Offers an understanding of the applications and supporting technologies associated with digital video communications. The text also shows how to provide reliable, flexible and robust video transmission over networks. It begins with a discussion of the new and emerging applications of digital video communications including tele-medicine, videoconferencing and distance learning, and introduces the key systems required to support digital video: the Internet, ATM networks and Broadband ISDN. It also explores near future developments to the Internet that will support real-time video traffic.