Spring 2008 Syllabus -- Academic Calendar, ECE Resources
Please See CULearn.colorado.edu and log into ECEN 5033 online for more course info and Lab Assignments!!


01/14 Class: Introduction - Lecture 1 , PDF Download
        - Course goals
        - Course labs
        - Course project
        - Course grading policies
        - Web Based Demo: Robotics and Video Projects
        - Real-time Media, Digital Control, and Linux TERMINOLOGY
          INITIAL QUIZ REVIEW - Terminology Overview
          Wikipedia (Great Resource for Technical Terminology)

      Hands on lab night #1 - Fedora Core 8 Laptop (code build, load, and logistics)
        - Building multi-threaded code
        - Debugging
        - Tracing

       Read: RTECS (Real-Time Embedded Components and Systems) pp. 1-33
       Read: Telesurgery Paper

01/21 Class: Fundamentals of Real-Time Theory for Robotics and Digital Media - Lecture 2 , PDF Download
       - Fundamentals of Real-Time Scheduling and Services
       - Fundamentals of POSIX Threads and NPTL
       - RTECS discussion
       - Telesurgery Paper discussion

       Read: Rodney Brooks Paper
       Read: RTECS (Real-Time Embedded Components and Systems) pp. 50-62

01/21 Lab-1: Start Lab-1


01/28 Class: Fundamentals of RT Theory Cont'd - Services and High-Level Design - Lecture 3 , PDF Download

       - Lecture on RM, EDF, LLF, RM Feasibility, and EDF/LLF Feasibility
       - RTECS discussion
       - Rodney Brooks Paper discussion

      Read: Liu and Layland Paper
      Read: RTECS (Real-Time Embedded Components and Systems) pp. 123-130


02/04 Class: Real-time Robotics - Introduction to Kinematics, Control, and Operations - Lecture 4 , PDF Download

      QUIZ on Terminology Overview

      INITIAL QUIZ - On Terminology - On CULearn, Available from 5:30 through 11:30 PM TONIGHT

       - Lecture on Robotic Kinematics, Control, Vision, and System Operations
       - RTECS discussion
       - Liu and Layland Paper discussion

      Read: IPTV Architecture Paper
      Read: RTECS (Real-Time Embedded Components and Systems) pp. 113-122

02/07 Lab-1: Lab-1 DUE

02/11 Class: Digital Video - Introduction to MPEG2 Transport - Lecture 5 , PDF Download

       - Fundamentals of Audio and Video Encode, Transport and Decode
       - 13818-1 Transport discussion
       - RTECS discussion
       - IPTV Paper discussion

      Read: ISO 13818-1 pp. x-50
      Read: ISO 13818-2 to understand Elementary Stream format and video start codes, also documented on Source Forge MPEG Headers
      Read: RTECS (Real-Time Embedded Components and Systems) pp. 263-280

02/11 Lab-2: Start Lab-2

02/18 Class: Real-Time Implementation Challenges - Static vs Dynamic Approaches and Pitfalls - Lecture 6 , PDF Download
       - Overview of Static Feasibility Tests
       - Dynamic Priority Feasibility Tests
       - RM vs EDF
         - Implementation
         - Overhead
         - Feasibility Testing
         - Methods to Detect and Manage Deadline Over-runs
         - Jitter and Latency
         - Deadlock, Unbounded Priority Inversion

      Read: Rate Monotonic vs. EDF: Judgement Day Paper

02/25 Class: Digital Content Revolution - Lecture 7, PDF Download
       - Digital Rights Management, Conditional Access, Content Protection
       - Digital Cable vs Switched Digital Video
       - End of Broadcast TV?  ATSC, IPTV, and Everything on Demand
       - Viral Video
       - Games on Demand
       - Personal Content Production, Sharing, Storage
       - Digital Cinema Initiatives
       - Digital Content End to End (Shoot, Edit, Distribute, Presentation)
       - Looking Ahead: Augmented Reality, Immersive Virtual Reality, 3-D Cinema, Global Conscience, Singularity Prediction

      Read: Video Fingerprinting and Encryption Principles for Digital Rights Management

02/28 Lab-2: Lab-2 DUE

03/03 Class: Linux Device Driver Programming and Media Filesystems - Lecture 8, PDF Download
       - Driver framework
       - Character devices
       - Block devices
       - RAID Mappings for Streaming Media
      Read: A Case for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)
      Read: Inetlligent RAID 6 Theory - Overview and Implementation

03/03 Lab-3: Start Lab-3


03/10 Class: Midterm Review - Lecture MT, PDF Download

     Theory Review for Midterm Exam next week

     Final Overview of Drivers and Questions on Lab 3
       - Driver debugging techniques
       - Example Driver walkthrough


03/17 Class: MIDTERM
      MIDTERM (1.5 hours)


03/27 Lab-3: Lab-3 DUE

03/24 Class: SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS

03/31 Class: Extended Lab Discussion and Backgrounders - Lecture 10, PDF Download

03/31 Lab-Extended: Start Lab-Extended

04/07 Class: Linux Real-Time Performance, Measuring Performance and HW/SW Debugging Techniques - Lecture 11, PDF Download
       - LTT NG Linux Trace Toolkit - Next Generation

04/14 Class:  Lab Work Night (Prof. Siewert Out of Town at NAB Show)

04/21 Class: Wrap up Lecture and The future of Digital Media and Robotics - Lecture 12, PDF Download

       - Grand Challenges
         - Storage (100's to 1000's of hours/streams to millions)
         - Bandwidth (Last Mile Problem)
         - Processing - Power Consumption, Multi-core, App Specific (GPU, FPGA, Cell)
           - Paper on Cell Broadband Engine
         - User Interaction (Return path, Peer-to-Peer, Telepresence)

       - Future Look at Digital Media and Control Systems
         - Digital Media
           - Augmented Reality
           - Immersive Virtual Reality
           - 3-D Cinema
         - Robotics
           - Personal and Home Robotics
           - Telemedicine
         - Overall
           - Generalized Virtual Presence on the Web
           - Global Conscience and Singularity Prediction

04/28 Class: FINAL QUIZ ON CULEARN CANCELLED - OPEN LAB NIGHT - Lecture 13, PDF Download

05/02  EXTENDED LAB WRITE-UP due in my e-mail inbox or submitted to CULearn no later than midnight!!! (No late projects)

04/16 - 05/07 - Extended Lab Debug or Demo Sessions (Scheduled by e-mail with Instructor)

05/09 - Grades Finalized