The Interactive Digital Multimedia Services domain in ACTS 1995-1998

Interactive Digital Multimedia Services is the largest domain of the European Union's ACTS programme (Advanced Communication Technology and Services). The work in the domain will have a strong impact on the daily lives of the citizens. The projects cover a substantial part of the converging broadcasting, telecommunications and information technology. ACTS will help the sector actors to maintain and develop further their competitive strength on the basis of pre-competitive, pre-normative and pre-regulatory co-operation. Users will gain an understanding of future services. An overview is presented of the 50 or so projects ordered according to the following topics: multimedia contents manipulation and management; presentation, interaction and storage; transmission media; interworking across different networks; support for commercial services; trials; and transition scenarios/economics.