Networked multimedia: the Medusa environment

The Medusa project at Olivetti Research aims to provide a networked multimedia environment in which many streams of multimedia data, perhaps thousands, are active simultaneously. Medusa uses a peer-to-peer architecture to control networked multimedia devices. In the software model presented to the applications programmer, active objects called modules represent cameras, displays, format converters, and so on. Data flows from module to module through connections between them, with proxy modules to restrict access for security reasons. The Medusa project is based on hardware that is a collection of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) direct peripherals, including cameras, audio systems, multimedia storage servers, LCD displays, and televisions, as well as ATM networked workstations.<>