CS5262 Multimedia Networking and Systems, Spring 2026
- Time: Tuesday 2:20-3:10 p.m.; Friday 3:30-5:20 p.m.
- Location: Delta 104
- Instructor: Cheng-Hsin Hsu (chsu@cs.nthu.edu.tw)
- Office: Delta 643
- Office Hour: Tuesday 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Summary:
This course consists of two parts. In the first half, we will review the central concepts of multimedia systems and next-generation networking. This foundation ensures all students are prepared for the second half, where we will explore cutting-edge multimedia networking systems. Topics include volumetric video streaming (e.g., Point Cloud and 3D Gaussian Splatting), immersive digital twins and XR, AI-generated content (AIGC) for 3D scenes, and privacy-preserving distributed learning (Federated Learning).
Course Description:
Despite the review of basic concepts, this is a graduate-level course requiring each student to work on an intensive term project. Students are expected to build prototype systems based on open-source projects. The goal is for each student to complete a research project and produce a publishable report by the end of the semester.
The lectures will be given in English. All the reports must be written in English.
Textbooks:
- Li, Drew, and Liu, Fundamentals of Multimedia, 3rd ed., Springer, 2021 (available online on campus).
- Kurose and Rose, Computer Networking: A Top-down Approach, 8th ed., Person, 2022.
- Giuseppe Valenzise, Martin Alain, Emin Zerman, and Cagri Ozcinar, Immersive Video Technologies, 1st ed., Academic Press, 2022.
References:
- Students will search for, print, read, and present the latest research papers under the instructor’s guidance.
Teaching Methods:
Other than lectures given by the instructor to review the basic concepts, each student will propose and carry out a research project. The course emphasizes hands-on experience and rigorous research standards:
- Grand Challenges: Students will form groups to work on well-known multimedia grand challenge problems (e.g., ACM Multimedia Grand Challenges).
- Term Project: Individual students will work on a research topic. Students are expected to build prototype systems based on open-source projects.
- Publication Goal: Before the end of the semester, each graduate student is expected to generate a research paper, while each undergraduate student is expected to produce a high-quality demo paper.
Note: Students who do not deliver publishable reports at the end of the semester will strictly fail the course.
Syllabus:
The course is divided into three parts. The latter part will focus on the latest research based on recent top-tier publications.
PART I: Computer Networks Review
- Computer Networks and the Internet
- Application layer & Transport layer
- The Network layer: Data Plane & Control Plane
- The link layer and LANs
PART II: Multimedia Fundamentals
- Digital Audio, Image, and Video
- Multimedia Networking Principles
- Adaptive Streaming & Synchronization
PART III: Advanced Immersive Technology
- Volumetric Video: Point Cloud Compression & Streaming
- 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS): Representation, Streaming, and Navigation
- Immersive Digital Twins: Urban IoT, Smart Cities, and Simulation (CARLA-Twin)
- AI & Networking: Federated Learning (Privacy-preserving) & AIGC
- XR Applications: Cloud Gaming, VR/AR, and HMD Optimization
Evaluations:
- Pop-up Quizzes : 25%
- Grand Challenge: 30%
- Term Project: 45%
- Open-source Contributions: 10% bonus points