Herbert Thoma received his degree in electrical engineering from the University of Erlangen, Germany, in 1996. After university he joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits as research engineer. In 2001 he became teamleader of the Video Group of the Multimedia Realtime Department where he focuses on realtime implementations of MPEG video coding standards. Herbert Thoma is member of the MPEG standardisation committee and (co-)editor of several MPEG standard documents.

Profile Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS

With 56 Institutes throughout Germany as well as numerous international research centers and liaison offices in Europe, the USA and Asia, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has an established reputation for excellence at the front rank of applied research and development. 12,500 staff members ork with an annual research budget of over one billion euros. Founded in 1985, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen, Germany, ranks first among the Fraunhofer Institutes concerning headcount and revenues. With the development of the audio coding method MPEG Layer-3, short MP3, Fraunhofer IIS has reached a worldwide recognition. In close cooperation with partners and clients the Institute provides research and development services in the following areas: Digital radio broadcasting systems, audio and multimedia technology, digital cinema systems, design automation and integrated circuits, wired, wireless and optical networks, localization and navigation, high-speed camera systems, imaging systems and nanofocus X-ray technology, medical sensor solutions and communications technology in transport and logistics. Detailed information on research and development portfolio on www.iis.fraunhofer.de 480 employees conduct contract research for industry, the service sector and public authorities. Fraunhofer IIS with its headquarters in Erlangen, Germany, has further branches in Nuremberg, Fuerth and Dresden. The budget of 58 million euros is mainly financed by projects. Less than 20 percent of the budget is subsidized by federal and state funds.