Project HERMES

Finished Project

HERMES

Hyper-distribution of Media Services in mobile and broadcasting spheres

Project leaflet

Project Coordinator	Project Consortium
Linas Maknavicius Alcatel-Lucent France e-mail: Linas.Maknavicius (at) alcatel-lucent.fr	Alcatel-Lucent, FR	Activa Multimedia, ES
	Gemalto, FR	InOutTV, ES
	ENSMP, FR	Universitat Ramon Llull, ES
	Telefonica I+D, ES

This is a “Celtic” project;

Project Key Information
Start date	End date	Budget (total)	Effort (total)	Project-ID
Q4/2007	Q1/2010	9.4 MEuro	90.8 PY	CP4-015

Abstract

HERMES project proposes to explore, specify and experiment new enabling mechanisms for ubiquitous access to online audio/video content independent of the location it might be available from, and in combination with the next-generation converged IMS communication services (extended IP Multimedia Subsystem). Content should be made accessible to a mobile user anytime and everywhere (would it be streamed from a content provider server or stored at home PVR (Personal Video Recorder), at a networked repository or on friends’ devices), supported by trusting models for communication and exchange. This ‘un-materialization of services’ (i.e. abstracting A/V content from the means of accessing it) will be realized by multi-channel, multi-format A/V content and by direct producer-to-consumer (or consumer-to-consumer) distribution schemes, independent of the underlying communication means. HERMES project will also support a form of community services through a net of dynamically built interpersonal ties, allowing a novel ‘hyper-distribution’ schemes of personalized media.In fact, today we experience the advent of converged communications with the recently standardized IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). IMS defines a generic architecture for offering Voice over IP, Instant messaging and multimedia services seamlessly over wireless & wireline networks. The HERMES project will support ‘Dynamic Service Book’ (IMS-style interpersonal communication services extended by presence information and references to media resources a user wants to consume), content indexing/searching/mining, and universal client (i.e. multi-mode software programme on mobile device providing easy access to media irrespective of its location) for better accessibility and adaptation of content on-the-fly. Content here is meant to be music, video, games, pictures, text/news/messages, ringtones/wallpapers and applications, or any combination of these. Of course, when implementing mobile media sharing services, appropriate schemes for securing digital rights, flexible consumer-to-producer payments and privacy services should be devised. This would imply significant changes in Value Chain/ Business Models, which will be an important study area for HERMES.

Content delocalization also takes place in television broadcasting and PVR service area. PVR today is a comprehensive service, encompassing both a device and an EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), with advanced interaction and control functions. HERMES project will therefore endeavour to create a distributed PVR service (recording, sharing and consuming TV programmes from any location) capable of providing a seamless fixed-mobile experience when watching either live & recorded TV or personal/shared contents. Storage costs reduction facilitates this delocalisation, enabling virtually an unlimited remote storage space and content sharing.

Major innovation in the project is using and implementing an extended IMS architecture and advanced PVR services as enablers for finding, sharing (in a trusted and secured way) and consuming digital content, optimized content presentation/adaptation to the client, as well as novel smart-card capabilities for protected content management and privacy.

N.B. HERMES project results out of the merge of two initial and related Celtic PO proposals BUS and IMPULSE+.

Focus areas

Explore, specify and experiment new enabling mechanisms for ubiquitous access to online audio/video content independent from location.
Distributed PVR service (recording, sharing and consuming TV programmes from any location) capable of providing a seamless fixed-mobile experience when watching either live & recorded TV or personal/shared contents.

Expected outcome

Using and implementing an extended IMS architecture and advanced PVR services as enablers for finding, sharing and consuming digital content, to the client, as well as novel smart-card capabilities for protected content management and privacy.