Multimedia

A medium (plural media) is something that a presenter can use for presentation of information Two basic ways to present information are: –Unimedium presentation Presenter uses a single medium to present information –Multimedia presentation Presenter uses more than one medium to present information Multimedia presentation of any information enhances comprehension capability of its user because it involves use of multiple senses by the user

Common Media Common media for storage, access, and transmission of information are: –Text (alphanumeric characters) –Graphics (line drawings and images) –Animation (moving images) –Audio (sound) –Video (Videographed real-life events) Multimedia in information technology refers to use of more than one of these media for information presentation to users

Multimedia computer Multimedia computer system is a computer having capability to integrate two or more types of media (text, graphics, animation, audio, and video) In general, data size for multimedia information is much larger than plain text information Hence, multimedia computer systems require: –Faster CPU –Larger storage devices (for storing large data files) –Larger main memory (for large data size) –Good graphics terminals –I/O devices to play any multimedia

Multimedia Components Text Media –Keyboards, electronic writing pads, OCRs, terminal screens, and printers are some commonly used hardware devices for processing text media Graphics –Computer graphics deals with tools and technologies for generating, representing, manipulating, and displaying pictures with a computer Animation Media –Animation deals with displaying a sequence of images at a reasonable speed to create an impression of movement. For a jerk-free full motion animation, 25 to 30 frames per second is required

Multimedia Components Virtual Reality –Virtual reality is a relatively new technology using which the user can put a pair of goggles and a glove and tour a three- dimensional world that exists only in the computer, but appears realistic to the user –Virtual reality applications use animation extensively Audio –Computer audio deals with tools and technologies for synthesizing, recording, and playing of audio or sound with a computer

Multimedia Components Audio information travels in natural medium in the form of sound waves that are analog To enable a computer to deal with audio information, a device must convert sound waves from analog to digital form Transducer is a device that converts signals from one form to another Microphone is a transducer that converts sound waves to electrical signals, and loudspeaker is a transducer that converts electrical signals to sound waves Analog signals are continuous tone of smooth fluctuations, while digital signals are discrete values in the form of numbers

Multimedia Components Video –Video deals with tools and technologies for recording and displaying a sequence of images (frames) at a reasonable speed to create an impression of motion

Multimedia Components Video information travels in natural medium in the form of light waves that are analog To enable a computer to deal with video information, a device must convert light waves from analog to digital form Video camera is a transducer that converts light waves to electrical signals, and monitor is a transducer that converts electrical signals to light waves Analog-to-digital conversion of video also involves sampling and quantization of analog video signals

Multimedia application Multimedia books and e-Books Digital library Multimedia presentation Foreign language learning Video games Special effects in movies Animation films Animated advertisements Multimedia kiosk Virtual shops and shopping malls Multimedia conferencing Interactive TV