The Architecture of Tool server in MPEG-21

This paper presents the role and its function of Tool server. MPEG-21 means multimedia framework for delivery and consumption of multimedia which is being discussed in ISO/IEC 21000. A view of MPEC-21 aims to define multimedia framework to enable transparent use of multimedia resource across a wide range of networks and devices used by different communities. MPEG-21 will enable all-electronic creation delivery and trade of digital multimedia content and transparent usage of various content types on network device. Therefore, we can provide access to information and services from almost anywhere at anytime with various terminals and networks. In order to support multimedia delivery chain that contains content creation, production, delivery and consumption, we need many standards(elements) for identify, describe, manage and protect the content. Thus, we define Digital Item Player(DIP), Digital Item Adaptation(DIA) server and Tool server as primary objects of MPEG-21 multimedia framework. DIP provides a function which creates and consumes Digital Item(DI) as a kind of a digital object by user. A DI contains both media resources and metadata including rights information. DIA server deals with the usage environment description schema of the user characteristics, terminal and network characteristics and natural environments. DIA server adapts the original DI to the usage environment description sent from the terminal and transmits the adapted DI to the terminal. Tool server searches for a tool requested from DIP or DIA and downloads the best tool to DIP or DIA server. In this paper, we present how Tool sewer is organized and is used among 2 primary objects. The paper is structured as followings: Section 1 briefly describes why MPEG-21 is needed and what MPEG-21 wants. We see requirement that tool server must equip functionally in section 2. The proposed tool server,its structure and its functionality are presented in section 3. Section 4 explains a scenario that tool server transmits tool to DIP and shows the experimental result. The paper concludes in section 5.