VCode
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Introduction

VCode, is a novel camera phone based Video Barcode technology,which allows users to
download content to their camera-enabled mobile phones. The visual content is encoded in a streaming barcode which provides both spatial and temporal error correction and can be decoded
efficiently.


The figure shows the concept of vcode. (a) shows that a data file (a ring tone) is encoded as a streaming 2-D barcode displayed frame by frame on a monitor. These frames are captured by a camera phone pointed at the display [Figs. (b) and ©]. The software pre-installed on the device decodes these frames and concatenates the decoded data to generate a new file exactly the
same as the original [Fig. (d)]. In this way, large amounts of data can be transferred (or downloaded) to users’ camera phones through visual communication with no cable or wireless connection required.

Vcode enables content to be reliably transferred through camera anytime and anywhere. This is especially significant for advertisers and content providerswho wish to reach mobile customers in traditional visual environments. One existing camera phone based barcode technology is the 2-D barcodes, such as DataMatrix and QR Code [1]. QR codes are used primarily for encoding short text messages, such as storing the page link to a web address or a person’s contact information, so no manual entry is required. They are, however, limited in the amount of information they can encode. One advantage of VCode is it can encode, in theory, an unlimited amount of data. We expect our unique solution, if successful, will enable mobile users to more willingly accept mobile applications. VCodes have significant potential since it breaks through the bottleneck (data capacity) which limits today’s barcode related mobile applications. The approach will not require any special hardware, and users do not need to pay for the data plan since it relies on “visual” communication. Camera enabled mobile devices are being deployed at a tremendous rate with over 100 million devices per year as of 2006. In today’s software driven environment, there is a significant advantage to work on common hardware.

The methods presented in this seminar will facilitate the development of numerous applications where users can get and communicate information through coded symbologies in many domains. Specialized applications, such as the use of coding on advertisements, data download, direct integration of mobile-information and mobile-commerce, are just a fewof the possible uses for this technology. Other possible applications using VCodes include communications between individuals with encrypted content, or distribution of small applets such as a map of an office building, an audio tour of a museum, or downloading a train schedule after reaching the station or purchasing a ticket.