CS382 Multimedia System

A Multimedia System is a system capable of processing multimedia data and applications.

A Multimedia System is characterized by the processing, storage, generation, manipulation and
rendition of Multimedia information.
Multimedia System are information systems that combine the different types of media.
Professional Multimedia System , especially when being created, involve many participants with
a wide breadth of experience. Multimedia systems encompass the entire information process.
Characteristics of a Multimedia System
A Multimedia system has four basic characteristics:
Multimedia systems must be computer controlled.
Multimedia systems are integrated.
The information they handle must be represented digitally.
The interface to the final presentation of media is usually interactive.
multimedia systems are information systems that include combinations of media
text, hypertext and numbers
audio
images andor animations
video
the differences between print and multimedia
different modes of display
interactivity and involvement of participants in multimedia systems
Challenges for Multimedia Systems
!upporting multimedia applications over a computer networ" renders the application distributed.
This will involve many special computing techni#ues
Multimedia systems may have to render a variety of media at the same instant $$ a distinction
from normal applications.
There is a temporal relationship between many forms of media %e.g. &ideo and Audio. There ' are forms
of problems here
!e#uencing within the media $$ playing frames in correct order/time frame in video
Synchronization $$ inter$media scheduling %e.g. &ideo and Audio(. )ip synchronization is
clearly important for humans to watch playbac" of video and audio and even animation and
audio. *ver tried watching an out of %lip( sync film for a long time+
The "ey issues multimedia systems need to deal with here are:
,ow to represent and store temporal information.
,ow to strictly maintain the temporal relationships on play bac"retrieval
-hat processes are involved in the above+
.ata has to represented digitally so many initial source of data needs to be digitize $$ translated
from analog source to digital representation.
This will involve scanning %graphics, still images(, sampling %audiovideo( although digital cameras
now exist for direct scene to digital capture of images and video.
The data is large several Mb easily for audio and video $$ therefore storage, transfer %bandwidth(
and processing overheads are high. .ata compression techni#ues very common.
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Desirable Features for a Multimedia System
Very High Processing Power
$$ needed to deal with large data processing and real time delivery of media. !pecial hardware
commonplace.
Multimedia Capable ile System
$$ needed to deliver real$time media $$ e.g. &ideoAudio !treaming. !pecial ,ardware!oftware
needed e.g 1A2. technology.
!ata "epresentations/ile ormats that support multimedia
$$ .ata representationsfile formats should be easy to handle yet allow for
compressiondecompression in real$time.
#fficient and High $/%
$$ input and output to the file subsystem needs to be efficient and fast. 3eeds to allow for real$
time recording as well as playbac" of data. e.g. .irect to .is" recording systems.
Special %perating System
$$ to allow access to file system and process data efficiently and #uic"ly. 3eeds to support direct
transfers to dis", real$time scheduling, fast interrupt processing, 24 streaming etc.
Storage and Memory
$$ large storage units %of the order of 56 $/66 7b or more( and large memory %56 $/66 Mb or
more(. )arge 8aches also re#uired and fre#uently of )evel ' and 9 hierarchy for efficient
management.
&etwor' Support
$$ 8lient$server systems common as distributed systems common.
Software (ools
$$ user friendly tools needed to handle media, design and develop applications, deliver media.
Components of a Multimedia System
Capture devices
$$ &ideo 8amera, &ideo 1ecorder, Audio Microphone, :eyboards, mice, graphics tablets, 9.
input devices, tactile sensors, &1 devices. .igitising!ampling ,ardware
Storage !evices
$$ ,ard dis"s, 8.$14Ms, ;az<ip drives, .&., etc
Communication &etwor's
$$ *thernet, To"en 1ing, 0..2, ATM, 2ntranets, 2nternets.
Computer Systems
$$ Multimedia .es"top machines, -or"stations, MP*7&2.*4.!P ,ardware
!isplay !evices
$$ 8.$#uality spea"ers, ,.T&,!&7A, ,i$1es monitors, 8olour printers etc.
he demands placed on hard!are by multimedia systems
primary and secondary storage capacity needs to be large as a result of
bit depth and the representation of colour data
sampling rates for audio data
processing needs to be fast as a result of:
video data and frame rates
image processing, including morphing and distorting
animation processing
display devices need to be high resolution as a result of:
pixels and image resolution
Fields of e"pertise re#uired in the de$elopment of multimedia applications
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content providers
system designers and pro=ect managers
those s"illed in the collection and editing of each of the media types
those s"illed in design and layout
those with technical s"ills with the information technology being used
%"amples of multimedia systems
Multimedia is described as having four ma=or areas of use
education and training uses multimedia systems designed for teachinglearning
leisure and entertainment such as computer games and other leisure activities
information "ios"s
$irtual reality and simulations such as 0light !imulator
combined areas such as educational games
&d$ances in technology
Technological advances are influencing multimedia developments
-orld -ide -eb and communication speed and capacity
8.$14M speed
.igital &ideo .isc
MP9 Music players such as iPod
Displaying in multimedia systems
'ard!are for creating and displaying multimedia
screens: 81T displays, )8. displays, touch screens
pro=ection devices
spea"ers, sound systems
8.$14M
video
head$up displays and head$sets
Soft!are for creating and displaying multimedia
presentation software
application software such as word$processors with sound notes and video
authoring software
animation software
web browsers and ,TM) editors
(ther information processes in multimedia systems
Processing
the integration of text andor number, audio, image andor video
compression and decompression of audio, video and images
hypermedia as the lin"ing of different media to another
%rganizing
organizing presentations using different storyboard layouts, including:
linear
hierarchical
non$linear
a combination of these
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Storing and retrieving
the different file formats used to store different types of data
compression and decompression
Collecting
text and numbers in digital format
audio, video and images in analog format
methods for digitizing analog data
$ssues related to multimedia systems
copyright: the ac"nowledgment of source data and the ease with which digital data can be
modified
appropriate use of the 2nternet and the wide spread application of new developments on it such
as live video data
the con$ergence of radio, television, communications and the 2nternet with the increase and
improvements in digitisation
the integrity of the original source data in educational and other multimedia systems.

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