CIS 751 -- Syllabus

CIS 751* Multimedia Computer Systems

Spring 2003

Instructor:	Dr. Lori L. Scarlatos
Time:	M 6:00-8:05pm
Location:	232 Ingersoll Extension
Office:	0317 Ingersoll
Office Hours:	M 4:50-5:50pm; W 11:00am-noon; or by appointment
Email:	lscarlat@its.brooklyn.cuny.edu
Web Page:	http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~lscarlat

Course Description

In-depth study of major issues and recent trends in multimedia. Multimedia systems architecture. Multimedia database systems, presentation systems,and conferencing systems. Multimedia file management and information models.Scheduling and synchronization. Data compression. Image analysis and content-basedretrieval. Distributed multimedia. Authoring. Quality of service and multimedia systems design. Applications of multimedia systems. Students will read, report on, and implement techniques and ideas described in the current multimedia research literature.

Prerequisite: One of the following Computer and Information Science courses: 741X (computer graphics), 704X (operating systems), 717.1X (database systems), 742.1X (computer architecture), 749X (networks), 752X (multimedia production)

Discussion

As a starred class, CIS 751 goes beyond being an introduction to basic concepts. Instead, this course shows how multimedia necessitates extensions to fundamental computer systems concepts. Multimedia researchers typically focus on one areaof the computing system – e.g.the operating system, network, graphical user interface, database – that is impacted by the requirements and constraints of multimedia. Therefore to obtain expertise in multimedia, one must first have a solid understanding of the basic computer system component that is being extended.

Topics will be addressed in two parts: first with an overview of the fundamental concepts; second with an examination of what additional requirements are imposedby multimedia, and how they are being addressed by the research community. To enhance the latter part of the discussion, each student will be asked toread and report on a current article on multimedia pertaining to an area thathe/she has prior experience with (via the prerequisites). Students will alsobe expected to work independently on a small part ofa multimedia system, again related to their prior experiences.

Textbooks

We will be using the following textbook for this course:

Crowcroft, Handley, and Wakeman, Internetworking Multimedia, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1999.

Course Requirements

Your grade will be based on the following.

Compression Program (10%)
Everyone will be asked to implement a simple RLE program. The program that encodes an image the fastest will get extra credit.
Research Paper Presentation (15%)
You will be asked to read a research paper from the current multimedia literature and present it to the class. I will assign this paper to you based on your past experience in computer science (i.e. the prerequisites that you have met).
Term Project (25%)
You are expected to implement a piece of the research described in the paper that you are assigned. I will work with you to develop a project description and scope of work that is both reasonable and sufficient. With this project, I expect to see
- A document describing what you have implemented, and how it relates to the paper you read.
- A working program that demonstrates some related concept.
Midterm Exam (25%)
The midterm exam will be held in class. In-class exams are closed book/notes, taken during class time. Cheatingwill not be tolerated. If you are caught cheating on an exam, you will automatically receive a 0 on it. If you miss an in-class exam, you will have to make it up with a grueling oral exam and provide a corroborating doctor's note.
Final Exam (25%)
The final exam will be take-home. This exam will be due on the last day; it may NOT be handed in late. You are expected to do your own work, and use your own words. Plageurism will not be tolerated.

Computer Facilities

Programming assignments may be done on the Sun workstations in the Atrium Computer Laboratory in the Plaza Building (1306). If you are registered for this class, you have been assigned a unix account. Go to the computer laboratory to activate your account.

Advice

Start your assignments early. That way if you have trouble, you can get help in time to finish your assignment by the due date. This will also help you to avoid a last-minute crunch in the lab.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. If you don't understand something,it's likely that your classmates don't understand it either. Raise questionsin class. If you need further explanation, come see me during office hours.If you can't make my office hours, send me email. Be sure to do this beforeyou get hopelessly lost.

If you still find that you're having trouble completing an assignmenton time, hand in what you have on the due date. Be sure to adequately comment any code to indicate what remains to be done, and what problems are being encountered. You may be asked to resubmit the completed work at a later time.

Work with other students. I do not mean that you should copy each other's work (which will not be tolerated). Rather, you should learn from one another. If you can't figure out how to make something work, see how your colleague did it. It is also useful to discuss different ways of approaching a problem.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you anticipate any problemswith this class. If alerted to them early on, I will make every efforttoaccommodate your needs.