Communication products are characterized by the fact that the benefit that results from their use is mainly dependent on the number of users of the product, the so-called installed base, and only dependent to a minor degree on the actual product characteristics. The utility of a videoconferencing system, for example, is quite small at the product launch because only a few users are present with whom adopters can communicate. Only the increase in the number of users leads to an enhancement of the utility for each user | ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Multimedia Technology and Networking Encyclopedia of Multimedia Technology and Networking Margherita Pagani l-LAB Centre for Research on the Digital Economy Bocconi University Italy IDEA GROUP REFERENCE Hershey London Melbourne Singapore Acquisitions Editor Development Editor Senior Managing Editor Managing Editor Copy Editors Typesetters Support Staff Cover Design Printed at Renée Davies Kristin Roth Amanda Appicello JenniferNeidig Julie LeBlanc Shanelle Ramelb Sue VanderHook and Jennifer Young Diane Huskinson Sara Reed and Larissa Zearfoss Michelle Potter Lisa Tosheff Yurchak Printing Inc. Published in the United States of America by Idea Group Reference an imprint of Idea Group Inc. 701 E. Chocolate Avenue Suite 200 Hershey PA 17033 Tel 717-533-8845 Fax 717-533-8661 E-mail cust@ Web site http and in the United Kingdom by Idea Group Reference an imprint of Idea Group Inc. 3 Henrietta Street Covent Garden London WC2E 8LU Tel 44 20 7240 0856 Fax 44 20 7379 3313 Web site http Copyright 2005 by Idea Group Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced stored or distributed in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying without written permission from the publisher. Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only. Inclusion of the names of the products or companies does not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI of the trademark or registered trademark. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Encyclopedia of multimedia technology and networking Margherita Pagani ed. p. cm. Summary This encyclopedia offers a comprehensive knowledge of multimedia information technology from an economic and technological perspective --Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-59140-561-0 hard cover -- ISBN 1-59140-796-6 ebook 1. Multimedia communications--Encyclopedias. I. Pagani Margherita
