ABSTRACT
Video communication is an indispensable modality of multimedia, most prominently exemplified by the Internet-based World Wide Web today. After the web browser itself, audio/video streaming decoders have been the most fre quently downloaded Internet application, and they will be part of the browser
software by the time this chapter appears in print. Real-time audiovisual commu nication will also be an integral part of third-generation wireless communication services. The current vision includes a small handheld device that allows the user to communicate from anywhere in the world with anyone in a variety of formats (voice, data, image, and full-motion video). This next generation of wireless multimedia communicators is expected to be equipped with a camera, a micro phone, and a liquid crystal color display, serving both as a videophone and com puter screen. The conventional laptop keyboard is likely to be replaced by a writing tablet, facilitating optical handwriting recognition and signature verifica tion. With progressing miniaturization of components, wristwatch “Dick Tracy” communicators are expected to follow soon after.
