:: Objectives ::

i) Definition of the overall end-to-end system architecture, from the video production site to the final user terminal;

ii) Development of an annotation suite for creation of Rich Media content and for live broadcast; these tools will allow video producers to easily construct Rich Media content by:

     · defining moving objects in the video stream;
     · annotating those objects with additional content;
     · providing personalization information for both objects and content.

iii) Automatic processing and adaptation of content for delivery and display: the content previously created by the annotation tool will be automatically adapted to the delivery channel and user terminal, through coding and/or transcoding (both for video data and metadata), synchronization and signalling to ensure the on-time delivery of data;

iv) Content delivery via combined broadcast and broadband network: we will develop and integrate the tools to distribute Rich Media content through both standard broadcast networks (with DVB-T/-S fixed receivers) and wireless broadcast networks such as DVB-H and/or DMB/DxB.

v) Definition of the middleware for interactivity for portable terminals, considering both high-end and low-end receivers;

vi) Definition of interactive mobile broadcast services and realization of user tests: based on user requirements (both service consumers and service creators), PorTiVity will define a set of reference service scenarios to demonstrate the feasibility and attractiveness of the complete chain. These scenarios will serve as the basis for intermediate (with mock-ups) and final user tests (with the full prototype) and evaluation.