 Multi (Latin): Many/Much  Media (Latin): An intervening substance through which something is transmitted on

 As the name implies, multimedia is the integration of multiple forms of media. This includes text, graphics, audio, video, etc.  A good definition for Multimedia is Multimedia is the field concerned with the computer controlled integration of text, graphics, drawings, still and moving images (Video), animation, audio, and any other media where every type of information can be represented, stored, transmitted and processed digitally.  A Multimedia Application is an application which uses a collection of multiple media sources e.g. text, graphics, images, sound/audio, animation and/or video.  A Multimedia System is a system capable of processing multimedia data and applications.

 Text : Text is very important for communication in any medium. With the recent explosion of the Internet and World Wide Web, text has become more important than ever. Web is originally designed to display simple text documents on computer screens, with occasional graphic images thrown in as illustrations.  Images : Images plays a vital role in a multimedia. It is expressed in the form of still picture, painting or a photograph taken through a digital camera.

 Audio : Sound is perhaps the most important element of multimedia. It can provide the listening pleasure of music, the startling accent of special effects or the ambience of a mood-setting background.  Video : Video in multimedia are used to portray real time moving pictures in a multimedia project or television.  Animation : Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement.

 Linear Linear active content progresses without any navigational control for the viewer.  Non-linear (Interactive) When you allow the user – the viewer of the project – to control what and when these elements are delivered, it is interactive multimedia. Interactive multimedia is where you can interact with it for example a DVD menu, and the most interactive of all a game. Websites are also interactive multimedia.

 Users have very little control of the presentation  Sit back & relax/enjoy/watch the presentation  Limited interaction with the user  It plays from start to end  E.g. Movie.

 User dictates the flow of the directory  They control the flow of the show  They control the delivery of elements  They have the ability to move around/follow different  path through the information presentation

It is useful for representing:  Encyclopedia (information archive)  Education  Training  Entertainment Disadvantage:  User might be able to get lost in the massive  ‘information highway’

We find multimedia application in various areas including advertisements, education, entertainment, and business. Some examples are as follows:  Education In Medicine Education, doctors can get trained by looking at a virtual surgery or they can simulate how the human body is affected by diseases spread by viruses and bacteria and then develop techniques to prevent it.  Through online course students can access it anytime from anywhere, see animations with audio and video, have virtual labs to conduct experiments

 Entertainment and fine arts Multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry, especially to develop special effects in movies and animations. Multimedia games are a popular pastime and are software programs available either as CD-ROMs or online.  Journalism News reporting is not limited to traditional media outlets. Journalists can make use of different new media to produce multimedia pieces for their news stories. It engages global audiences and tells stories with technology, which develops new communication techniques for both media producers and consumers.