What is NEM?
The NEM Initiative (New European Media Initiative) was established as one of the European Technology Platform under the Seventh Framework Programme, aiming at fostering the convergence between consumer electronics, broadcasting and telecoms in order to develop the emerging business sector of networked and electronic media. In order to respond to new need and requirements of the Horizon 2020 programme, the NEM initiative enlarged its focus towards creative industries and changed its name from Networked an Electronic Media Initiative to New European Media, dealing with Connected, Converging and Interactive Media & Creative Industries, driving the future of digital experience.
The NEM constituency includes all major European organisations working in the networked and electronic media area, including content providers, creative industries, broadcasters, network equipment manufacturers, network operators and service providers, academia, standardisation bodies and government institutions. Those actors share a common Vision and have been producing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) as well as position papers, in order to accelerate the innovative development of the new sector in a harmonised and fruitful way and to place European industry at the forefront of the information era.
Towards Future Media Internet
The NEM Initiative is supporting Europe’s activities on the Future Internet and is actively contributing to the definition of the related research and innovation areas. In particular, the Future Media Internet has been identified by the NEM community as its major innovation area.
NEM Vision
NEM focuses on an innovative mix of various media and creative content forms, delivered seamlessly over technologically transparent networks, to improve the quality, enjoyment and value of life. NEM represents the convergence of existing and new technologies, including broadband, mobile and new media, including creativity, across all sectors, to create a new and exciting era of advanced personalised services. A key focus of NEM is on innovative services and applications that constitute different media forms and creative content. These services are delivered over a wide variety of complementary access and transport networks – so called delivery networks. The services are delivered in a seamless and interactive way to a variety of end-user terminals and devices, including fixed and handheld terminals. Improving the quality, enjoyment and value of the user experience is at the heart of NEM. A main goal is to empower end-users in creating their media and communication environments, including user-generated content, in which the quality of access to value-added and creative content as well as services is the key enabling factor.
NEM Innovation Areas - Overview
The following areas have been identified in the past as main NEM research and innovation drivers. In the scope of its enlargement towards the creative industries, the NEM Initiative is currently in process of establishment of its new Vision, which will also include review of the listed innovation areas below.
Digital Content
Design of rich media content by professionals and non-professionals supported by open and standardised tools for content creation, storage, representation, and indexing, ensuring interoperability of various content formats, including efficient search and selection engines, and creation of new innovative media applications.
Distributed Media Applications
Realisationof integrated multi-content communications, integration of classical and new media applications, and creation or adaptation of content dedicated to specific user groups, supported by novel open software and tools for integration of multimedia communications applications.
Future Media Delivery Networks and NetworkServices
Establishment of autonomous networking and communications architectures, multidimensional network interoperability, universal and seamless service provisioning, Qualityof Service and Quality of Experience in future service aware networks for media transport.
New User Devices and Terminals
Integrated, scalable, and modular multimedia devices and gateways for home, portable and mobile devices with auto-configuration and auto-maintenance features and application programming interfaces for new media applications,i ncluding man-machine communications devices and innovative audio, visual, and haptic user interfaces.
