Multimedia, Interfaces, and Graphics Seminar
(UC Berkeley Course CS 298-5)

This weekly seminar series includes speakers from UC Berkeley and elsewhere on advanced topics in multimedia, user interfaces, and graphics. The seminar has been webcast world-wide on the Internet since it was first offered in the Spring 1995 semester. You can watch the live webcast or replay a stored webcast. If you want to be added to the mailing list of people notified about upcoming seminars, send email to me (rowe at bmrc.berkeley.edu).

Early webcasts used the Internet Multicast Backbone (Mbone) and software developed at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories and UC Berkeley. The webcasts were captured by one camera and transmitted as two streams (i.e., audio and video) at a low bit rate (200 Kbs). We began simulcasting two webcasts (i.e., a low bit rate program on the Public Mbone and a 1 Mbs medium bit rate program on the Berkeley campus and selected experimental networks) in 1996. This experiment webcast continues today on Internet2.

The webcast changed to two video streams (i.e., speaker and content) in the Fall 1998 semester after we upgraded the studio classroom used for the production. We began simulcasting a multiple bit rate Real Networks webcast (i.e., 50 Kbs and 200 Kbs) in the Spring 1999 semester. And finally, the medium bit rate webcast was replaced by a new high bit rate TV-quality webcast described below in May 2001.

You can replay many of the lectures. Look for icons and links either on the web page with the schedule for the semester or on the web page with details about the seminar. There are many ways you can replay the lectures:

The replay icons are also on the page with the "Watch Seminar" tab.

The Spring 2001 seminar included three simulcasts: 1) low bit rate Mbone, 2) medium bit rate Mbone, and 3) multiple bit rate Real Networks (e.g., 350Kbs/200Kbs/50Kbs). The low bit rate Mbone webcast was transmitted world-wide on the Public Mbone. The medium bit rate webcast was transmitted on Internet2 using the new multicast addressing allocation worked out by the IETF. sdr announcements are generated for both sessions. You can connect to the Real Networks or Mbone webcasts at the seminar web page.

The last lecture of the Spring 2001 semester included an experiment using a new high bit rate production TV quality multicast webcast using the RTPtv tools. This webcast has not yet been archived for replay.

The Fall 2002 seminar will include some new technology. We will be simulcasting the seminar using an Ncast Telepresenter which will produce an MPEG1 stream and using the RTPtv technology discussed above. We will also continue to produce the multiple stream Mbone webcast and the single stream Real Networks webcast. We have some other surprises planned for the early webcasts - so tune in to see them. The following webpage has information on connecting to the webcast.

More details about the seminar, including the speakers and topics covered, are available on the course pages listed below. Selected seminars are available for on-demand replay.

The MIG Seminar has also been a testbed for research Internet Webcasting. Several seminars cover this research:

L.A. Rowe, "The MIG Seminar and Internet Broadcasting,"
Archived MIG Seminar, Berkeley Multimedia Research Center, August 1999.
L.A. Rowe, "The Future of Interactive Television,"
Archived MIG Seminar, Berkeley Multimedia Research Center, August 2000.
Many papers have been written that describe the research. These papers are available on the BMRC Research Publications Pages.
For further information contact Larry Rowe