Within the broad field of communication technology the Communication Technology Institute focuses on image communication aspects and communication systems for electronic media, especially for high quality real time video. During the past decade for nearly all communication systems (based on satellite, cable or terrestrial transmission) digital transmission concepts and standards have been developed and introduced to the market. New technologies for video recording and display enabled image communication systems providing technical quality unachievable before. Research at the Communication Technology Institute deals with the questions arising from this development:
How can different broadcast and communication networks be connected via in-house and in-car networks that the old vision of "information anywhere, anytime" can become reality with minimum efforts?
Will the Internet be an add-on, extension or even replacement of today's digital broadcast systems?
How will different kinds of visual information (real time video, computer graphics, web documents, visual human machine interfaces) be reproduced on displays of different sizes and technologies?
These research topics are also reflected in the institute's offer of courses: Besides the basic lecture on communication technology ("Nachrichtentechnik") there are courses on digital communication technology ("Digitale Übertragungstechnik", with emphasis on channel coding), digital source coding ("Digitale Quellencodierung"), local networks, and image communication technologies and systems ("Bildkommunikation"). Besides theoretical aspects skills like system simulation and -analysis are developed in practical exercises, seminars and project groups.