A multimedia programming model based on timed concurrent constraint programming

Abstract

We propose the development of multimedia programming frameworks based on the declarative logic programming setting and in particular the framework of object-oriented timed concurrent constraint programming (OO-TCCP). The real-time extensions that have been proposed for the concurrent constraint programming framework are coupled with the object-oriented and inheritance mechanisms that have been developed for logic programs yielding an integrated declarative environment for multimedia objects modelling, composition and synchronisation. The expressiveness and ability of OO-TCCP to act as a basis for building high-level, user-friendly authoring environments is illustrated by presenting a simple object model for multimedia composition and synchronisation followed by an analysis on how it can be used to model the temporal behaviour and relationships of multimedia objects. We then define a "universal" set of multimedia programming primitives and we show how they can be implemented in OO-TCCP. Finally, we argue about the benefits of our approach wrt both easiness of programming and implementation of the proposed framework. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time logic programming (in the form of concurrent constraint programming or otherwise) is used as a basis for designing and implementing multimedia programming frameworks.