For distributed multimedia applications the provision of system-wide quality of service (QoS) is essential. The quality-of-service architecture (QoS-A) developed at Lancaster University offers a framework to specify and implement the required performance properties of multimedia applications over integrated-service networks in a heterogeneous environment. The work addresses the problem of lower-level QoS as well as QoS support for multipeer multimedia applications operating in an open communication system. QoS filters have been developed to deal with the problems of heterogeneity in group communication environments. New challenges are also encountered in emerging mobile networks and user mobility; and recent developments in the Internet community highlight the need for appropriate QoS support mechanisms for multimedia applications. The paper describes how the QoS-A research at Lancaster University provides a flexible framework for the monitoring and control of multimedia communications across the broad range of computing systems and networks.