describes the connections among the individual elements represented as
models (e.g., presentation model, manipulation model). The elements in the document
architecture and their relations are shown in Figure.

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Figure: Document architecture and its elements.

The manipulation model describes all the operations allowed for creation, change and
detection of multimedia information. The representation model defines: (1) the protocols
for exchanging this information among different computers; and, (2) the formats for
storing the data. It includes the relations between the individual information elements
which need to be considered during presentation. It is important to mention that an
architecture may not include all described properties, respectively models.

Manipulation of Multimedia Data

The user becomes most aware of multimedia documents through tools for manipulation
of multimedia data, such as editors, desktop publishing programs and other text
processing programs.
A document undergoes the process shown in Figure. The information included in a
document belongs to a certain document type, e.g., a business letter or an internal
memorandum. The same document can belong to other types which mainly influence the
final representation. The transformation from the actual information to its final
representation behaves according to rules specific to the document architecture.

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Figure: A multimedia document architecture and its constituent elements.

The processing cycles of a traditional document and an interactive multimedia
presentation are analogous, as shown in figure.

Figure: Processing of a document: from the information to the presentation

Figure: Information transmission

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Currently, an author edits a document with a text editor. Thus, he or she uses the system's
character set (e.g., ASCII) as the actual content of a document, as well as a hidden
language available in most interactive editors for structural description (e.g., SGML).
Hypertext, Hypermedia and Multimedia

Multimedia Hypermedia
Hypertext

Figure: The hypertext, hypermedia and multimedia relationship.

Hypertext System
A hypertext system is mainly determined through non-linear links of information.
Pointers connect the nodes. The data of different nodes can be represented with one or
several media types. In a pure text system, only text parts are connected. We understand
hypertext as an information object which includes links to several media.

Multimedia System
A multimedia system is characterized by computer-controlled, integrated production,
manipulation, presentation, storage and communication of independent information,
which is encoded at least through a continuous (time-dependent) and a discrete (time-
independent) medium.
For example, if only links to text data are present, then this is not a multimedia system. It
is a hypertext.

Hypermedia System
A hypermedia system includes the non-linear information links of hypertext systems and
the continuous and discrete media of multimedia systems. For example, if a non-linear
link consists of text and video data, then this is a hypermedia, multimedia and hypertext
system.

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Hypertext System Architecture

The hypertext system architecture can be divided into three layers with different
functionalities:
(i) Presentation Layer
All functions connecter to the user interface are embedded. Here, nodes and pointer are
mapped to the user interface. At the user interface, one or several parts of the document
are visualized. This layer determines, based on the given structure and user's desired
display, which data are presented and how they are presented. This layer takes over
control of all inputs.
(ii) Hypertext Abstract Machine
The Hypertext Abstract Machine (HAM) is placed between the presentation and storage
layers. It can expect from the underlying layer database functions for storage of
multimedia data in a distributed environment. It does not have to consider input and
output of the upper layer (Presentation Layer). Hypertext Abstract Machine knows the
structure of the document, it has the knowledge about the pointers and its attributes. The
data structure, respectively a document architecture, is constructed for the management of
the document.
(iii) Storage Layer
The storage layer (also called the database layer) is the lowest layer. All functions
connected with the storage of data, i.e., secondary storage management, belong to this
layer. The specific properties of the different discrete and continuous media need to be
considered. Functionalities from traditional database systems are expected, such as
persistence (data persist through programs and processes), multi-user operations
(synchronization, locks) and the restoration of data after a failure (transaction).

Document Architecture SGML

The Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) The Standard Generalized Markup
Language, or SGML, is a language and notation for describing classes of documents. In
an SGML-encoded document, the various elements of the document are delimited with
distinguished character strings commonly called tags. A document may, for example,
have tags that delimit elements like paragraphs, subsections, appendices, and figures. A

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start-tag of the form <X> denotes the beginning of an element, and an end-tag of the
form </X> denotes the end of that element.
An SGML-encoded document has three parts: an SGML declaration, a document type
declaration, and a document instance. The SGML declaration characterizes the document
type declaration, and the subsequent document instance(s), in terms of character sets and
optional features of SGML. The SGML declaration may be omitted if the default
character set is used and no optional features are required.
In SGML, a class of documents is characterized by a grammar that indicates what
markup is allowed, what markup is required, and how markup is distinguished from text.
SGML defines this grammar with a document type definition.
SGML document is divided into two processes. Only the formatter knows the meaning of
the tag and it transforms the document into a formatted document. The parser uses the
tags, occurring in the document, in combination with the corresponding document type.
Specification of the document structure is done with tags.
Tags are divided into different categories:
The descriptive markup (tags) describes the actual structure always in the form:
<start-tag> respectively also </end-tag>
An example is the definition of a paragraph at its beginning:
<paragraph> The text of the paragraph follows ......

The entity reference provides connection to another element. This element replaces the
entity reference. This can be understood also as an abbreviation to which the actual
content can be copied later at the corresponding place. The following example shows
entity reference in a mathematical context:
&square x ....... should be x2

The markup declarations define the elements to which an entity reference refers. In our
example of squaring a variable x, square is defined as:
<!ELEMENT square (....)>

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A markup declaration can be used to define rules for the structure (the classes). The
following example illustrates the construction of an article paper:
<!ELEMENT paper (preamble, body, postamble)>
<!ELEMENT preamble (title, author, side)>
<!ELEMENT title (#CDATA)> -- character data
<!ELEMENT body (....)>

Instruction for other programs in a text are entered through processing instructions. They
can be meant, for example, for the formatter. Using processing instructions, different
media can be inserted.

Document Architecture ODA

The Open Document Architecture (ODA) was initially called the Office Document
Architecture because it supports mostly office-oriented applications. The main goal of
this document architecture is to support the exchange, processing and presentation of
documents in open system.
The main property of ODA is the distinction among content, logical structure and layout
structure. This is in contrast to SGML where only a logical structure and the contents are
defined. ODA also defines semantics. Figure shows these three aspects linked to a
document.
(i) Content Portions:
The content of the document consists of Content Portions. These can be manipulated
according to the corresponding medium.
A content architecture describes for each medium:
• the specification of the elements,
• the possible access functions and
• the data coding.
Individual elements are the Logical Data Units (LDUs), which are determined for each
medium. The access functions serve for the manipulation of individual elements. The
coding of the data determines the mapping with respect to bits and bytes.
(ii) Layout Structure:

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The layout structure specifies mainly the representation of a document. It is related to a

two dimensional representation with respect to a screen or paper.
(iii) Logical Structure:
The logical structure includes the partitioning of the content.

MHEG (Multimedia and Hypermedia Information Coding Expert Group)

The committee ISO/IEC JTC/SC29 (Coding of Audio, Picture, Multimedia and
Hypermedia Information) works on the standardization of the exchange format for
multimedia systems. The actual standards are developed at the international level in three
working groups cooperating with research and industry. Figure shows that the three
standards deal with the coding and compression of individual media. The results of the
working groups: the Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) and the Motion Picture
Expert Group (MPEG) are of special importance in the area of multimedia systems.

ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29
Coding of Audio, Picture, Multimedia and
Hypermedia Information

WG1 WG11 WG12

Coding of Still Pictures Coding of Moving Coding of Multimedia
(JBIG/JPEG) Pictures and Associated and Hypermedia
Audio (MPEG) Information (MHEG)

Figure: Working Groups within the ISO-SG29

The standard of this structure description is the subject of the working group WG12,
which is known as the Multimedia and Hypermedia Information Coding Expert Group
(MHEG). The name of the developed standard is officially called Information
Technology-Coding of Multimedia and Hypermedia Information (MHEG). The final
MHEG standard will be described in three documents.

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