The Interactive MPEG-2 Forum Will Begin Interoperability Testing

Members of the Interactive MPEG-2 Forum (IM2F) agreed to begin interoperability testing of their products at the MPEG-2 Interoperability Laboratory on the University of Akronís campus. The group formally announced its formation at TeleCon West in Anaheim, California in November 1999. Thirty MPEG-2 vendors have met bi-monthly since then to create test procedures and a subset of standards that will ensure interoperability among their products. These vendors established the IM2F to hasten the implementation of interactive, broadcast-quality video communications. Tom Bennett, Director of Audio-Visual Services at University of Akron, agreed to chair the IM2F activities in a quest to remove a major roadblock to universal acceptance of high-quality, MPEG-2 video. ""With the cost of bandwidth steadily decreasing and public acceptance of distance learning on the rise, the university community eagerly awaits elimination of the final constraint - the standardization of high-end videoconferencing products."" Technical representatives from each of the participating companies have agreed to begin the testing efforts August 1, 2000 and proceed during the next three months. The goal of the IM2F is to sign a written agreement of standards by June 1, 2000. ""Internet2 and its members have long deployed high-quality MPEG-2 videoconferencing at Internet2 national meetings, technical workshops and university showcases,"" said Ted Hanss, Director of Applications development for Internet2, a university-led consortium developing and deploying advanced network applications and technologies for research and education. ""Internet2 welcomes the work of the Interactive MPEG-2 Forum to promote developments such as interoperability that are crucial to the large-scale deployment of this advanced technology."" Source: DVDInsider.com