II. Trends in Multimedia Info-communications A. Trends in Japan An example of an interactive television screen Individuals and families. In the entertainment area, two or more people separated by great distances can communicate and together enjoy a game in an imaginary world using info-communications networks, and experiments on game software distribution via cable TV are under way. Experimentation has also begun on various forms of interactive television, such as programs in which viewers select images they want to see from satellite TV and programs in which viewers participate from the home. Other individual and household uses include the exchange of individually created visual images via personal computer communications. Experiments are also taking place with "news on demand," in which individuals will be able to access databases of news reports and visuals via networks. Shared Drawing Systems are made possible not only by pen input but also by eye contact and gestures input through a half mirror Industry. Numerous business applications are being developed: shared remote work support systems and shared drawing systems that allow several people at remote points to use their individual terminals and a shared screen to hold a conference or perform a particular task; business support using visual databases; and bidirectional in-house training using communications satellites. Corporate training session using a state-of-the-art conferencing system Using a system linking several different locations through an info-communications network for joint access to various types of information such as text, graphics, and data, and making conferences or joint projects possible, testing can take place of 3-dimensional virtual reality designs. Society. In education, lessons are being conducted that use multimedia personal computers and personal computer communications to bring out pupils' individuality and potential. In medicine, interesting experiments are being performed in several areas, such as remote diagnostic support using transmitted sound, computed tomography images, HDTV images of pathologic sections; and image technology that allows hospitalized children to communicate with family and friends. Image databases for social welfare and home nursing care have been produced for the marketplace. Multimedia personal computers can be used for studying, even outside the schoolroom B. Trends Abroad Individuals and families. In the entertainment area in various countries, testing and actual implementation of new TV formats, including video-on-demand service and viewer-participation bidirectional formats combining TV broadcasting with other media, are under way. In other areas, individuals can use portable computer terminals to send and retrieve a variety of information. Testing and implementation of visual information services provided to homes by personal-computer companies and data collection services via Internet are also taking place. Industry. At the offices of U.S. investors and pharmaceutical companies, experimental use of a system in which database centers are connected to LAN servers via communications satellite or public digital networks is under way. With this system, users can view news programs and other visuals and retrieve needed information. Government administration. In states, counties, and cities in the United States, computer terminals set up in public libraries, shopping malls, and other places in town where people congregate take care of such bureaucratic functions as birth registration, as well as provide information. Written characters, sound, and still pictures are transmitted from a database center, and moving pictures are stored on video discs. Education. A teleconferencing system joined by communications satellite and optical fibers assists schools in Alaska in communicating with one another and even allows a single teacher to provide lessons to multiple schools at the same time. Scientific research. In October and November 1993, NASA researchers in the United States used a combination of media to visualize the floor of the Antarctic Ocean. Seabed robots transmit position and visual information via satellite, which computers converted to three-dimensional format on a video display. The system gave the researchers, in a California laboratory, the sensation that they were actually on the ocean floor as they manipulated the robots. C. Trends in Business Tie-ups Domestic and foreign companies in various fields video and game software; shopping, publishing, and other services; computer hardware and software; telecommunications; and broadcasting are forming a great number of business tie-ups to advance their operations and exploit new markets. This trend is particularly marked in new integrated telecommunications/broadcasting services and development of basic hardware and software. D. Activities of Foreign Governments United States. The U.S. government is strongly promoting its National Information Infrastructure (NII) initiative, an info-communications structure combining telecommunications networks, information appliances, software and information databases, and trained people who can build, maintain, and operate these systems. In September 1993 the NII Agenda for Action was announced, and the Information Infrastructure Task Force is currently mapping out concrete plans for NII. The U.S. Congress has established Information Infrastructure Grants and has recommended 22 demonstration projects. In a separate development, the government is promoting its National Research and Education Network (NREN) Program, one facet of the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program, to develop gigabit-level ultra-high-speed networks. Europe. Germany has initiated two major programs. Under the BERKOM Project, begun in 1986, Deutsche Telekom and other parties are developing remote-education, telepublishing, and other applications. A Broadband ISDN Project, started in 1994, seeks to develop services and applications of a broadband ISDNs. British Telecom plans to initiate testing of video-on-demand in 1994. France Telecom's two ATM-Pilot Projects, the Brehat Project (begun in 1990) and the Renater Project (begun in 1992), are under way, and an application project using the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) system for households is scheduled for implementation. The European Union is promoting its Trans European Network (TEN) Program and in 1987 implemented its Research and Development in Advanced Communications Technologies in Europe (RACE) Project to integrate the constituent countries with an integrated broadband communications network. Asia. In 1992 Singapore announced the IT2000 Report under which a new National Information Infrastructure (NII) using information technology (IT) will be developed.