Multimedia System

Chapter 1 : Introduction

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What is Multimedia ?
Derived from the word “Multi” and “Media”
Multi = Plural, more than 1, multiple/many
Media (Medium) = source, “middle, centre” – agent
for something. Used for dissemination (distribute)
and representation of information.
In general, multimedia could be defined as the usage of
multiple agent (text, audio, video, images) for
disseminating and presenting information to audience
(target user)
Multimedia is the development, integration ,
and delivery of any combination of text,
graphic, sound, animation, and video
through electronic or digital processing device.
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Multimedia elements and Classification of media types

Time/Space
nature

Continuous(Dyn
amic) Sound Video Animation
or time-based
media

Discrete(stat Photo Text Graphics

ic)
or space-based
media Origin
3 Captured Synthesized
media media
 TEXT

Text is the basic element of multimedia. It involves

thea use
In of text types,
multimedia sizes, colours
application, and background
other media or screen
colour.
can be linked through the use of text. This is what
you call Hypertext.
To produce an effective multimedia program there
are three things that need to be considered. They
are:
The position of the text on the screen.
Length of the message
And legibility of the text.

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 GRAPHIC
Graphics make the multimedia application attractive.
They help to illustrate ideas through still pictures.
There are two types of graphics used: bitmaps (paint
graphics) and vector (draw graphics).
Bitmaps images are real images that can be
captured from devices such as cameras or scanners.
Vector graphics are drawn on the computer and
only require a small amount of memory.

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 AAUDIO
multimedia application may require the use of
speech, music and sound effects. These are called
audio or the sound element.
There are two basic types of audio or sound: analog
and digital
Analog audio.
audio refers to the original sound signal.
Digital audio refers to the digital sampling of the
actual sound. The sound used in multimedia is
digital audio.

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 Video provides a powerful impact in a multimedia
program. In multimedia applications, the digital video is
gaining popularity because of the following reasons:

 video clips can be edited easily

 the digital video files can be stored like any other
files in the computer and
the quality of the video can still be maintained
 the video files can be transferred within a computer
network it allows non-
linear editing in any part of the video

However, these digital video files are large in size.

Transferring these files can take a long time especially
when using the Internet.

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 ANIMATION

Animation is a process of making a static image look

like it is moving. In multimedia, digital animation is
used. Digital animation can be categorized into two
broad area: 2D (2 Dimension) and 3D (3
Dimension) animations.

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 Importance of Multimedia
There are a number of fields where multimedia
could be of use. Examples are:-
Business
Sales / Marketing presentation , Trade show production,
Staff training application, Company Kiosk
Education
Courseware / Simulations, E-Learning / Distance Learning,
Information Searching
Entertainment
Games (Leisure / Educational), Movies
 Home
Television, Satellite TV,
SMS services (chats, voting, reality TV)
Public Places
Information Kiosk, Smart Cards, Security

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Application area of Multimedia(where it is applied)
 Multimedia involves multiple modalities of text, audio, images,
drawings, animation, and video.
Examples of how these modalities are put to use:
Digital video editing and production systems.
 Electronic newspapers/magazines.
 World Wide Web.
 On-line reference works: e.g. encyclopedias,
games, etc.
 Home shopping.
 Interactive TV.
 Multimedia courseware.
 Video conferencing.
 Video-on-demand.
Interactive movies.
Games
Virtual reality
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 History of Multimedia
 Newspaper: perhaps the first mass communication
medium, uses text, graphics, and images.
 Motion pictures: conceived of in 1830's in order to
observe motion too rapid for perception by the human eye.
 Wireless radio transmission: Guglielmo Marconi, at
Pontecchio, Italy, in 1895.
 Television: the new medium for the 20th century,
established video as a commonly available medium and has
since changed the world of mass communications.
 The connection between computers and ideas about
multimedia covers what is actually only a short period:
o 1945 - Vannevar Bush wrote a landmark article describing what
amounts to a hypermedia system called Memex.
o 1960 - Ted Nelson coined the term hypertext and
hypermedia.
o 1989: Tim Berners-Lee proposed the World Wide Web
11 o 2000 - WWW size was estimated at over 1 billion pages.
 Types of Multimedia
1) Linear multimedia
 Non-Interactive multimedia
2) Non-Linear multimedia:
 Interactive multimedia, Hyperactive multimedia(Hypermedia)
Linear
 A Multimedia Project is identified as Linear when:
It is not interactive
User have no control over the content that is being
showed to them.
the users just sit and watch as if it is a movie and
television.
Your only control is to press the “play” and the
Non-Linear
“stop” buttons.
A Multimedia Project is identified as Non-Linear when:
 Example: movie, A non-interactive lecture / demo show
It is interactive
when the end-user is allowed to control what and when the
elements are delivered.
Users are given navigational control
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Example:Games,Courseware,Interactive CD
 Hypermedia and Multimedia
 hypertext system: meant to be read nonlinearly, by following
links that point to other parts of the document, or to other
documents
 HyperMedia: not constrained to be text-based, can include
other media, e.g., graphics, images, and especially the
continuous media - sound and video.
 Interactive Multimedia which provides a structure of linked
elements through which the user can navigate
o The World Wide Web (WWW) - the best example of a
hypermedia application.
 This contrasts with the broader term multimedia, which may
include non-interactive linear presentations as well as
hypermedia.
 Multimedia is the combination of text, audio, graphics,
images, video, and animation that is delivered to people by
computers or others electronic or digitally manipulated means.
 Multimedia system: the generation, manipulation, storage,
presentation, and communication of multimedia information.
(Capture(input) , storage, communications network, computer
13 system and display devices).
 Hyper Text, Hypermedia
 A hypertext system: meant to be read nonlinearly,
by following links that point to other parts of the
document, or to other documents

 HyperMedia: not constrained to be text-based, can

include other media, e.g., graphics, images, and
especially the continuous media | sound and video.
 World Wide Web (WWW) --- the best example

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 World Wide
Web
The W3C has listed the following goals for the W W W:
Universal access of web resources (by everyone every-
where).
Effectiveness of navigating available information.
Responsible use of posted material.

W W W and Multimedia computing

Solved cross-platform compatibility problem
Supported distribution of media beyond the capacity of
CD-ROM storage.
Allowed instant distribution and inexpensive media
creation

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 Digital Multimedia characteristics

A Multimedia System is characterized by the

processing, storage, generation, manipulation and
rendition of Multimedia information.
A Multimedia system has four basic characteristics
Multimedia systems must be computer controlled.
 User is able to view, hear, & see
Multimedia systems are integrated.
 At least one discrete and one continuous media combined
The information they handle must be represented
digitally.
 Consists of various form of media; Created, stored, processed, &
transmitted digitally
The interface to the final presentation of media is usually
interactive.
 User is able to navigate, interact, create and communicate

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 Overview of Multimedia Software Tools

 software tools available for carrying out tasks in

multimedia are:
Digital Audio
Eg. Adobe Audition
Graphics and Image Editing
Eg. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
Video Editing
Eg. Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects,
Final Cut Pro
Animation
Eg. Maya, RenderMan
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 Multimedia System

Chapter 2 : Multimedia Authoring

and Tools

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 Multimedia Authoring and
Tools
 Multimedia production requires creative,
technical, organizing, and business ability.
 Multimedia authoring: creation of
multimedia productions, sometimes called
"movies" or "presentations".
 Use to merge multimedia elements (text, audio,
graphic, animation, video) into a project.
 that provide the capability for creating a complete
multimedia presentation, including interactive user
control, are called authoring programs
 Multimedia developers produce multimedia titles
using authoring tools. Multimedia projects, when
published, are multimedia titles.
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Some Useful Editing and Authoring Tools
 Some popular authoring tools include the
following:
o Macromedia authorware
o Macromedia Director
o Macromedia Flash
o Microsoft Power Point
o Adobe Premiere
 Macromedia Flash: allows users to create interactive
movies by using the score metaphor, i.e., a timeline
arranged in parallel event sequences.
 Macromedia Director: uses a movie metaphor to
create interactive presentations. It is very powerful and
includes a built in scripting language, Lingo, that
allows creation of complex interactive movies.
 Authorware: a mature, well-supported authoring
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product based on the Iconic/Flow-control metaphor.
 Multimedia Authoring Paradigms
 The authoring paradigm, or authoring metaphor, is the
methodology by which the authoring system accomplishes its
task.
 is a set of user interface visuals, actions and procedures
that exploit specific knowledge that users already have of
other domains. The purpose of the interface metaphor is to
give the user instantaneous knowledge about how to
interact with the user interface.
 There are various paradigms, including:
1-Scripting Language Metaphor: use a special language to
enable interactivity(button, mouse, etc), and to allow conditionals,
jumps, loops, functions etc. Eg. OpenScript in Toolbook
2-Slide Show Metaphor: A linear presentation by default,
although tools exist to perform jumps in slide shows.eg. Microsoft
Power Point
3-Hierarchical Metaphor: User‐controllable elements are
organized into a tree structure. Often used in menu-driven
applications
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4-Iconic/Flow‐control Metaphor:
Graphical icons are available in a toolbox,
and authoring proceeds by creating a flow
chart with icons attached (Fig. ): Eg.
Authorware by Macromedia

5 - Frames Metaphor: Like Iconic/Flow‐

control Metaphor but uses C language as the
programming language; however links
between icons are more conceptual, rather
than representing the actual flow of the
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6- Page/Card/Scripting Metaphor: Uses a simple
index‐card structure —easy route to producing
applications that use hypertext or hypermedia; used
in schools. Eg. SuperCard, HyperCard by Apple

7 – Time/Cast/Score/Scripting Metaphor : with cast members ,

music scores, and scripting language; many synchronous horizontal
“tracks” simultaneously shown in vertical columns. Eg. Director by
Macromedia(Uses Lingo = scripting language)

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