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Multimedia Basics
Multimedia – An Overall Introduction to all the Basics
This term is often used in reference with creativity using the PC. In simple words Multimedia means multi (many) and media (communication/transfer medium). Hence it means many mediums working together or independently. It can be considered to be a combination of several mediums:
1: TEXT
2: GRAPHICS
3: ANIMATION
4: VIDEO AND SOUND
They all are used to present information to the user via the computer.
The main feature of any multimedia application is its human interactivity. This means that it is user friendly and basically caters to the commands the user dictates. For instance, users can be interactive with a particular program by clicking on various icons and links, the program subsequently reveals detailed information on that particular subject. The above theme can be considered to be a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
A Multimedia System can be defined as below:
A communications network, computer platforms or a software tool is a multimedia system if it supports the interaction with atleast one of the types of the above-mentioned mediums.
The components of a multimedia package are:
1: TEXT:
It is one of the most popularly used mediums of appearance, In 99% of the occasions text provides the core structure to the package.
A major drawback of using text is that it is not user friendly as compared to the other medium. Also it normally has a lack luster performance when judged with its counterparts. It is for instance harder to read from a screen as it tires the eyes more than reading it in its print version. But now with the availability of TEXT to SPEECH software this drawback is speedily disappearing.
We can also provide Hypertext. Hypertext in a way provides a choice to the user in reading or not reading the information in detail, attached to a particular word of text.
2: PICTURES/ GRAPHICS:
Pictures enhance the overall look of a multimedia package, pictures express more than normal text can. Pictures can be created using the following ways: By using a drawing tool like MS PAINT ( from Microsoft Inc.), using digital ?scanners, or original photographs taken with the help of a web camera or its equivalent. The size of these images can be sometimes very large and the factors which determine these are: The size of the image in terms of pixels, Resolution i.e. dots per inch (Dpi), number of colors that the system monitor can display at one time. Color depth is the amount of binary data , the computer reserves for describing each pixel.
3: Video and Sound
Sound is used to set the rhythm or a mood in a package. Speech gives an effect of a language (pronunciation) for instance.
Sound files in various Sound File Formats like the MP3 can be easily transmitted through the NET. Voice over IP VOIP is an upcoming field with a great future. Sound can be recorded into a mic or from any other medium like tape or cassette player onto the PC.
Some of the factors effecting the size of sound files are:
The method of storage used, whether the format any kind of compression, resolution i.e bit rate, whether the sound is mono or stereo, the quality of sound desired. If pictures can paint a thousand words than motion pictures can paint a million. Digital video is usually produced from analog video as it is much easier to transmit digital data and the advantages of digital over analog are quite pronounced.
The conversion of analog video into its digital equivalent requires a special hardware called ?video capture card.
For the past 15 years three of the most influential communicaationindustries have been converging
1: Publishing
2: Broadcasting
3: Computing
Interactive multimedia and electronic publishing are products of this convergence and their impact on all kinds of communication from marketing to education is immense
Multimedia Development Tools:
They are required for building applications and reviewing some of the products that are commercially available commercially.
Presentation Tools:
These tools are necessary to create multimedia presentations on a PC. Presentation tools are tools like overhead projectors , these tools actually improve the overall effect and helps the speaker to get his message across in a professional manner.
Authoring Tools:
These in contrast with the presentation tools support features such as layout graphic design animation control of branching and navigation the manner in which the end user will be able to move through the application.
Authoring tools may also provide screen design help to harness the layout of text images and places where user interaction is required.
Libraries may support audiovisual and graphics functions and implement multitasking capabilities under different operating systems.Some of these authoring tools are Authorware and Director from Macromedia, Hypercard from Apple Inc. etc.
What is Authoring? It is the whole process of developing a multimedia package.
It usually describes the integration of all the multimedia data into a single coherent entity i.e. the package itself.
All the components of the package must work in tandem with each other and have a sort of flow and synchronism.
The methods adopted for authoring purposes can be grouped as:
1: FRAME or Multimedia PAGE based
2: ICON type
3: INSTANT type
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Multimedia Basics
Multimedia – An Overall Introduction to all the Basics
This term is often used in reference with creativity using the PC. In simple words Multimedia means multi (many) and media (communication/transfer medium). Hence it means many mediums working together or independently. It can be considered to be a combination of several mediums:
1: TEXT
2: GRAPHICS
3: ANIMATION
4: VIDEO AND SOUND
They all are used to present information to the user via the computer.
The main feature of any multimedia application is its human interactivity. This means that it is user friendly and basically caters to the commands the user dictates. For instance, users can be interactive with a particular program by clicking on various icons and links, the program subsequently reveals detailed information on that particular subject. The above theme can be considered to be a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
A Multimedia System can be defined as below:
A communications network, computer platforms or a software tool is a multimedia system if it supports the interaction with atleast one of the types of the above-mentioned mediums.
The components of a multimedia package are:
1: TEXT:
It is one of the most popularly used mediums of appearance, In 99% of the occasions text provides the core structure to the package.
A major drawback of using text is that it is not user friendly as compared to the other medium. Also it normally has a lack luster performance when judged with its counterparts. It is for instance harder to read from a screen as it tires the eyes more than reading it in its print version. But now with the availability of TEXT to SPEECH software this drawback is speedily disappearing.
We can also provide Hypertext. Hypertext in a way provides a choice to the user in reading or not reading the information in detail, attached to a particular word of text.
2: PICTURES/ GRAPHICS:
Pictures enhance the overall look of a multimedia package, pictures express more than normal text can. Pictures can be created using the following ways: By using a drawing tool like MS PAINT ( from Microsoft Inc.), using digital ?scanners, or original photographs taken with the help of a web camera or its equivalent. The size of these images can be sometimes very large and the factors which determine these are: The size of the image in terms of pixels, Resolution i.e. dots per inch (Dpi), number of colors that the system monitor can display at one time. Color depth is the amount of binary data , the computer reserves for describing each pixel.
3: Video and Sound
Sound is used to set the rhythm or a mood in a package. Speech gives an effect of a language (pronunciation) for instance.
Sound files in various Sound File Formats like the MP3 can be easily transmitted through the NET. Voice over IP VOIP is an upcoming field with a great future. Sound can be recorded into a mic or from any other medium like tape or cassette player onto the PC.
Some of the factors effecting the size of sound files are:
The method of storage used, whether the format any kind of compression, resolution i.e bit rate, whether the sound is mono or stereo, the quality of sound desired. If pictures can paint a thousand words than motion pictures can paint a million. Digital video is usually produced from analog video as it is much easier to transmit digital data and the advantages of digital over analog are quite pronounced.
The conversion of analog video into its digital equivalent requires a special hardware called ?video capture card.
For the past 15 years three of the most influential communicaationindustries have been converging
1: Publishing
2: Broadcasting
3: Computing
Interactive multimedia and electronic publishing are products of this convergence and their impact on all kinds of communication from marketing to education is immense
Multimedia Development Tools:
They are required for building applications and reviewing some of the products that are commercially available commercially.
Presentation Tools:
These tools are necessary to create multimedia presentations on a PC. Presentation tools are tools like overhead projectors , these tools actually improve the overall effect and helps the speaker to get his message across in a professional manner.
Authoring Tools:
These in contrast with the presentation tools support features such as layout graphic design animation control of branching and navigation the manner in which the end user will be able to move through the application.
Authoring tools may also provide screen design help to harness the layout of text images and places where user interaction is required.
Libraries may support audiovisual and graphics functions and implement multitasking capabilities under different operating systems.Some of these authoring tools are Authorware and Director from Macromedia, Hypercard from Apple Inc. etc.
What is Authoring? It is the whole process of developing a multimedia package.
It usually describes the integration of all the multimedia data into a single coherent entity i.e. the package itself.
All the components of the package must work in tandem with each other and have a sort of flow and synchronism.
The methods adopted for authoring purposes can be grouped as:
1: FRAME or Multimedia PAGE based
2: ICON type
3: INSTANT type
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