The Multimedia MuIticast Channel is a dissemination-oriented communica
tion abstraction providing a service analogous to that of a cable tele
vision broadcast channel, A source transmits multimedia information su
ch as video and audio streams onto a channel, and a varying number of
receivers 'tune in' to the channel to receive a selected set of the st
reams, To support heterogeneity, each receiver may tailor the selected
streams to meet individual needs through the use of filters, The desi
gn encourages a very loose coupling between the source and the receive
rs, promoting open-loop control for the underlying network protocols.