Unit-7 Multimedia and the Web

Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination

of different content forms such as text, audio, images,
animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in
contrast to traditional mass media, such as printed material or
audio recordings, which features little to no interaction between
users.
Multimedia as name suggests is the combination of Multi and
Media that is many types of media (hardware/software) used for
communication of information.
Elements of Multimedia

1. Text
- Text is the basic element of multimedia. It involves the use of text types,
sizes, colors and background colors.
- In multimedia, text is mostly use for titles, headlines, menu, paragraph, list etc.
- In a multimedia application, other media or screen can be linked through the use
of text. This is what you call Hypertext.
- The most commonly used software for viewing text files are Microsoft
Word, Notepad, Word pad etc. Mostly the text files are formatted with ,
DOC, TXT etc extension.

2. Graphics
- It is a digital representation of non-text information, such as a drawing,
chart, or photograph.
- 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 vectors
 (draw graphics).
- Bitmaps graphics also called raster graphics. A bitmap represents the
images as an array of dots called pixels. Bitmap graphics are resolution
dependent and generate large file sizes.
- Vectors graphics are images drawn on the computer with software that uses
geometrical formulas to represent images and only require a small amount of
memory.

3. Video
- Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing,
storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing
scenes in motion.
- Photographic images that are played back at speeds of 15 to 30 frames a
second and the provide the appearance of full motion.

The use of video:

- The embedding of video in multimedia applications is a powerful way to
convey information which can incorporate a personal element which other
media lack.
- Promoting television shows, films, or other non-computer media that
traditionally have used trailers in their advertising.
- Giving users an impression of a speaker’s personality.
 - Showing things that move. For example a clip from a motion picture.
Product demos of physical products are also well suited for video.

4. Audio
- In multimedia audio means related with recording, playing etc. - Audio is an
important components of multimedia because this component increase the
understandability and improves the clarity of the concept. - Audio includes
speech, music or any other sound.

The use of sound:

- Music
§ Background
§ Attention grabber
§ Sound effect
- Speech
§ Narration
§ Instruction

5. Animation
- Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D artwork or
model positions in order to create an illusion of movement.
- It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of
vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways. - Entertainment
multimedia titles in general, and children’s titles specifically, rely heavily on
animation.

Image File Format

Image Format describes how data related to the image will be stored. Data can be
stored in compressed, Uncompressed, or vector format. Each format of the image
has a different advantage and disadvantage. Image types such as TIFF are good for
printing while JPG or PNG, are best for the web.

∙ TIFF(.tif, .tiff) Tagged Image File Format this format store image data
without losing any data. It does not perform any compression on images,
and a high-quality image is obtained but the size of the image is also
large, which is good for printing, and professional printing.
∙ JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg) Joint Photographic Experts Group is a loss-prone
(lossy) format in which data is lost to reduce the size of the image. Due
to compression, some data is lost but that loss is very less. It is a very
common format and is good for digital cameras, nonprofessional prints,
E-Mail, Powerpoint, etc., making it ideal for web use.
∙ GIF (.gif) GIF or Graphics Interchange Format files are used for web
graphics. They can be animated and are limited to only 256 colors, which
can allow for transparency. GIF files are typically small in size and are
portable.
∙ PNG (.png) PNG or Portable Network Graphics files are a lossless image
format. It was designed to replace gif format as gif supported 256 colors
unlike PNG which support 16 million colors.
∙ Bitmap (.bmp) Bit Map Image file is developed by Microsoft for
windows. It is same as TIFF due to lossless, no compression property.
Due to BMP being a proprietary format, it is generally recommended to
use TIFF files.
∙ EPS (.eps) Encapsulated PostScript file is a common vector file type. EPS
files can be opened in applications such as Adobe Illustrator or
CorelDRAW.
∙ RAW Image Files (.raw, .cr2, .nef, .orf, .sr2) These Files are unprocessed
and created by a camera or scanner. Many digital SLR cameras can shoot
in RAW, whether it be a .raw, .cr2, or .nef. These images are the
equivalent of a digital negative, meaning that they hold a lot of image
information. These images need to be processed in an editor such as
Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. It saves metadata and is used for
photography.
Web Based Multimedia
Web-based multimedia, however, is a term used to describe the multimedia
(sound, video, or animation, text and images) found within web pages. Similar
to others, web-based multimedia pages display information requested by the user
through hyperlinks.
Future of Web based multimedia
The future of digital media will evolve as new tools emerge, consumers make new
demands, and the quality and accessibility of the technologies improve. The rise of
mobile video, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and the more refined
use of data analytics will all influence the future of digital media.

Multimedia in business
Applications of Multimedia
Following are the common areas of applications of multimedia.
∙ Multimedia in Business- Multimedia can be used in many applications
in a business. The multimedia technology along with communication
technology has opened the door for information of global wok groups.
Today the team members may be working anywhere and can work for
various companies. Thus the work place will become global. The
multimedia network should support the following facilities:
o Voice Mail
o Electronic Mail
o Multimedia based FAX
o Office Needs
o Employee Training
o Sales and Other types of Group Presentation
o Records Management
∙ Multimedia in Marketing and Advertising- By using multimedia
marketing of new products can be greatly enhanced. Multimedia boost
communication on an affordable cost opened the way for the marketing
and advertising personnel. Presentation that have flying banners, video
transitions, animations, and sound effects are some of the elements
used in composing a multimedia based advertisement to appeal to the
consumer in a way never used before and promote the sale of the
products.
∙ Multimedia in Entertainment- By using multimedia marketing of new
products can be greatly enhanced. Multimedia boost communication
on an affordable cost opened the way for the marketing and
advertising personnel. Presentation that have flying banners, video
transitions, animations, and sound effects are some of the elements
used in composing a multimedia based advertisement to appeal to the
consumer in a way never used before and promote the sale of the
products.
∙ Multimedia in Education- Many computer games with focus on
education are now available. Consider an example of an educational
game which plays various rhymes for kids. The child can paint the
pictures, increase reduce size of various objects etc apart from just
playing the rhymes.Several other multimedia packages are available in
the market which provide a lot of detailed information and playing
 capabilities to kids.
∙ Multimedia in Bank- Bank is another public place where multimedia is
finding more and more application in recent times. People go to bank
to open saving/current accounts, deposit funds, withdraw money, know
various financial schemes of the bank, obtain loans etc. Every bank has
a lot of information which it wants to impart to in customers. For this
purpose, it can use multimedia in many ways. Bank also displays
information about its various schemes on a PC monitor placed in the
rest area for customers. Today on-line and internet banking have
become very popular. These use multimedia extensively. Multimedia is
thus helping banks give service to their customers and also in
educating them about banks attractive finance schemes.
∙ Multimedia in Hospital- Multimedia best use in hospitals is for real
time monitoring of conditions of patients in critical illness or accident.
The conditions are displayed continuously on a computer screen and
can alert the doctor/nurse on duty if any changes are observed on the
screen. Multimedia makes it possible to consult a surgeon or an expert
who can watch an ongoing surgery line on his PC monitor and give
online advice at any crucial juncture.
In hospitals multimedia can also be used to diagnose an illness with
CD ROMs/ Cassettes/ DVDs full of multimedia based information
about various diseases and their treatment.Some hospitals extensively
use multimedia presentations in training their junior staff of doctors
and nurses. Multimedia displays are now extensively used during
critical surgeries.
∙ Multimedia Pedagogues- Pedagogues are useful teaching aids only if
they stimulate and motivate the students. The audio-visual support to a
pedagogue can actually help in doing so. A multimedia tutor can
provide multiple numbers of challenges to the student to stimulate his
interest in a topic. The instruction provided by pedagogue have moved
beyond providing only button level control to intelligent simulations,
dynamic creation of links, composition and collaboration and system
testing of the user interactions.
∙ Communication Technology and Multimedia Services- The
advancement of high computing abilities, communication ways and
relevant standards has started the beginning of an era where you will
be provided with multimedia facilities at home. These services may
include:
o Basic Television Services
o Interactive entertainment
o Digital Audio
o Video on demand
o Home shopping
o Financial Transactions
o Interactive multiplayer or single player games