neously access files from a server, bandwidth becomes a significant issue. Correct timing, syn- chronization, and video picture quality are compromised if the bandwidth is not suf- ficient. As discussed in the following sections, two key issues relate to multimedia communications: the nature of digital video and the role of television. Digital Video One of the fascinating areas driving and motivating the need for broadband access is television. Although TV has a tremendous following throughout the world- more than computing and even telecommunications-it remained untouched by the digital revolution until recently. Despite major advances in computing, video, and communications technologies, TV has continued to rely on standards that are more than 55 years old. The biggest shortcoming with the existing TV standards- that is, National Television Standards Committee (NTSC; used in North America and Japan), Phase Alternating Line (PAL; used throughout the majority of the world), and Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire (SECAM; used in France and French territories)-is that they are analog systems, in which video signals degrade quickly under adverse conditions. Most of this signal degradation occurs along the path the picture travels from the studio to a TV. Digital TV (DTV) offers numerous advantages over the old analog TV signal, among which is the fact that it is nearly immune to interference and degradation. Another advantage of DTV is the ability to display a much better range of colors. Multimedia Networking Requirements The human eye can discriminate more than 16 million colors, and sophisticated computer monitors and DTVs can display those 16 million colors and more. DTV can transmit more data in the same amount of bandwidth, and it can also transmit more types of data. Combined with high-definition TV (HDTV) and digital sound, what this means to the end user is a better picture, better sound, and digital data. However, digital broadcasters are not restricted to just sending a high-definition picture; the