MHEG: An emerging standard for the interchange of multimedia and hypermedia objects

Major issues concerning the standardization of multimedia and hypermedia information objects are presented. The scope of the MHEG standard is first explained. Then, an overview of the hierarchy of object classes is provided, with some considerations on the relationships between MHEG and its applications. The MHEG standard will offer a generic tool for a broad range of multimedia services or applications which are intended to be used in a communication environment, including interchange of multimedia information through telecommunication networks or by means of the digital storage medium. Because of its specificity, the MHEG standard will provide facilities to represent and encode multimedia synchronization and hyperlinks, while taking into account real-time and interchange requirements