The purpose of this thesis is to present an attractive service for the third generation mobile network that includes streaming video. A prototype application for this service is to be built. The technique behind streaming video is to be presented so that it comes clear what kind of problems and solutions that are associated with streaming. Finally, a platform for streaming video is to be tested and evaluated through different channels. The attractive service presented in this thesis is MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service. Today's popular SMS is evolving beyond text to multimedia. Multimedia will be part of the next generation messaging service called MMS, which will, in an advanced shape, include streaming video. MMS is expected to be a successful service for the next generation?s cell phones. The WAP Forum and the 3GPP industry groups are responsible for standardizing MMS. The standard defines an MMS architecture, which has a number of key elements that interact with each other. The prototype application that was built is called mVideo Messaging and is an MMS that is built on the basis of the MMS standard. The kernel of the prototype is a platform from PacketVideo that makes it possible to stream video over wireless networks. Theories and tests makes it clear that the parameters affecting the video quality can be found at the source/target while coding and compressing, as well as at the streaming-channel. At the channel there are above all three network problems - packet loss, end-to-end delay and delay jitter. To deal with these matters, new protocols have been developed. At the source/target it is important use an efficient compression scheme. MPEG-4 is a new compression scheme that suits very well for streaming video through wireless channels. MPEG- 4 make use of scalability, is object oriented, and is optimized for streaming between 9,6 kbps and 4 Mbps. The service proposed in this thesis as a future service for 3G is practicable. It is also shown that the service can be built using the technology of today.

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to present an attractive service for the third generation mobile network that includes streaming video. A prototype application for this service is to be built. The technique behind streaming video is to be presented so that it comes clear what kind of problems and solutions that are associated with streaming. Finally, a platform for streaming video is to be tested and evaluated through different channels. </p><p>The attractive service presented in this thesis is MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service. Today's popular SMS is evolving beyond text to multimedia. Multimedia will be part of the next generation messaging service called MMS, which will, in an advanced shape, include streaming video. MMS is expected to be a successful service for the next generation?s cell phones. </p><p>The WAP Forum and the 3GPP industry groups are responsible for standardizing MMS. The standard defines an MMS architecture, which has a number of key elements that interact with each other. The prototype application that was built is called mVideo Messaging and is an MMS that is built on the basis of the MMS standard. The kernel of the prototype is a platform from PacketVideo that makes it possible to stream video over wireless networks. </p><p>Theories and tests makes it clear that the parameters affecting the video quality can be found at the source/target while coding and compressing, as well as at the streaming-channel. At the channel there are above all three network problems - packet loss, end-to-end delay and delay jitter. To deal with these matters, new protocols have been developed. At the source/target it is important use an efficient compression scheme. MPEG-4 is a new compression scheme that suits very well for streaming video through wireless channels. MPEG- 4 make use of scalability, is object oriented, and is optimized for streaming between 9,6 kbps and 4 Mbps. </p><p>The service proposed in this thesis as a future service for 3G is practicable. It is also shown that the service can be built using the technology of today.</p>

Magister Scientiae - MSc / In South Africa, Deaf people communicate with one another and the broader community by means of South African Sign Language. The majority of Deaf people who have access to a mobile phone (cell phone) use Short Message Service (SMS) to communicate and share information with hearing people, but seldom use it among themselves. It is assumed that video messaging will be more accessible to Deaf people, since their level of literacy may prevent them from making effective use of information that is disseminated via texting/SMS. The principal objective of the esearch was to explore a cost-effective and efficient mass multimedia messaging system. The intention was to adapt a successful text-based mass notification system, developed by a local nongovernmental organization (NGO), to accommodate efficient and affordable video mass messaging for Deaf people. The questions that underpin this research are: How should video- streaming mass-messaging methods be compared and evaluated to find the most suitable method to deliver an affordable and acceptable service to Deaf people? What transport vehicles should be considered: Multimedia Message Service (MMS), the web, electronic mail, or a cell phone resident push/pullapplication? Which is the most cost effective? And, finally: How does the video quality of the various transport vehicles differ in terms of the clarity of the sign language as perceived by the Deaf? The soft-systems methodology and a mixed-methods methodology were used to address the research questions. The soft-systems methodology was followed to manage the research process and the mixed-methods research methodology was followed to collect data. Data was collected by means of experiments and semi-structured interviews. A prototype for mobile phone usage was developed and evaluated with Deaf members the NGO Deaf Community of Cape Town. The technology and internet usage of the Deaf participants provided background information. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse the quantitative data, and content analysis was used to analyse the documents and interviews. All of the Deaf participants used their mobile phones for SMS and the majority (81.25%) used English to type messages; however, all indicated that they would have preferred to use South Africa sign language on their mobile phones if it were available. And they were quite willing to pay between 75c and 80c per message for using such a video-messaging service.Of the transport vehicles demonstrated, most Deaf people indic indicated that they preferred to use the SMS prototype (with a web link to the video) rather than the MMS prototype with the video attached. They were, however, very concerned about the cost of using the system, as well as the quality of the sign language videos. / South Africa

Marketing and advertisement activities are transforming as new digital media streams emerge. It is believed that the first major digital transition took place when broadcast media such as television and cinema, also called first screen, to the PC Internet, referred to as the second screen, entered the media industry. The last couple of years saw an expanding transition into the third screen, which is the mobile handset, commonly known as cellphones in South Africa. The rapid explosion of mobile phones and other mobile devices has created a new marketing channel. The use of Short Messaging Service, Multimedia Message Service, Graphic WAP Banners, and Video Clips to communicate with customers through their mobile devices / cellphones has gained popularity, making the mobile phone the ultimate medium for one–to–one or one–to–many marketing. And the more mobile handsets penetrate the mass market, the greater are the opportunities for advertising experiences. This exploratory study investigates the impact / effectiveness of mobile advertising to consumers in the short–term insurance industry. The study briefly focuses on whether marketers are reaping the benefits of using this medium to communicate and market their products and services to the identified target market. The findings indicate that mobile advertising has an impact on consumers in the short–term insurance industry. It was also envisaged that where mobile advertising seems to have no effect, the root of the problem lies in the mass marketing approach. Customers are looking for full customisation of mobile marketing messages, based on their individual requirements, tastes, preferences, location, time, and it should also add value to consumers. For maximum impact, it is also recommended that marketers should build measurements, targeting and optimisation into their campaign processes. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Marketing and advertisement activities are transforming as new digital media streams emerge. It is believed that the first major digital transition took place when broadcast media such as television and cinema, also called first screen, to the PC Internet, referred to as the second screen, entered the media industry. The last couple of years saw an expanding transition into the third screen, which is the mobile handset, commonly known as cellphones in South Africa. The rapid explosion of mobile phones and other mobile devices has created a new marketing channel. The use of Short Messaging Service, Multimedia Message Service, Graphic WAP Banners, and Video Clips to communicate with customers through their mobile devices / cellphones has gained popularity, making the mobile phone the ultimate medium for one–to–one or one–to–many marketing. And the more mobile handsets penetrate the mass market, the greater are the opportunities for advertising experiences. This exploratory study investigates the impact / effectiveness of mobile advertising to consumers in the short–term insurance industry. The study briefly focuses on whether marketers are reaping the benefits of using this medium to communicate and market their products and services to the identified target market. The findings indicate that mobile advertising has an impact on consumers in the short–term insurance industry. It was also envisaged that where mobile advertising seems to have no effect, the root of the problem lies in the mass marketing approach. Customers are looking for full customisation of mobile marketing messages, based on their individual requirements, tastes, preferences, location, time, and it should also add value to consumers. For maximum impact, it is also recommended that marketers should build measurements, targeting and optimisation into their campaign processes. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.