Software ensures perfect video transmission and an optimized viewing experience on all connected devices

Korea, October 6, 2011 – STMicroelectronics ( www.st.com ), a world-leading integrated semiconductor company, and the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), a leading research institute in communication systems, digital media and services, announced the industry's first 3D video receiver based on the new MPEG-DASH standard for dynamic and adaptive HTTP streaming. This prototype is fully operational and was developed as part of the EU-funded COAST (Content Aware Searching and Streaming) project.

HTTP streaming provides high-quality video transmission capabilities to IP-connected TVs, set-top boxes, mobile devices, and more. DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP), recently announced by 3GPP and the MPEG Group, aims to simplify the adoption of broadband video streaming services across various network infrastructures and end devices by replacing various proprietary HTTP streaming protocols with a single standardized, open solution. DASH defines tools for rapid and efficient content adaptation and formats for content preparation. This supports trick mode, multi-language subtitles and audio tracks, ad insertion, and various DRM technologies for content protection, and can operate through standard web server and caching technologies.

ST-HHI DASH-based software video receivers use advanced algorithms to provide the ability to automatically select transmission speed, video resolution, format, etc., based on actual network conditions, end device performance, and user preferences, thereby ensuring perfect video transmission and an optimized viewing experience. Since bandwidth fluctuations are compensated for through automatic media transmission speed adjustment and the video format is automatically selected according to the terminal type, consumers can watch the same 3D content even on 2D-display devices.

The ST-HHI 3D adaptive streaming environment consists of a video server, a PC connected to a 3D monitor, and a thin client providing a 2D display. 3D content is delivered from a remote server to both terminals via IP, and the same 3D video flow is automatically adjusted to the 2D display of the thin client. The embedded microprocessor used in ST’s latest set-top box chip and thin client (SPEAr 1340) runs DASH technology in GStreamer, the most commonly used multimedia framework in the PC and embedded platform fields, by supporting various multimedia formats and streaming protocols.

Amedeo Zuccaro, Director of Security and Multimedia Systems R&D at ST’s Advanced Systems Group, stated, “DASH enables efficient and convenient video transmission to all connected devices via existing Internet infrastructure, supporting both on-demand and live broadcasting, without the need for special devices.” He added, “Through our collaboration with HHI, we have become the first semiconductor manufacturer to integrate and provide DASH-based adaptive video streaming capabilities into our system-on-chip.”

"Thomas Schierl, Ph.D. and Head of the Multimedia Communications Group at Fraunhofer HHI, said, 'As 3D video technology has moved beyond research institutes and niche markets to hit the market, we can all access 3D video. We are pleased to have succeeded in developing next-generation devices that enable stereoscopic multi-view video content in collaboration with ST.'"

About the Fraunhofer Einrich-Hertz Institute
The Heinrich-Hertz Institute, a Fraunhofer institute in the field of communications, is a leading research institution based in Berlin in the fields of mobile broadband communications, optical networks/components, and multimedia electronic imaging. The Imaging Processing Division consists of 50 researchers conducting approximately 20 research projects and is active in various multimedia application fields ranging from ultra-low data rate video for mobile services to digital cinema, HDTV, 3D TV, immersive tele-presence, VOD (Video-On-Demand), and interactive applications for broadcast transmission, as well as high-quality coding and processing for mobile and fixed IPTV.