Information and

Communication
Technologies (ICT)

Multimedia Technologies
 Lecture 11
• Last week: Cloud and Mobile Technologies:
• Date centers. Trends in the development of modern
infrastructure solutions. Principles of cloud computing.
Virtualization technologies. Web services in the Cloud. Basic
terms and concepts of mobile technologies. Mobile services.
Mobile technology standards
• Overview of Today’s Lecture
• Overview of multimedia technologies
• Representation of text, audio, video and graphic information in
digital format
• Basic technologies for information compression
• 3-D representation of the virtual world and animation
• Tools for developing multimedia applications
• Use of multimedia technologies for planning, description of
business processes and their visualization 2
 What is Multimedia?
• Derived from the word “Multi” and “Media”
Multi
• Many, Multiple,
Media
• Tools that is used to represent or do a certain things,
delivery medium, a form of mass communication –
newspaper, magazine / tv.
• Distribution tool & information presentation – text,
graphic, voice, images, music and etc.

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 WHAT IS MULTIMEDIA

• Multimedia is media and content that uses a

combination of different content forms.
• Multimedia includes a combination of text,
audio, still images, animation, video, and
interactivity content forms.

Text Audio Image Animation Video Interactivity

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Definition of Multimedia
• Multimedia is a combination of text, graphic, sound,
animation, and video that is delivered interactively
to the user by electronic or digitally manipulated
means. GRAPHIC
TEXT

VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

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 Elements of Multimedia
A broad term for something that contains words to
express something.
Text is the most basic element of multimedia.
A good choice of words could help convey the
intended message to the users (keywords).
Used in contents, menus, navigational buttons
GRAPHIC

TEXT

VIDEO

AUDIO

ANIMATION
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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

TEXT
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 Example

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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

GRAPHIC
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 Two-dimensional figure or illustration

 Could be produced manually (by drawing, painting,
carving, etc.) or by computer graphics technology.
 Used in multimedia to show more clearly what a
particular information is all about (diagrams, picture).

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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

GRAPHIC
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 Example

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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

AUDIO
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 Produced by vibration, as perceived by the

sense of hearing.
 In multimedia, audio could come in the form of
speech, sound effects and also music score.

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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

AUDIO
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 Example

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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

ANIMATION
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 The illusion of motion created by the consecutive

display of images of static elements.
 In multimedia, animation is used to further enhance /
enriched the experience of the user to further
understand the information conveyed to them.

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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

ANIMATION
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 Example

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 Elements of Multimedia
GRAPHIC
TEXT

VIDEO
VIDEO
AUDIO

ANIMATION

 Is the technology of capturing, recording, processing,

transmitting, and reconstructing moving pictures.
 Video is more towards photo realistic image sequence /
live recording as in comparison to animation.
 Video also takes a lot of storage space. So plan carefully
before you are going to use it.
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 Interactive Multimedia
• When the user is given the option of
controlling the elements.

Hyper Media
A combination of hypertext, graphics,
audio, video, (linked elements) and
interactivity culminating in a
complete, non-linear computer-based
experience.
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 Example

• Interactive Multimedia

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 Example

• Hypermedia
Main Page
1. Video link
2. Image link
3. Audio Link

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 Linear VS Non-Linear

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.
• Example:
• A movie
• A non-interactive lecture / demo show

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 Linear VS Non-Linear
NON-LINEAR

• A Multimedia Project is identified as Non-Linear when:

• It is interactive
• Users have control over the content that is being showed
to them.
• Users are given navigational control
• Example:
• Games
• Courseware
• Interactive CD

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 Authoring Tools

• Use to merge multimedia elements (text, audio,

graphic, animation, video) into a project.
• Designed to manage individual multimedia
elements and provide user interaction (if
required).

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Example:
 Macromedia Authorware Authoring Tools
 Macromedia Director
 Macromedia Flash
 Microsoft Power Point

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 Importance of Multimedia
• There are a number of fields where multimedia
could be of use. Examples are:-
• Business
• Education
• Entertainment
• Home
• Public Places

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 Importance of Multimedia
• Business
• Use and Applications
• Sales / Marketing Presentation
• Trade show production
• Staff Training Application
• Company Kiosk

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 Importance of Multimedia
• Education
• Use and Applications
• Courseware / Simulations
• E-Learning / Distance Learning
• Information Searching

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 Importance of Multimedia
• Entertainment
• Use and Applications
• Games (Leisure / Educational)
• Movies
• Video on Demand
• Online

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 Importance of Multimedia

• Home
• Use and Applications
• Television
• Satellite TV
• SMS services (chats, voting, reality TV)

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 Importance of Multimedia

• Public Places
• Use and Applications
• Information Kiosk
• Smart Cards, Security

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 Multimedia Products

1. Briefing Products (instruct or inform)

2. Reference Products
3. Database Products
4. Education and Training Products
5. Kiosk
6. Entertainment and Games

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 Multimedia Products

Briefing Products
• Small, straightforward, linear products used to present
information quickly and concisely.
• Characteristic of briefing product:
 Short Development Cycle
 Limited Number of Presentations
 Usage of text to present information with limited use
of graphic, audio and video.
 Have few navigational controls. (mouse click and
button press to move from one page to another)
 Content and the format are suitable for the audience
and fulfill the purpose of the presentation.

29 1/2
 Multimedia Products

Briefing Products
• Good briefing presentation depends on:
 The understanding of the presented subject.
 Seamless integration of content (smooth and without
seams)
 Consistent layout

• Example:
 Corporate Presentation
 Sales Presentation
 Educational Lectures

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 Multimedia Products

Reference
• Products
Often used for answering specific questions or for general
browsing of information. (stored on CD/ DVD ROM)
• Characteristic of reference product:
 Used by wide range of user (small – adult)
 Have navigational menu, book marking, searching, printing
utility

• 2 Basic classes of reference product:

 Generalized Content (dictionary/encyclopedia)
 Broad treatment of content at a limited depth
 Detailed Content
 Focus on specific area and provide extensive
information.
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 Multimedia Products

Reference
• Products
Good usability and success depends on:
 The developers understanding the body of
information and how the end user will want to access
it.
 Help function should always available to explain how
to access and use the information
• Examples are electronic forms of:
 Encyclopedia
 Dictionaries
 Cookbooks, Historical, Informative
 Scientific surveys.

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 Multimedia Products

Reference
• Products
Example:

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 Multimedia Products

Database
• Products
Similar to reference product in a sense that large amount of
information are made available to the end user.
• Focus on storing and accessing the actual data (multimedia
data such as text, graphic, audio, animation and video)

• Characteristics of Database Products are:

 Manages multimedia data (large data)
 Descriptive finding methods
 Content based search
 Simultaneous access
 Online database
 Relational consistency in data management.

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 Multimedia Products

Database
• Products
Examples are:
 Google Search
 Google Earth

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 Multimedia Products

Education and Training

Products
• Similar to textbook or training manuals but have added media
such as audio, animation and video.
• Make up a significant share of the multimedia market ranging
from pre-kindergarten to postgraduate offerings from technical
to corporate training products.

• 2 categories of reference product:

 Instructor Support Products
 Standalone or Self-Paced Products
 Combination Products

• Shares the same characteristics as Reference Product

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 Multimedia Products

Education and Training

Products
• Example

37 2/2
 Multimedia Products

Kiosk Products
• A product which is usually stationed at public places and allow
the user to find information interactively and also other types
of transaction.

• Characteristics of Kiosk Products:-

 Limited target users and usage.
 User friendly and easily used by user.
 Fast response.

38 1/2
 Multimedia Products

Kiosk Products
• Categories of Kiosk
 Point Of Information
 Provide certain information (example map, timetable
etc)
 Point Of Sales System
 Allow users to purchase or make orders

• Example of Kiosk Products:-

 Instant Photo Booth
 Banking Kiosk (money deposit, cheque)
 University Information Kiosk

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 Multimedia Products

Entertainment &
• Games
Most popular
• Shipped in the form of Interactive CD / DVD ROM.
• Characteristics of E & G Products:-
 Immersive ((of a computer display or system) generating a three-
dimensional image that appears to surround the user)
 Requires constant feedback and interaction with the user.
 Challenging and sometimes intriguing for user
 Enabled online play for more than one user experience.

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Multimedia research topics

Multimedia processing and coding.

Multimedia system support and

networking.

Multimedia tools, end-systems and

applications.

Multi-modal interaction and integration.

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Multimedia Characteristics

Diversity (variety)

Integrativity

Interactivity

Real-timing

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History of Multimedia
• 1984 ： Apple→Macintosh
• Image Processing: Bitmap

• Graphical User Interface: Windows, Icon

• Interactive Device: Mouse

Macintosh Graphical Power Mac G5

User Interface 43
 History of Multimedia

• 1985 ： Commodore→Amiga Multimedia System

• Graphics Processor:Agnus 8370
• Audio Processor: Paula 8364
• Video Processor: Denise 8362
• Multi-tasking OS: Menu, Icon, Multi-Window
• 1986 ： Philips/Sony→CD-I Interactive CD
• Release CD-ROM international standard

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History of Multimedia

• 1987 ： RCA→DVI (Digital Video Interface)

• 1989 ： Intel/IBM→ActionMedia 750
• 1991 ： Intel/IBM→ActionMedia 750Ⅱ
• 1992 ： Microsoft→Windows 3.1

95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/Win7

• 1996 ： Intel→Pentium Pro

MMX(Multimedia Extension)
PC→MPC(Multimedia Era)

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 Multimedia Computer
• Multimedia Computer (MPC): a computer that is
optimized for high multimedia performance,
enabling rich multimedia experience.

• MPC ＝ PC ＋ CD-ROM ＋ SOUND BOARD ＋

GRAPHICS CARD ＋ MULTIMEDIA OS

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Multimedia System Architecture

Multimedia Applications

Multimedia Develop Tools

Multimedia Operating System

Multimedia Drivers

Multimedia Hardware System

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 Multimedia System Components

• Hardware
• Computer

• Multimedia Cards

Graphics Card Audio Card Video Card

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 Multimedia System Components

• Peripheral Equipments MIC + Headset

CD/DVD
ROM Scanner Touch Screen LCD Monitor

Digital Digital Video Web Camera Projector

Camera

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 Multimedia System Components
• Software
• System Software
• Multimedia Drivers
• Multimedia Operating System
• Support Software (Develop Tools)
• Text : Cool3D, Microsoft Word, etc.
• Audio: CoolEdit, Audition, Cakewalk, etc.
• Graphics/Image: CorelDRAW, Photoshop, PhotoImpact, etc.
• Animation: Flash, 3d Max, Maya, etc.
• Video: Premiere, Media Studio, etc.

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 Multimedia System Components

• Multimedia Authoring Tools

• PowerPoint
• Authorware
• Dreamweaver
• Multimedia Programming Languages
• VB, VC++, C#, Delphi, etc.

• Multimedia Applications

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Applications of Multimedia

• Advertisements
• Art
• Education
• Entertainment
• Engineering
• Medicine,
• Mathematics
• Business,
• Scientific research
• Spatial temporal applications
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Multimedia Software Tools
Software tools

• Nowadays small multimedia features are included in all

desktop software that you can use to create
documents.
• The software in your multimedia toolkit and your skill at
using it determine what kind of multimedia work you
can do and how fine and fancy you can render it.
• Making good multimedia means picking the right route
through the software swamp.

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Elemental Tools

Elemental tools help us work with the important basic elements of your
project: its graphics, images, sound, text and moving pictures.
Elemental tools includes:
• Painting And Drawing Tools
• Cad And 3-D Drawing Tools
• Image Editing Tools
• OCR Software
• Sound Editing Programs
• Tools For Creating Animations And Digital Movies
• Helpful Accessories

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 Painting And Drawing Tools
Painting and drawing tools are the
most important items in your toolkit
because the impact of the graphics in
your project will likely have the
greatest influence on the end user.
Painting software is dedicated to
producing excellent bitmapped
images .
Drawing software is dedicated to
producing line art that is easily
printed to paper. Drawing packages
include powerful and expensive
computer-aided design (CAD)
software.
Ex: Illustrator, Photoshop, Designer
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 CAD And 3-D Drawing Tools
‍CAD (computer-aided design) is a software used by architects, engineers,
drafters, artists and others to create precision drawings or technical
illustrations. It can be used to create two-dimensional (2-D) drawings or
three dimensional modules. The CAD images can spin about in space, with
lighting conditions exactly simulated and shadows properly drawn. With
CAD software you can stand in front of your work and view it from any
angle, making judgments about its design.
Ex: AutoCAD

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 Image Editing Tools
Image editing applications are
specialized and powerful tools for
enhancing and retouching existing
bitmapped images. These programs are
also indispensable for rendering images
used in multimedia presentations.
Modern versions of these programs
also provide many of the features and
tools of painting and drawing
programs, and can be used to create
images from scratch as well as images
digitized from scanners, digital
cameras or artwork files created by
painting or drawing packages.
Ex: Photoshop
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 OCR Software
Often you will have printed
matter and other text to
incorporate into your
project, but no electronic
text file. With Optical
Character Recognition
(OCR) software, a flat-bed
scanner and your computer
you can save many hours of
typing printed words and
get the job done faster and
more accurately.
Ex: OmniPage

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 Sound Editing Programs
Sound editing tools for both
digitized and MIDI sound let you
see music as well as hear it. By
drawing the representation of the
sound in a waveform, you can
cut, copy, paste and edit
segments of the sound with great
precision and making your own
sound effects.
Using editing tools to make your
own MIDI files requires
knowing about keys, notations
and instruments and you will
need a MIDI synthesizer or
device connected to the
computer.
Ex: Audacity, Sound Forge
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Musical Instrument Digital Interface
Tools For Creating Animations And Digital
Movies
Animations and digital movies are sequences of bitmapped
graphic scenes (frames), rapidly played back. But animations
can also be made within an authoring system by rapidly
changing the location of objects to generate an appearance of
motion.
Movie-making tools let you edit and assemble video clips
captured from camera, animations, scanned images, other
digitized movie segments. The completed clip, often with
added transition and visual effects can be played back.

Ex: Flash, Premiere

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Helpful Accessories (materials)

No multimedia toolkit is complete

without a few indispensable
utilities to perform some odd, but
repeated tasks. These are the
accessories. For example a screen-
grabber is essential, because
bitmap images are so common in
multimedia, it is important to have
a tool for grabbing all or part of
the screen display so you can
import it into your authoring
system or copy it into an image
editing application.
Ex: SnagIt, Camtasia Studio,
Camstudio
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Card- or Page-based Tools

In these authoring systems,

elements are organized as pages
of a book or stack of cards. The
authoring system lets you link
these pages or cards into
organized sequence and they
also allow you to play sound
elements and launch animations
and digital videos.
Page-based authoring systems are
object-oriented: the objects are
the buttons, graphics and etc.
Each object may contain a
programming script activated
when an event related to that
object occurs.
EX: Visual Basic, Toolbook
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Icon-based Authoring Tools

Icon-based, event-driven tools

provide a visual programming
approach to organizing and
presenting multimedia. First
you build the flowchart of
events, tasks and decisions by
using appropriate icons from a
library. These icons can
include menu choices, graphic
images and sounds. When the
flowchart is built, you can add
your content: text, graphics,
animations, sounds and video
movies.
EX: Authorware Professional

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Time-based Authoring Tools

Time-based authoring tools are the most common of multimedia

authoring tools. In these authoring systems, elements are organized
along a time line.
They are the best to use when you have message with the beginning
and an end. Sequentially organized graphic frames are played back at
the speed that you can set.
Other elements (such as audio events) are triggered at the given time
or location in the sequence of events.

EX: Director, Flash

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Bit-mapped Graphic Data

• Capturing still images

using a digital camera
• Using a CCD to capture
light coming in through a
lens
• CCD charged coupled
device: uses sensors to
capture light
• Capturing images using a
scanner: also uses CCD

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Bit-mapped Graphic Data

JPEG

• Uses lossy compression: parts of the graphic are cut

out, e.g. shades of colour. At low rates of
compression this is not noticeable.

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Bit-mapped Graphic Data

• JPEG format suitable for

storing photographs
and paintings.

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Bit-mapped Graphic Data

Trading quality for file size

• Resolution: increasing resolution increases the
number of pixels, can improve the quality of a
graphic but increases the file size.
• Colour depth: increasing colour depth increases the
number of colours or shades of grey, can improve
the quality of a graphic but increases the file size.
• Lossy compression: reduces file size and, providing
the rate of compression is not too high, does not
affect the quality of the graphic.

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Bit-mapped Graphic Data

Hardware for displaying 2D

graphics

• CRT monitor: bulky, heavy, run on

mains power, cost less than
equivalent TFT screens.
• LCD and TFT screens: flat, light,
need less power, more expensive
than CRT.

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Digitised Sound Data

Hardware for capturing sound

• Microphone

• Sound cards: to sample, store and process audio

data.

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Digitised Sound Data

Uncompressed sound data

• RAW: Uncompressed samples of sound waves

0101010101010101 1111111101010101

0011001100101011 1100101000110001

• RIFF: Resource Interchange File Format

• WAV: Microsoft's format for sound files, part of
RIFF

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 Digitised Sound Data

• Lossy compression: reduces file sizes by cutting out

some of the data.

• MP3: uses lossy compression without noticeable loss of

sound quality.

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Digitised Sound Data

Balancing file size and sound quality

• Sampling depth: increased sound depth = greater range

of values = better sound quality and greater file size.
• Sampling frequency: The higher the sampling
frequency, the better the sound quality, the greater the
file size.
• Sound time: affects file size but not quality.

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Video Data

Hardware for capturing

images

• Digital video camera

• Web cam

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Video Data
Compressing video data
• MPEG-2
Lossy compression: cuts out unnecessary parts of a
video clip

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Video Data
Compressing video data

Using MP3 compression:

 Reduces file sizes
 With no noticeable loss of
video quality.

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Vector Graphics Data
Basic features of vector graphics
• They are scalable: resolution independent.
• In a vector graphic individual objects can be edited.
• Graphics can be assembled by placing objects in
layers.

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79
Vector Graphics Data
Attributes of a 3D image:

• Shape
• Position
• Size
• Rotation
• Texture

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Synthesised Sound Data

Musical Instrument Digital Interface: MIDI

Common attributes of notes stored as MIDI data:

• Instrument: defines which instrument is

playing
• Pitch: defines the height of the note
• Volume: determines the amplitude
• Duration: determines the length of the note.

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Summary

• Choosing the right software package, programming language or

authoring system is the key question.
• Desktop software are becoming more multimedia powerful.
• The software development in multimedia is likely to be the least
understood part of the process for a client.

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References
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
• Ideas/Slides from Fatimah Khalid Jabatan Multimedia, FSKTM,
UPM

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List of required textbooks and additional resources

Required Textbook:
• Brown G., Sargent B., and Watson D. Cambridge IGCSE ICT. - London:
Hodder Education Group, 2015. -439 p. [BW]
• Williams, B. K. and Sawyer, S. Using information technology: A practical
introduction to computers & communications.- New York: McGraw-Hil.,
- 8th ed. 2010. -563 p. [WS]

Alternative Textbook:
• Watson, D. and Williams, H. – Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science:
Hodder Edu.; 3 ed. 2015.-278 p. [W]

Additional resources:
• Evans, V. Information technology. Books 1-3: English for specific
purposes .- 5th impr.- Newbury: Express Publishing, 2014.- 40 p. [E]

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