ISO/IEC TR 21000-1:2001

TECHNICAL ISO/IEC
REPORT TR
21000-1
First edition
2001-12-15
Information technology — Multimedia
framework (MPEG-21) —
Part 1:
Vision, Technologies and Strategy
Technologies de l'information — Cadre multimédia (MPEG-21) —
Partie 1: Vision, Technologies et Stratégie

Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2001
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ii © ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword.iv
Executive Summary.v
Introduction.vi
1 Scope.1
2 Terms and Definitions.1
3 Symbols and abbreviated terms .2
4 Structure of the Technical Report.5
4.1 Problem Statement.5
4.2 Solution Statement.6
4.3 Vision Statement and Goals .6
4.4 Normative Implications.6
4.5 Conformance.7
4.6 Description of a Multimedia Framework Architecture.7
4.7 Activities Related to the Multimedia Framework.9
5 User Requirements.9
5.1 Users.9
5.2 User Model.10
5.3 User Requirements.11
6 Elements in the Framework.13
6.1 Digital Item Declaration.13
6.2 Digital Item Identification and Description.15
6.3 Content Handling and Usage .18
6.4 Intellectual Property Management and Protection.21
6.5 Terminals and Networks .23
6.6 Content Representation.27
6.7 Event Reporting.29
7 Proposals and Recommendations.33
7.1 Digital Item Declaration.33
7.2 Digital Item Identification and Description.33
7.3 Content Handling and Usage .34
7.4 Intellectual Property Management and Protection.35
7.5 Terminals and Networks .35
7.6 Content Representation.35
7.7 Event Reporting.35
Annex A  List of Activities Related to the Multimedia Framework .36
Annex B  Example of a Generic Description of a Model for Content Delivery and Rights Management .43
Annex C  Table of Key Issues for User Interoperability .47
Annex D  An Example of an Approach to Cross-Domain Management and Protection of Intellectual
Property .55
Annex E  Example Use Case Scenarios.58
Bibliography.63

© ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission)
form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC
participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the
respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical committees
collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have
established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as an International
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
In exceptional circumstances, the joint technical committee may propose the publication of a Technical Report of
one of the following types:
— type 1, when the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of an International Standard, despite
repeated efforts;
— type 2, when the subject is still under technical development or where for any other reason there is the future
but not immediate possibility of an agreement on an International Standard;
— type 3, when the joint technical committee has collected data of a different kind from that which is normally
published as an International Standard (“state of the art”, for example).
Technical Reports of types 1 and 2 are subject to review within three years of publication, to decide whether they
can be transformed into International Standards. Technical Reports of type 3 do not necessarily have to be
reviewed until the data they provide are considered to be no longer valid or useful.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this part of ISO/IEC TR 21000 may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC TR 21000-1, which is a Technical Report of type 3, was prepared by Joint Technical Committee
ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee SC 29, Coding of audio, picture, multimedia and
hypermedia information.
ISO/IEC TR 21000 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information technology — Multimedia
framework (MPEG-21):
 Part 1: Vision, Technologies and Strategy
 Part 2: Digital Item Declaration
 Part 3: Digital Item Identification and Description
 Part 4: Intellectual Property Management and Protection
 Part 5: Rights Expression Language
 Part 6: Rights Data Dictionary
Further parts may be added.
iv © ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved

Executive Summary
Today, many elements exist to build an infrastructure for the delivery and consumption of multimedia content.
There is, however, no 'big picture' to describe how these elements, either in existence or under development, relate
to each other. The aim for MPEG-21 is to describe how these various elements fit together. Where gaps exist,
MPEG-21 will recommend which new standards are required. ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 11 (MPEG) will then
develop new standards as appropriate while other relevant standards may be developed by other bodies. These
specifications will be integrated into the multimedia framework through collaboration between MPEG and these
bodies.
The result is an open framework for multimedia delivery and consumption for use by all the players in the delivery
and consumption chain. This open framework thus provides content creators and service providers with equal
opportunities in the MPEG-21 enabled open market. This will also be to the benefit of the content consumer
providing them access to a large variety of content in an interoperable manner.
The vision for MPEG-21 is to define a multimedia framework to enable transparent and augmented use of
multimedia resources across a wide range of networks and devices used by different communities.
Part 1 of MPEG-21 (ISO/IEC TR 21000-1):
1. Provides a vision for a multimedia framework to enable transparent and augmented use of multimedia
resources across a wide range of networks and devices to meet the needs of all Users ;
2. Facilitates the integration of components and standards in order to harmonise technologies for the creation,
management, manipulation, transport, distribution and consumption of content;
3. Provides a strategy for achieving a multimedia framework by the development of specifications and standards
based on well-defined functional requirement through collaboration with other bodies.

A User is any entity that interacts in the MPEG-21 environment or makes use of a Digital Item (all capitalised terms are used
as defined in Clause 2).
© ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved v

Introduction
Currently, multimedia technology provides the different players in the multimedia value and delivery chain (from
content creators to end-users) with an excess of information and services. Access to information and services from
almost anywhere at anytime can be provided with ubiquitous terminals and networks. However, no complete
solutions exist that allow different communities, each with their own models, rules, procedures, interests and
content formats, to interact efficiently using this complex infrastructure. Examples of these communities are the
content, financial, communication, computer and consumer electronics sectors and their customers. Developing a
common multimedia framework will facilitate co-operation between these sectors and support a more efficient
implementation and integration of the different models, rules, procedures, interests and content formats. This will
enable an enhanced user experience.
The multimedia content delivery chain encompasses content creation, production, delivery and consumption. To
support this, the content has to be identified, described, managed and protected. The transport and delivery of
content will occur over a heterogeneous set of terminals and networks within which events will occur and require
reporting. Such reporting will include reliable delivery, the management of personal data and preferences taking
user privacy into account and the management of (financial) transactions.
The MPEG-21 multimedia framework identifies and defines the key elements needed to support the multimedia
delivery chain as described above, the relationships between and the operations supported by them. Within the
parts of MPEG-21, MPEG will elaborate the elements by defining the syntax and semantics of their characteristics,
such as interfaces to the elements. MPEG-21 will also address the necessary framework functionality, such as the
protocols associated with the interfaces, and mechanisms to provide a repository, composition, conformance, etc.
The seven key elements defined in this document are:
1. Digital Item Declaration (a uniform and flexible abstraction and interoperable schema for declaring Digital
Items);
2. Digital Item Identification and Description (a framework for identification and description of any entity
regardless of its nature, type or granularity);
3. Content Handling and Usage (provide interfaces and protocols that enable creation, manipulation, search,
access, storage, delivery, and (re)use of content across the content distribution and consumption value chain);
4. Intellectual Property Management and Protection (the means to enable Digital Items and their rights to be
persistently and reliably managed and protected across a wide range of networks and devices);
5. Terminals and Networks (the ability to provide interoperable and transparent access to content across
networks and terminals);
6. Content Representation (how the media resources are represented);
7. Event Reporting (the metrics and interfaces that enable Users to understand precisely the performance of all
reportable events within the framework).
MPEG-21 recommendations will be determined by interoperability requirements, and their level of detail may vary
for each framework element. The actual instantiation and implementation of the framework elements below the
abstraction level required to achieve interoperability, will not be specified.

vi © ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved

TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/IEC TR 21000-1:2001(E)

Information technology — Multimedia framework (MPEG-21) —
Part 1:
Vision, Technologies and Strategy
1 Scope
This Technical Report has been prepared within ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 11 to introduce the MPEG-21
Multimedia Framework. It identifies the requirements that need to be met to achieve the definition of this
framework. It is proposed that this will be achieved through a combination of WG 11’s efforts to standardise the
parts of the multimedia framework where it has the appropriate expertise, and the integration with standards
initiatives which are being developed by other bodies. It is expected that this collaborative approach to
standardisation linked with a common vision will maximise harmonisation of efforts and enable effective standards
solutions to be implemented in the shortest possible time.
The Technical Report is introduced by a problem statement and a solution statement. The problem statement
describes a multimedia usage environment founded upon ubiquitous networks that is encouraging new business
models for trading digital content. In this environment, the distinction between content types is less clear as their
integration as multimedia resources in new products and services makes the traditional boundaries less distinct. In
addition, individuals are becoming increasingly aware of the value, both commercial and intrinsic, of their own
digital asset resources and new possibilities presented by the tools which enable them to create and collect,
package and distribute content. The solution statement introduces the vision of the multimedia framework to
support transactions that are interoperable and highly automated, which is required to support these new types of
commerce.
Seven architectural elements are identified as key to the multimedia framework as previously described in the
Scope of the Technical Report. In addition, the user requirements within a multimedia framework are described
separately as they impact upon each of the seven architectural elements.
In creating its definition of a multimedia framework and in making its proposals and recommendations for further
standardisation, it is necessary for MPEG-21 to take account of other related multimedia activities. The Technical
Report identifies other multimedia initiatives that are currently in progress that should be considered as candidates
for future interaction and collaboration with the standards work plan agreed by MPEG-21.
2 Terms and Definitions
For the purposes of this Technical Report, the following terms and definitions apply:
2.1 Anchor
An Anchor associates Descriptors with a fragment of a media resource and provides an externally identifiable
target for links from a location within a media resource.

2.2 Container
A potentially hierarchical structure that allows Digital Items to be grouped.

2.3 Digital Item
A Digital Item is a structured digital object with a standard representation, identification and meta-data within
the MPEG-21 framework. This entity is also the fundamental unit of distribution and transaction within this
framework.
© ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved 1

2.4 End User
A User taking the role of consumer, i.e. being at the end of a value or delivery chain (a human consumer, an
agent operating on behalf of a human consumer, etc.). Note: “User” refers to all participants in the value or
delivery chain.
2.5 Privacy
Privacy is the ability of a User to control access to that particular User’s private information.

2.6 Resource
A resource is an individually identifiable asset such as a video or audio clip, an image, or a textual asset. A
resource may also potentially be a physical object.

2.7 Trust
Is synonymous with predictability, e.g. a trusted device is one which exhibits predictable behaviour.

2.8 User
User of a system. This includes all members of the value chain (e.g., creator, rights holders, distributors and
consumers of Digital Items).
3 Symbols and abbreviated terms
3.1 API
Application Program Interface
3.2 ATSC
Advanced Television Systems Committee

3.3 CATV
Community Aerial Television
3.4 CD
Compact Disc
3.5 CPU
Central Processing Unit
3.6 DAI
DMIF Application Interface
3.7 DASE
DTV Applications Software Environment

3.8 DMIF
Multimedia Integration Framework

3.9 DSL
Digital Subscriber Line
3.10 DTV
Digital TV
2 © ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved

3.11 DVB
Digital Video Broadcasting
3.12 EPG
Electronic Programme Guide
3.13 GIF
Graphics Interchange Format
3.14 GPRS
Generalised Packetised Radio System

3.15 HTML
Hypertext Mark-up Language
3.16 HW
HardWare
3.17 ID
IDentifier
3.18 IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

3.19 I/O
Input/Output
3.20 IPMP
Intellectual Property Management and Protection

3.21 ITU
International Telecommunication Union

3.22 JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group

3.23 JPG
JPEG file extension
3.24 LMDS
Local Multipoint Distribution Systems

3.25 MHP
Multimedia Home Platform
3.26 MIDI
Musical Industry Digital Interface

© ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved 3

3.27 MMDS
Microwave Multipoint Distribution System

3.28 MPEG
Motion Picture Expert Group
3.29 MSF
Multiservice Switching Forum
3.30 NPI
Network Program Interface
3.31 PC
Personal Computer
3.32 PDF
Portable Document Format
3.33 PNG
Portable Network Graphics
3.34 QoS
Quality of Service
3.35 SGML
Standard Generalized Markup Language

3.36 SW
SoftWare
3.37 TR
Technical Report
3.38 TV
TeleVision
3.39 UI
User Interface
3.40 UMTS
Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems

3.41 VRML
Virtual Reality Modeling Language

3.42 XML
eXtensible Markup Language
4 © ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved

4 Structure of the Technical Report
The Technical Report first sets out the User requirements in the multimedia framework. A User is any entity that
interacts in the MPEG-21 environment or makes use of a Digital Item. Such Users include individuals, consumers,
communities, organisations, corporations, consortia, governments and other standards bodies and initiatives
around the world. Users are identified specifically by their relationship to another User for a certain interaction.
From a purely technical perspective, MPEG-21 makes no distinction between a “content provider” and a
“consumer”—both are Users. A single entity may use content in many ways (publish, deliver, consume, etc.), and
so all parties interacting within MPEG-21 are categorised as Users equally. However, a User may assume specific
or even unique rights and responsibilities according to their interaction with other Users within MPEG-21. These
requirements are defined and further described in Clause 5.
Clause 6 of the Technical Report elaborates the seven elements in the framework identified in the TR structure
description above. For each element, an overview of the current situation is given. Subsequently, the existing
shortcomings, problems and issues associated with each element are identified. Finally, the opportunities for
innovation and standardisation are highlighted.
Clause 7 of the Technical Report sets out the proposals and recommendations for the future work plan to
standardise components of the architecture to support a multimedia framework. Although these proposals and
recommendations are organised within the context of each of the elements of the framework described earlier in
the report, it makes no assumption that any future standards development should be organised in this way. Indeed,
there is sufficient convergence between some of the areas recommended for standardisation that it may be
appropriate to either combine or subdivide the work on another basis. This may also be influenced by the
standardisation work currently in progress by other bodies, where organisation of tasks should take account of
components which may already be under development. Finally, MPEG recognises that the vision of the multimedia
framework can only be realised with the co-operation from, and in collaboration with, other standards bodies and
organisations which possess skills that may not typically be found amongst the MPEG community of participants.
4.1 Problem Statement
End Users’ appetite for content and the accessibility of information is increasing at an incredible pace. Access
devices, with a myriad set of differing terminal and network capabilities, are making their way into End Users’ lives.
Additionally, these access devices are used in different locations and environments. Users, however, are currently
not given tools to deal efficiently with all the intricacies of this new multimedia usage context.
Enabling “ease of use” for Users is becoming increasingly important as individuals are producing more and more
digital media for their personal use and for sharing among family and friends (as is evidenced by the large number
of amateur music, photo and media sharing web sites). These “content providers” have many of the same concerns
as commercial content providers .
Such developments rewrite existing business models for trading physical goods with new models for distributing
and trading digital content electronically. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate the different
intellectual property rights that are associated with multimedia content from the content itself. The boundaries
between the delivery of audio sound (music and spoken word), accompanying artwork (graphics), text (lyrics),
video (visual) and synthetic spaces will become increasingly blurred. New solutions are required to manage the
delivery process of these different content types in an integrated and harmonised way, entirely transparent to the
User of multimedia services.
Today, many elements exist to build an infrastructure for the delivery and consumption of multimedia content.
There is, however, no 'big picture' to describe how these elements, either in existence or under development, relate
to each other. The aim for MPEG-21 is to describe how these various elements fit together. Where gaps exist,
MPEG-21 will recommend which new standards are required. MPEG will then develop new standards as

Management of content, re-purposing content based on consumer/device capabilities, protection of rights,
protection from unauthorised access/modification, protection of privacy of providers and consumers, etc.

© ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved 5

appropriate while other relevant standards may be developed by other bodies. These specifications will be
integrated into the multimedia framework through collaboration between MPEG and these bodies.
The result is an open framework for multimedia delivery and consumption, with both the content creator and
content consumer as focal points. This open framework provides content creators and service providers with equal
opportunities in the MPEG-21 enabled open market. This will also be to the benefit of the content consumer
providing them access to a large variety of content in an interoperable manner.
4.2 Solution Statement
A multimedia framework is required to support this new type of multimedia usage. Such a framework requires that a
shared vision, or roadmap, is understood by its architects, to ensure that the systems that deliver multimedia
content are interoperable and that transactions are simplified and, if possible, automated. This should apply to the
infrastructure requirements for content delivery, content security, rights management, secure payment, and the
technologies enabling them – and this list is not exhaustive.
The scope of MPEG-21 could therefore be described as the integration of the critical technologies enabling
transparent and augmented use of multimedia resources across a wide range of networks and devices to support
functions such as: content creation, content production, content distribution, content consumption and usage,
content packaging, intellectual property management and protection, content identification and description,
financial management, user privacy, terminals and network resource abstraction, content representation and event
reporting
From its background in key technology and information management standards related to the management,
delivery and representation of multimedia content, MPEG is well positioned to initiate such an activity. However, it
is recognised that the integration of such disparate technologies can only be achieved by working in collaboration
with other bodies.
4.3 Vision Statement and Goals
MPEG-21 takes the following statement to describe its vision: To enable transparent and augmented use of
multimedia resources across a wide range of networks and devices.
Its goal is to create an interoperable multimedia framework by:
4.3.1 Understanding how the components of the framework are related and identifying where gaps in the
framework exist;
4.3.2 Developing new specifications which allow:
4.3.2.1 access, (re)use of and interaction with multimedia objects across networks and/or capable
devices,
4.3.2.2 the implementation of multiple business models including those requiring the automated
management of rights and payments transactions throughout the value chain, and
4.3.2.3 the privacy of Users to be respected; and
4.3.3 Achieving the integration of components and standards to facilitate harmonisation of technologies for
the creation, management, transport, manipulation, distribution, and consumption of digital items.
4.4 Normative Implications
The multimedia framework will be developed through a combination of MPEG’s efforts to standardise the parts of
the multimedia framework where it has the appropriate expertise, and the integration with other multimedia
initiatives which are being developed by other bodies. MPEG will hence contribute to the definition of the framework
by developing new MPEG standards or by developing interfaces for other existing or future standards and services
to provide the required interoperability or architectural elements.
6 © ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved

MPEG-21’s normative recommendations will be determined by interoperability requirements, and their level of
detail may vary for each framework element. The actual instantiation and implementation of the framework
elements below the abstraction level required to achieve interoperability, will not be specified.
4.5 Conformance
Conformance is an essential element of each MPEG standard. However, within this scope of this Technical Report,
no conformance criteria are given. It is understood that some subsequent part(s) of MPEG-21 will contain such
criteria. It is expected that conformance to each individual architectural element will be possible.
4.6 Description of a Multimedia Framework Architecture
To define where standards are required in a multimedia framework which is capable of supporting the delivery of
digital content, it is necessary first to reach a shared understanding about common concepts. This presents a
difficulty, as there are many examples of different architectures that evolve in response to a variety of models for
the use of content. In order to avoid giving undue preference to one model above another, it is proposed to
describe the multimedia framework as a generic architecture of conceptual design. Such a broad and high-level
approach will allow for more specific use cases to be elaborated, which can be mapped back against the generic
architecture as the work continues.
The intent is to maintain an MPEG-21 Use Case Scenario document in conjunction with the Technical Report to
provide examples of potential MPEG-21 applications.
The functionalities of such a Multimedia Framework Architecture, as described above, have been grouped by
MPEG-21 into seven architectural elements. They are:
1. Digital Item Declaration
2. Digital Item Identification and Description
3. Content Handling and Usage
4. Intellectual Property Management and Protection
5. Terminals and Networks
6. Content Representation
7. Event Reporting
Even though some overlap exists between these elements, it is considered that a sufficient distinction can be made
for the purposes of standardisation.
4.6.1 Digital Item Declaration
MPEG-21 shall establish a uniform and flexible abstraction and interoperable schema for declaring Digital Items.
4.6.2 Digital Item Identification and Description
MPEG-21 shall design a method for identification and description that is interoperable to provide, provide for,
support, adopt, reference or integrate for:
4.6.2.1 Accuracy, reliability and uniqueness of identification;
4.6.2.2 Seamless Identification of any entity regardless of its nature, type or granularity;

As defined in clause 2.
© ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved 7

4.6.2.3 Persistent and efficient methods for the association of identifiers with Digital Items;
4.6.2.4 Security and integrity of IDs and descriptions which will survive all kinds of manipulations and
alterations; and
4.6.2.5 Automated processing of rights transactions and content location, retrieval and acquisition.
4.6.3 Content Handling and Usage
The MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework should provide interfaces and protocols that enable creation, manipulation,
search, access, storage, delivery, and (re)use of content (which can be any media data and descriptive data)
across the content distribution and consumption value chain; with emphasis on improving the interaction model for
users with personalisation and content handling. The above should be supported both when the End User is
performing the above functions and when the functions are delegated to "non human entities" (such as “agents”). In
this context, content handling should not be understood as managing the rights of the content.
4.6.4 Intellectual Property Management & Protection
The MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework should provide a multimedia digital rights management framework that
enables all Users to express their rights to, interests in, and agreements related to Digital Items and enable all
Users to derive appropriate levels of assurance that those rights, interests and agreements will be persistently and
reliably managed and protected across a wide range of networks and devices.
One possible approach to the issue of cross-domain management and protection of intellectual property is detailed
in Annex D.
4.6.5 Terminals and Networks
The goal is to achieve interoperable transparent access to (distributed) advanced multimedia content by shielding
Users from network and terminal installation, management and implementation issues.
This will enable the provision of network and terminal resources on demand to form User communities where
multimedia content can be created and shared, always with the agreed/contracted quality, reliability and flexibility,
allowing the multimedia applications to connect diverse sets of Users, such that the quality of the user experience
will be guaranteed.
This implies that as a minimum:
4.6.5.1 Networks should provide content transport functions according to a Quality of Service (QoS) contract
established between the user and the network;
4.6.5.2 Terminals and networks should provide scalable execution functions as requested by content; and
4.6.5.3 Access to network and terminal resources will happen through standard interfaces.
4.6.6 Content Representation
MPEG-21 shall provide content representation technology able to efficiently represent content of all data types with
the following features:
4.6.6.1 The ability to match the QoS offered by terminals and networks in an optimal way, especially for real-
time media such as video and audio, e.g. by providing scalability and error resilience; and
4.6.6.2 The ability to be synchronised and multiplexed and allow for interaction.

which, in MPEG-21, is defined to include legislative bodies and regulatory agencies, see Subclause 5.1.
8 © ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved

4.6.7 Event Reporting
MPEG-21 should provide metrics and interfaces that enable Users to understand precisely the performance of all
reportable events (such as transactions) within the framework. Such “Event Reporting” then provides Users a
means of acting on specific interactions, as well as enabling a vast set of out-of-scope processes, frameworks and
models to interoperate with MPEG-21. Event Reporting creates a standardised set of metrics and interfaces with
which to describe the temporally unique events and interactions within MPEG-21.
4.7 Activities Related to the Multimedia Framework
In creating its definition of a multimedia framework and making its proposals and recommendations for further
standardisation, it is necessary for MPEG to take other related multimedia activities into account. MPEG will seek
collaboration (e.g. through liaisons) with relevant initiatives to expedite the work.
This Technical Report identifies some other multimedia initiatives that could be considered as potential building
blocks or candidates for future interaction and collaboration with the standards work plan agreed by MPEG. A non-
exhaustive list of these is given in Annex A. The monitoring and updating of these activities is intended to be a
continuous MPEG activity. During its previous standards developments, MPEG has always recognised the
importance of establishing liaisons with other bodies and organisations with which it shares complementary or
common objectives. These liaisons have provided a useful channel for communicating between the parties to
ensure that any overlap between concurrent standards activities is minimised and that, where necessary, common
technology can be shared.
The broad scope of the task of defining a multimedia framework presents new challenges and opportunities for
collaboration between those initiating standards activities in this area. The value of an integrated framework for the
management and delivery of multimedia content is considerable and is attracting the interest and enthusiasm of
major standards bodies. Overlap between standardisation activities is almost inevitable and demands a
consultative approach between those standards bodies which are prepared to meet the challenge to avoid
duplication of effort and to maximise interoperability.
Within this Technical Report MPEG is describing a vision of a multimedia framework in order to pinpoint the
components of the framework which require further standardisation. However, it makes no assumption that MPEG
will undertake the task of actually standardising all of the identified components. Rather, MPEG would like to co-
ordinate its work with other standards bodies to ensure that it can concentrate on those areas which are best suited
to and compatible with the mandate of MPEG. It is expected that a high level of practical integration with other
standards bodies will be necessary in order to complete some standardisation tasks successfully. With this in mind,
this Technical Report has identified some initiatives (and welcomes approaches from other initiatives) which have
ambitions to address aspects of the multimedia framework, and with which MPEG would like to co-ordinate its own
efforts (Annex A).
5 User Requirements
5.1 Users
A User is any entity that interacts in the MPEG-21 environment or makes use of a Digital Item. Such Users include
individuals, consumers, communities, organisations, corporations, consortia, governments and other standards
bodies and initiatives around the world.
Users are identified specifically by their relationship to another User for a certain interaction (Figure 1). From a
purely technical perspective, MPEG-21 makes no distinction between a “content provider” and a “consumer”—both
are Users. A single entity may use content in many ways (publish, deliver, consume, etc.), and so all parties
interacting within MPEG-21 are categorised as Users equally. However, a User may assume specific or even
unique rights and responsibilities according to their interaction with other Users within MPEG-21.

© ISO/IEC 2001 – All rights reserved 9

Transaction/Use/Relationship
Digital Item
User A User B
Authorisation/Value Exchange
Figure 1: Users are defined by their role in a specific transaction
Examples that illustrate the possible roles of Users in MPEG-21 are included in in Annex E.
At its most basic level, MPEG-21 provides a framework in which one User interacts with another User and the
object of that interaction is a Digital Item commonly called content. Some such interactions are creating content,
providing content, archiving content, rating content, enhancing and delivering content, aggregating content,
delivering content, syndicating content, retail selling of content, consuming content, subscribing to content,
regulating content, facilitating transactions that occur from any of the above, and regulating transactions that occur
from any of the above.
Any of these are “uses” of MPEG-21, and the parties involved are Users.
5.2 User Model
Moreover, this interaction between Users using Digital Items may be described further by seven core qualifiers
(Figure 2):
1. Digital Item Declaration (what is the structure of the fundamental unit of distribution and transaction?);
2. Digital Item Identification & Description (what content actually has been delivered?);
3. Content Handling and Usage (how is the content used and how is it delivered?);
4. Intellectual Property Management & Protection (how are rights controlled in respect of each User?);
5. Networks & Terminals (is the content delivered over a cable line or cell phone?);
6. Content Representation (is it natural or synthetic content, how does the content scale?);
7. Event Reporting (what reportable event has happened and how is it described?)”.

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Examples:
Digital Item
• Unique Identifiers
Declaration
• Content Description
Examples: Digital Item
Examples:
• “Container” Identification and
• Storage Management
• “Item” Description
• Content Personalisation
Content Handling
and Usage
Transaction/Use/Relationship
Digital Item
User A User B
Authorisation/Value Exchange
Intellectual Property
Management and
Protection
Examples:
Terminals and
• Resource Abstraction
Networks
• Resource Mgt. (QoS)
Examples:
• Usage Permis
...