MULTIMEDIA

Multi: more than one

• Medium (singular): middle, intermediary, mean

• Media (plural): means for conveying information
- Media in the press, newspaper, radio and TV context - mass media
- Media in communications: cables, satellite, network – transmission media
- Media in computer storage: floppy, CD, DVD, HD, USB – storage media
- Media in HCI context: text, image, audio, video, CG – interaction media

• Multimedia: refers to various information forms text, image, audio, video,

graphics, and animation in a variety of application environments

Multimedia … : product, application, technology, platform, board, device, network

computer, system, classroom, school, … Word “multimedia” is widely used to mean
many different things
 What is Multimedia in terms of Computing
Computing: Computer-based technologies and applications
->What computers? -> Various forms of computers/devices!
In terms of computing, four fundamental multimedia attributes:
- Digitized: All media including audio/video are represented in digital
format
- Distributed: The information conveyed is remote, either pre-produced
and stored or produced in realtime, distributed over networks
- Interactive: It is possible to affect the information received, and send
own information, in a non-trivial way beyond start, stop, fast forward
- Integrated: The media are treated in a uniform way

• Definition of Multimedia: Computer-based techniques of text, images,

audio, video, graphics, animation, and any other medium where every
type of information can be represented, processed, stored, transmitted,
produced and presented digitally.
 A Classification of Multimedia

• Text - ASCII/Unicode, HTML, Postscript, PDF

• Audio – Sound, music, speech, structured audio (e.g. MIDI)
• Still Image - Facsimile, photo, scanned image
• Video (Moving Images) – Movie, a sequence of pictures
• Graphics – Computer produced image
• Animation – A sequence of graphics images
 Characteristics of Multimedia
The demands of multimedia systems are nothing like the demands of
conventional applications. Mostly, multimedia systems may have the
below-mentioned characteristics:

• Multimedia files can be relatively large. Let's take an example; a

100-minute MPEG-1 video file uses roughly 1.125 GB of storage,
100 minutes of high-definition television needs roughly 15 GB of
storage.

• Continuous media might need very high data rates. Think of a

digital video, wherein a frame of color video is displayed at a
resolution having 800 x 600.

• Multimedia applications are quite sensitive to time delays at some

point in playback.
 Multimedia Application
With the help of multimedia, presentation can be made effective.
• E-books: Today, books are digitized and easily available on the Internet.
• Digital Library: The need to be physically present at a library is no more
necessary. Libraries can be accessed from the Internet also. Digitization has
helped libraries to come to this level of development.
• E-learning: Today, most of the institutions (public as well as private both) are
using such technology to education people.
• Movie making : Most of the special effects that we see in any movie, is only
because of multimedia technology.
• Video games: Video games are one of the most interesting creations of
multimedia technology. Video games fascinate not only the children but adults
too.
• Animated films : Along with video games, animated film is another great source
of entertainment for children.
• Multimedia conferencing : People can arrange personal as well as business
meetings online with the help of multimedia conferencing technology.
• E-shopping: Multimedia technology has created a virtual arena for the e-
commerce.
 Media Delivery
Multimedia data gets stored in the file system just as any other data. The main dissimilarity between a
regular file and multimedia file is that the multimedia files have to be accessed at an exact rate but
accessing a regular file requires no particular timing. The video is usually represented by a sequence of
images which is known as frames which are used to display in rapid succession. The faster the frames are
displayed to users the smoother the video looks. Mostly, a rate of 24 to 30 frames per second has to be
necessary for the video for appearing smooth to human eyes.

When any data gets delivered from the local file system, you can refer to that delivery as 'local playback'.
Multimedia files can also be stored on a remote server and delivered to a client across a network with a
technique called streaming.

There are two types of streaming techniques:

• progressive download and
• real-time streaming

With a progressive download, any media file having both audio and video can be downloaded and stored
on the users' local file system. Real-time streaming varies from progressive download wherein the media
file gets streamed to the client but can be only played—and not stored/downloaded — by the client.

As the media file does not get stored on the client system, real-time streaming is much preferred to
progressive download for media files which might be too large to store on system, like long videos and
Internet radio or TV broadcasts.
 Multimedia Devices
Types of multimedia devices include microphones, speakers, cameras and headphones. A
multimedia device is computer hardware designed to display, store, record or play
multimedia content such as photos, music and videos.

• People use multimedia audio devices to record and play audio such as speech, sound
effects and music. The most common multimedia device for recording audio is a
microphone, which can be an internal microphone built into a computer or an external
microphone attached to a computer with a plug. Some headsets provide a microphone to
record audio along with speakers in the headphones to play audio. Other devices that
play audio are external speakers and earphones.

• Multimedia video devices are designed for recording and playing videos, animations and
slide shows. Recording devices include cameras, which are often built into a computer or
phone. Dedicated camcorders are separate devices that record live action and can be
attached to a computer with a cable. Display screens and digital projectors are multimedia
devices for playing video.

• People use similar devices to take and display photos. For example, they use cameras to
take photos and display screens to view them. Cameras can be built into a computer,
making them webcams. They can be separate devices, such as a point-and-shoot digital
camera, and they can also be built into a phone.
 Multimedia Hardware
a) Basic Hardware of a Multimedia Computer System:
i) Microprocessor: Heart of a multimedia computer system. It performs all the data processing in
the computer and displays the results.
ii) Main Memory (RAM): The size of main memory is a significant factor in determining the
potential of a computer. The higher the size, the higher the capacity of the computer.
iii) CD‐ROM Drive: Replaced the floppy disk as the medium of storage and distribution of media
software.
(1) Advantages over floppy disk: include its speed and ability to store more data.
(2) Speed of CD‐ROM: measured in ―X‖ unit. X = 150 KB/s
iv) Digital Versatile Disk (DVD): Successor of CD‐ROM, can store upto 4.7 GB in one surface.
(1) Advantages of DVD: It can store data on both sides (storage dbl) and is much
faster than a CD‐ROM.
iv) Video Capture Card: OR simply the Graphics Card is the hardware used to support multimedia
applications especially video and graphic displays.
(1) No. of Colours = 2n , where n is the bit‐rate. Eg. 8‐bit graphics card supports 256 (28)
colours only.
(2) Resolution: 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x1024 pixels etc
(3) Memory in the video capture card is used to keep video data which has been processed by
the microprocessor for the smooth display of video or graphics on screen.
vi) Sound Card and Speakers: Enables us to listen to music or songs on a multimedia computer.
vii) Communication Device ‐ MODEM: Abbreviation of modulation‐demodulation. Modulation is
converting digital signals to analog while vice versa is for demodulation. Modem allows computers
to communicate with each other via telephone lines. In order to access internet we need a modem
or ISDN or DSL or cable modem or satellite connection. Modem Speed is in Kbps.
 Multimedia Hardware
b) Input Devices: collect data and programs that are understandable by humans and convert them into
forms that can be processed by computers. We require input devices to enter the multimedia elements
such as sound, text, graphic designs and video, into the multimedia computer.
i) Digitising Tablets: A device that can be used to precisely trace or copy a picture or a
painting. While the stylus is used to trace the material, the computer records its positions
through the digitising tablet. After which the image will be displayed on screen.
ii) Digital Camera: Enables images or graphics to be transferred directly from the digital
camera to a computer with just a cable extension.
iii) Digital Video Camera: Record movements digitally onto a disk or in the camera's memory.
iv) Voice Input Devices: Converts human speeches to digital code. Eg. Microphone

c) Output Devices: Converts information that can be read by machines to a form that can be read by
humans.
i) Monitor: Used for display.
(1) Size: Diagonal length of the display area. Eg 14, 15, 17 and 21 inches
(2) Clarity: Measured in pixels (picture elements that form the image on screen).
(3) Resolution: Density of the pixels on the screen. The higher the density, the higher the
resolution and more clarity.
(4) Dot Pitch: Distance between each pixel. The smaller the dot pitch, the clearer the screen.
(5) Refresh rate: Speed of the monitor to refresh the image being displayed. The higher the
refresh rate, the lower the disruption of display on screen.

ii) Projector: A tool that enables a multimedia presentation to be displayed to a large group of audience.
There are two kinds of projectors:
 Multimedia Hardware
(1) Liquid Crystal Display Panel projector: Has an LCD panel, light source, computer and video
input, and internal speakers that can operate computer signals and video. It is cheap and a
high‐quality.

(2) Three‐Gun Video Projector: Capable of displaying high‐quality images and is usually used in
large halls. However, such projectors are very expensive.

d) Storage (Secondary): Saves your work to be used later to be shared with others or to modify.
Secondary storage enables data, instructions or computer programs to be kept permanently, even after
the computer is switched off.
There are 3 types of hard disks:

i) Internal Hard Disk: Permanent disk placed inside the systems unit. Stores all the programs (Eg. OS,
word processors etc) and data of the systems file. Fixed storage and not easily removable.

ii) Hard Disk Cartridge: Easily removable just like retrieving a cassette from a video recorder. Total
storage of the computer is limited by the number of cartridges. More easily used as a backup copy.

iii) Hard Disk Pack: A portable storage medium. Its capacity far exceeds other hard disk types.
 Categorization
Linear active content progresses often without any
navigational control for the viewer such as a cinema
presentation.

Non-linear uses interactivity to control progress as

with a video game or self-paced computer based
training. Hypermedia is an example of non-linear
content.
 Advantages of using Multimedia
• It is very user-friendly. It doesn’t take much energy out of the
user, in the sense that you can sit and watch the presentation, you
can read the text and hear the audio.
• It is multi sensorial. It uses a lot of the user’s senses while making
use of multimedia, for example hearing, seeing and talking.
• It is integrated and interactive. All the different mediums are
integrated through the digitisation process. Interactivity is
heightened by the possibility of easy feedback.
• It is flexible. Being digital, this media can easily be changed to fit
different situations and audiences.
• It can be used for a wide variety of audiences, ranging from one
person to a whole group.
 Disadvantages of using Multimedia
• Information overload. Because it is so easy to use, it can contain
too much information at once.
• It takes time to compile. Even though it is flexible, it takes time to
put the original draft together.
• It can be expensive. As mentioned in one of my previous posts,
multimedia makes use of a wide range of resources, which can
cost you a large amount of money.
• Large files like video and audio has an effect of the time it takes
for your presentation to load. Adding too much can mean that you
have to use a larger computer to store the files.
 Hypertext and Hypermedia
Hypertext is a text which contains links to other texts. The term was
invented by Ted Nelson around 1965.
Information is linked and cross-referenced in many different ways and
is widely available to end users.
Hypertext means a database in which information (text) has been
organized nonlinearly. The database consists of pages and links
between pages.
A link is defined by source and destination nodes, and by an anchor in
the source node.
Two types of link:
• Internal link
• External link
Hypertext and Hypermedia
 Hypertext and Hypermedia

Hypermedia is not constrained to be

text based. It can include other
media, e.g., graphics, images, and
especially the continuous media –
sound and video.
 Challenges faced by Multimedia Technology
i) Computer Equipments: If the multimedia system or multimedia software can be developed
successfully, but if there is no equivalent equipment to support it, then these efforts are all in vain.
The equipment issues that are the focus for research and development are the computers
performance, mobility and speed.
ii) Operating Systems: The Windows XP operating system is an example of a system that can support
multimedia applications. However, the development of operating systems still requires further
research and progress.
iii) Storage: main focus of computer developers is to obtain a faster way of processing and a high
capacity but smaller sized storage medium. Upcoming probable storage mediums of the future:
(1) Holograms: Can also store a large batch of data. In the near future, holograms
would not only take over the place of a hard drive but may even replace memory
chips. However, the use of holograms as a storage mediums still require extensive and
detailed technological research.
(2) Molecular Magnet: Recently, researchers successfully created a microscopic
magnet. In the near future, one may be able to use the molecule magnet, in the size
of a pinhead, to keep hundreds of gigabytes of data.
iv) Virtual Environment: Virtual environment is a new challenge in the multimedia system. If this virtual
technology can be developed rapidly, you would no longer be required to spend so much on overseas
tours. You only have to sit at home and visit the country that you like through virtual technology! Virtual
environment is mostly used in flight training or in the military.
(1) Web3D Consortium is working hard to bring virtual environment technology to the
Web.
(2) VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling Language) language development program
which is an object based language that enables you to create a 3D navigational space on the
Web.
 Multimedia authoring system
An Authoring System is a program which has pre-programmed elements for the development of
interactive multimedia Application.
Advantages:
• Provides an environment to organize and edit the elements of Multimedia project.
• Each authoring tool support separate scripting language, so that the developer can create more
interactivity
• requires less Technical Knowledge
• requires 1/8th the time to develop an interactive multimedia project, because of re-use of codes.

Authoring Vs Programming
Authoring
• assembly of Multimedia
• possibly high level graphical interface design
• some high level scripting.
Programming
• involves low level assembly of Multimedia
• construction and control of Multimedia
• involves real languages like C and Java.
Example
• Flash
• Macro media Director
• Tool book
• Author ware
 Multimedia file systems
Multimedia Applications and Systems are getting more and more involved in our
everyday lives. Their main purpose is to deal with various media types like pictures,
video data, audio data and text. Video and audio belong to continuous media data.
Pictures and text belong to discrete media data.
When most people refer to multimedia, they generally mean thecombination of two or
more continuous media. In practice, the two mediaare normally audio and video, that
is, sound plus moving pictures.

Need:
The challenge on multimedia systems are media types that need to beplayed
continuosly. That means that the data that should be played hasto arrive in real time
(or at least until a certain strict deadline).
Continuous media data differs from discrete data but not only in its real time
characteristics. A challenge for these systems is also the synchronization of pictures and
the according sound. Hence these can be two different data streams, it is important to
synchronize these before showing them on the monitor.

Another difference to discrete data is the file size. Video and audio need much more
storage space than text data and the multimedia file system has to organize this data
on disk in a way that efficiently uses the limited storage.