MPEG-7 Audio and Beyond: Audio Content Indexing and Retrieval

Advances in technology, such as MP3 players, the Internet and DVDs, have led to the production, storage and distribution of a wealth of audio signals, including speech, music and more general sound signals and their combinations. MPEG 7 audio tools were created to enable the navigation of this data, by providing an established framework for effective multimedia management. "MPEG 7 Audio and Beyond: Audio Content Indexing and Retrieval" is a unique insight into the technology, covering the following topics: the fundamentals of MPEG 7 audio, principally low level descriptors and sound classification and similarity; spoken content description, and timbre, melody and tempo music description tools; existing MPEG 7 applications and those currently being developed; and, examples of audio technology beyond the scope of MPEG 7. Essential reading for practising electronic and communications engineers designing and implementing MPEG 7 compliant systems, this book will also be a useful reference for researchers and graduate students working with multimedia database technology.