| Deepa Kundur Wireless Communications lab Texas A&M University deepa@ece.tamu.edu |
| Zhu Liu AT&T Research Lab zliu@research.att.com |
| Madjiid Merabti School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences Liverpool John Mores University M.Merabti@ljmu.ac.uk |
| Heather Yu Panasonic Information and Networking Technologies Laboratory heathery@research.panasonic.com |
Peer-to peer (P2P) computer networks have recently received tremendous attention due to their inherent scalability and flexibility, which facilitates a broad spectrum of innovative multimedia applications. Such networks rely on the power of participant nodes of the network (called peers) for communications and computation. This is in contrast to the traditional client-server models for multimedia communications that employ dedicated networking infrastructure. Traditional applications of P2P multimedia (P2P MM) include decentralized file sharing and content distribution. More recently new models are emerging, which include multimedia sensor networks.
Typically P2P networks today do not offer value added services; they are primarily used as a medium for content distribution. The true potential of P2P technology will become evident in next generation networks where services will become submersed within the very fabric of these networks. For example current research initiatives are already using P2P concepts to allow devices to be seamlessly connected to offer their functionality as services. TVs, DVD players, heating control systems, game consoles and sensors, to name but a few, are being networked to provide solutions that improve our quality of life. This new interconnected world will provide access to services that are omnipresent, such as program guides, digital radio, on-demand Internet TV, P2P gaming and the operational functions (e.g. reading data from sensors) provided by networked devices. This is seen as the next step in the evolution of P2P networks.
This paradigm shift to less hierarchical and more localized multimedia networking requires that many networking challenges are revisited. This special session on P2P MM represents a timely exposition of current advancements of significance to multimedia researchers, developers and industries.
Papers covering a variety of topics that include, but not limited to the following areas are solicited:
Please follow ICME2006 author submission instructions to prepare your manuscript and submit your paper.