Introduction
Many next-generation appliances are being equipped with processors featuring sophisticated communication capabilities. For instance, on April 7, 2001, IBM and Carrier announced plans to produce an air conditioner with Java support that can email manufacturers regarding errors, and will allow users to remotely send commands to the unit to adjust temperatures or shut it down. Smart homes will eventually have many types of information appliances (IAs) communicating among themselves and with the outside world. Soon, many of these IA devices are expected to have multimedia capability. Supporting multimedia communication for these IA devices will be of crucial importance for the intelligent homes of the future.