CpSc 863 (Section 1): Multimedia Systems and Applications
Spring 2015, Syllabus

General Information:

Prerequisites:

• Any programming language.
• Knowledge in Computer Network and Operating System.

Objective:

Topics to cover:

• Fundamentals of multimedia, including media and data streams, sound/audio, image, graphics, video and animation.
• Topics in data compression including coding requirements, source, entropy, and hybrid coding, JPEG, H.261/264, MPEG, MP3 and etc.
• Multimedia operating system issues such as real-time scheduling, resource management, file and storage systems, and Multimedia networking.
• Multimedia presentation requirements, reference model, and synchronization techniques.
• Multimedia database issues such as data organization, indexing and retrieval.
• Multimedia applications including digital libraries, system software, toolkits, and video/audio/graphics conferencing.

Tentative Schedule:

• Introduction (2 hours)
• Multimedia Compression (6 hours)
• Multimedia Network Fundamentals and Protocols (4 hours)
• Multimedia OS design and implementation (2 hours)
• Multimedia File and Storage Systems (2 hours)
• Multimedia Presentation and Synchronization Technologies (2 hours)
• Multimedia Databases and Information Retrieval (4 hours)
• Advanced research issues (18 hours)

Attendance Policy:

• It is very important to attend the class since the lecture contents are drawn from various sources.
• Failure to attend the course most likely leads to missing some information that won’t show in lecture notes or reference books.
• Tardy will be punished by penalty in grade (1 point off the final grade for each tardy).
• Students can leave if the instructor does not show up by 9:45 AM.

Project Policy:

• The instructor will provide a list of multimedia projects for students to choose from. The students should form teams of 2 persons by their own choice. Any student who fails to find a teammate should contact the instructor in the first two weeks of the semester to avoid any delay in the project. Each team can choose one project from those provided by the instructor to work on. A team can also work on a project they propose upon the approval of the instructor.
• Each team must finish the project independently. Any form of cheating will result in a grade F in the course for anybody involved.
• Projects must be submitted before the due date. Late submission will not be accepted unless being approved by instructor.

Evaluation:

• Test #1 (25%): Cover the contents studied in the first half of the semester.
• Test #2 (25%): Cover the contents studied in the second half of the semester.
• Project (50%): Project requirements will be given in the project description.
• Penalty Points (-10%): Students are required to attend the class. The instructor may penalize those who fail to attend the class without instructor’s approval.

Grading Scale:

Primary References:

1. ACM Multimedia Conference Proceedings
2. Fundamentals of Multimedia, Ze-Nian Li, and Mark S. Drew, Pearson Prentice Hall, October 2003.
3. Latest publications in multimedia related conferences and journals.

Academic Integrity:

“As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of this institution as a “high seminary of learning.” Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form. In instances where academic standards may have been compromised, Clemson University has a responsibility to respond appropriately and expeditiously to charges of violations of academic integrity.”

“When, in the opinion of a faculty member, there is evidence that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall make a formal written charge of academic dishonesty, including a description of the misconduct, to the Associate Dean for Curriculum in the Office of Undergraduate Studies. At the same time, the faculty member may, but is not required to, inform each involved student privately of the nature of the alleged charge.”