In the 1990s the enhancement of the telecommunications network will allow it to carry not only sound, but also text and still and moving pictures - providing a multimedia system. While these services will initially be available only to businesses they will eventually reach into every home, providing opportunities for a wide range of value added services such as training and picture libraries. This book covers the evolving telecommunications technology which will allow the telecoms network to carry sound, vision, text and computer signals. It surveys audiovisual business and entertainment technology standards, paying particular attention to the image processing techniques which have been critical to the development of audiovisual telecommunications. The book examines both the equipment available today and the future possibilities raised by recent developments.