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Introduction to multimedia.

Applications of multimedia.

Virtual reality (VR).

Stages of a multimedia project.

Requirements for a multimedia project.

Members of a multimedia team.
Source Acknowledgement
Roles and responsibilities in a multimedia
Vaughon: Multimedia – Making it Work, Tata McGraw Hill team.
Villamil et al: Multimedia – An Introduction, PHI

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Apps that involve more than conventional data • Multimedia

types (e.g., text, drawing and images) • integration of multiple media

Best examples are continuous media (e.g., • visual imagery, text, video, sound and animation
animations, audio, and video) • multiply the impact of message
 Called continuous media because of time basis
• Interactive multimedia

Do not confuse with hypertext/hypermedia
 hyper implies linking • user control

Eventually all apps will include hypermedia • interaction

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“ ... multiple intermediaries between a source and
A combination of two or more categories of
a sink of information.”
information having different transport signal

Multi-sensory
characteristics.

Digital Storage

All types of information handled in the same way
Typically, one medium is a continuous

Computer Control medium while another is discrete.

Presentation of Information (Playout)
Image, audio, video and graphics are

Interactive examples of media.

Frequent used but not essential

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Components
Authoring tools are used to integrate

text, art, sound, animation, and video multimedia elements into a project.

Delivery
Copper wire, glass fiber, and radio/cellular

electronic or digitally manipulated means
technologies also serve a means for delivering

Development skills

creative, technical, organizational, and business
multimedia files across a network.

Control
The primary media for delivering multimedia

Computer, digital and analog projects are:

Hypermedia  Compact disc read-only (CD-ROM).
 Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).

structure of linked elements for navigation

Organization

Linear, nonlinear or interactive
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CD-ROM is the most cost-effective distribution
Multilayered DVD technology increases the
medium for multimedia projects. capacity of current optical technology to 18 GB.

It can contain up to 80 minutes of full-screen
DVD authoring and integration software is
video or sound. used to create interactive front-end menus for

CD burners are used for reading discs and films and games.
converting the discs to audio, video, and data
DVD burners are used for reading discs and
formats. converting the disc to audio, video, and data
formats.

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o Spatial Data Management Systems

(1976) begun by the US Defence

The Memex (1945) “A device on which one stores Agency
your books, records and communications and which – 8 Channel Sound
– Structure of data more obvious if you can see and
is mechanised so that it can be consulted with interact with it.
exceeding speed & flexibility.” Director of the Office
of Scientific Research & Development (US)

Hypertext style editing systems (1968)
Englebart

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o Digital book (1980) Backer

– Pages turned Time / Space
– Touchscreen
– Sound/Video/Data all integrated for the first time

Time-Based
Continuous
Moving
Sound Animation
Images

Space-Based
Discrete
Still
Text Graphics
Images

Origin
o Apple Computer Media Lab , M.I.T., Olivetti Captured Computer Generated

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o This is a computing subject.

CD ROM Server
o It simply uses existing disciplines
 Digital Image Processing (Digital T.V.)
Network
 Audio Processing (C.D.)
 Networking

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o Multimedia is about content
Television Networks

o Creative people provide :

Cable T.V.
– (Hyper-)text

Broadcast Unidirectional
– Images (Stills)
– Cartoons
Telecommunications Networks
– Animation
Bi-directional
– Video (Motion Video)
Publishers & Content Providers
– Sound (Music Scores)
– Graphics

Computing Power / Price

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Multimedia has largely been pushed by us,  Speed of Use

the scientists, rather than pulled by  Too Slow
market forces.  Bi-directional
It has forced content producers to join  Risk of “Information Overkill”
forces with computer and networking
companies.

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• Systems dealing with a variety of information

sources, such as text, image, audio, graphics,
A system that involves:
mechanical drawing, statistics charts, tables, and  generation  production/authoring tools
 representation  compression and formats
full--motion video.
full
 storage  file system design
• A MM platform, communication network or SW  transmission  networking issues
tool is MM-
MM-system provided it supports the  search and retrieval  database management
 Delivery
interactive use of audio,still images and/or  server design, streaming
 of multimedia
motion video in addition to tex and graphics.
information

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On-line facilitator

• High Speed Processor

Courseware
• Interface Device
developer
• High quality VDU
• Speakers for speech/music output
Multimedia Network • Microphone
Database
• MM storage Devices
Database server • Media Player HW/SW
• Authoring and Integration SW
user

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DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION
1. Stand-alone Systems
Stand- 1. Information Systems
– computer--aided
computer – digital library
CDROM games will gross more money than
– Internet movie industry
learning
– interactive video;
2. Manipulating systems
– editing;
TV and video editing;
Convergence of computers, telecom, and TV
– music composition
OPERATION  Caused by technology and competition
– distance learning;
learning; 1. Interactive systems
– distributed – tele--conference;
tele  Dramatic changes in products, infrastructure, etc.
multimedia – tele--medicine
tele
Application potential
databases – retrieval;
browsing and retrieval;
2. Distributed Systems 2. Non--interactive systems
Non  Huge markets
– interactive – video demo  Potential for improving our lives (e.g., learning,
shopping – document producing
entertainment, and work)
– tele--conferencing
tele
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Digital audio and video is revolutionizing • hypermedia courseware

music, film, and video industries • video-on-demand
• interactive television

Collaboration, virtual environments, and
• audio/video conferencing (GroupWare)
webcasting
• virtual worlds

Interesting technical issues • games

It is fun • multimedia authoring
 Get paid to watch TV at work? • digital libraries
• web
• audio/video postproduction

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• Playback
• Real-time A/V capture and playback – Off-line creation and processing
• Off-line browsing, playback, and editing of A/V – Latency less critical because you can read ahead
objects – Predictable future
• Compression • Conferencing/collaboration
• Real-time and multicast protocols – Real-time capture and processing
• High speed networking – Latency is critical
• Synchronization abstractions – Unpredictable future
• Hyperlinks everywhere • Editing
• Real-time OS? – Off-line capture
– Real-time processing
– Predictable?

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File Server Client

Workstation • Higher data rates
Streaming Application – Fast I/O subsystem
Media Server
Video – High speed backplane
Database
– Faster network (1-25Mbs per video stream)
Audio Device Frame Buffer
• Real-time, distributed software

Display
More storage required
Speaker

• on-demand -vs- scheduled broadcast

– main memory
bandwidth -vs- quality – GBs secondary storage
• hardware -vs- software – TBs of tertiary storage
• multiplexed -vs- single streams • Hardware, modified CPU (?), and modified
• control? frame buffer/graphics subsystem
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• Intel machines will dominate desktop

– Windows front-end

End-to-end solutions
– UNIX for servers

Adaptive solutions • World Wide Web will be UI to everything

Real-time and managed resources – Netscape sets standard (>60% of desktops)
– Microsoft (<40% of desktops)

Market allocation of resources – JAVA has a ways to go before it can be deployed in
production
• Internet standards will dominate
– TCP/IP/RTP over everything
– Long-haul Internet service will be ATM?

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• The web is a new media

– Bright, what it will evolve into
Cost : acquiring and development
– Technologists invent, artists explore/create
• Content matters more than technology
Technical Barrier
– If people want the content, they put up with poor
technology
Social-n-psychological barriers
• Interactive TV will be the Internet

Legal Problems
– It may be delivered over cable modem to the
home, but it will run RTP/Multicast

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 Cost of acquisition & development. • Humans retain :

 Archival material expensive
 Difficulties with production quality. – 20% of what they see
 New cheap digital cameras etc.
 Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights
Protection of material
– 30% of what they hear
 Lack of standards
 Movie clips (AVI, MPEG,QuickTime) – 50% of what they both see & hear
 Cost / Availability of tools
– 80% of what the see, hear & do
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 Time-travel adventure game (1993)  Multimedia is not a Science

 15,000 people hours of development  No Theory
 Photo-realistic worlds  No Community (?)
 interaction  Add Value
 non-linear plot (5 months)  But multimedia is driving the design of
 professional music score hardware
 30 minutes of video clips  Multimedia instruction sets
 Cost > $120,000  Frame-rate video decompression on motherboard
 Need for team-work

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Business - Business applications for multimedia
Home - Most multimedia projects reach the
include presentations training, marketing, homes via television sets or monitors with
advertising, product demos, databases, built-in user inputs.
catalogues, instant messaging, and networked
Public places - Multimedia will become
communication. available at stand-alone terminals or kiosks to

Schools - Educational software can be provide information and help.
developed to enrich the learning process.

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Virtual reality is an extension of multimedia.
In VR, cyberspace is made up of thousands of

It uses the basic multimedia elements of geometric objects plotted in three-dimensional
imagery, sound, and animation. space.

It requires terrific computing horsepower to be
The standards for transmitting VR in Virtual
realistic. Reality Modeling Language (VRML)
documents have been developed on the World
Wide Web.

VRML documents have the file extension .wrl.

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Planning and costing:
In a multimedia project, being creative implies

The needs of a project are analyzed by outlining its messages and objectives.

 A plan that outlines the required multimedia expertise is prepared.
knowledge of hardware and software.

Planning and costing (continued):
It is essential to develop an organized outline


A graphic template, the structure, and navigational system are developed.
A time estimate and a budget are prepared.
detailing the skills, time, budget, tools and
 A short prototype or proof-of-concept is prepared. resources needed for the project.

Design and production:
Assets such as graphics, sound and the like
 The planned tasks are performed to create a finished product.
 The product is revised, based on the continuous feedback received from the client. should be continuously monitored throughout

Testing - The program is tested to ensure that it meets the the project’s execution.
objectives of the project, works on the proposed delivery
platforms, and meets the client requirements.
A standardized file-naming procedure should

Delivery - The final project is packaged and delivered to the end be followed for precise organization and swift
user. retrieval.
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A team of skilled individuals is required to create a The project manager is responsible for:
good multimedia project.  The overall development, implementation, and day-to-day operations of

Team building refers to activities that help a group and the project.
its members function at optimum levels.  The design and management of a project.
 Understanding the strengths and limitations of hardware and software.

The diverse range of skills required for a project is  Ensuring people skills and organizational skills.
called the multimedia skillset.  Conveying information between the team and the client.

A multimedia team consists of the following: Multimedia designer - This team consists of:
 Project manager
 Graphics designers, illustrators, animators, and image processing
 Multimedia designer specialists who deal with visuals, thereby making the project appealing
 Interface designer and aesthetic.
 Writer  Instructional designers, who make sure that the subject matter is presented
 Video specialis clearly for the target audience.
 Audio specialist
 Multimedia programmer
 Interface designers, who devise the navigational pathways and content
maps.
 Producer for the Web
 Computer programmers  Information designers, who structure content, determine user pathways
and feedback, and select presentation media.

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An interface designer is responsible for: An audio specialist is responsible for:

 Creating a software device that organizes content, allows users to  Locating and selecting suitable music talent.
access or modify content, and presents that content on the screen.  Scheduling recording sessions.
 Building a user-friendly interface.  Digitizing and editing recorded material into computer files.
A multimedia writer is responsible for: Multimedia or software engineer:
 Creating characters, actions, point of view, and interactivity.  Integrates all the multimedia elements into a seamless project, using
 Writing proposals and test screens. authoring systems or programming language.
 Writes codes for the display of multimedia elements, and to control
 Scripting voice-overs and actors' narrations.
various peripheral devices.
A video specialist needs to understand:  Manages timings, transitions, and record keeping.
 The delivery of video files on CD, DVD, or the Web. Multimedia producer for the Web:
 How to shoot quality video.  Web site producers put together a coordinated set of pages for the
 How to transfer the video footage to a computer. Web.
 How to edit the footage down to a final product using digital  They also co-ordinate updates and changes.
nonlinear editing system (NLE).

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Multimedia is a combination of text, graphic
The diverse skills required as the multimedia
art, sound, animation, and video. skillset.

Multimedia projects can be linear or nonlinear.
Roles and responsibilities are assigned to each

Multimedia projects are often stored on CD- team member in a multimedia project.
ROM, DVDs, Web.
Knowledge, creativity and organizational skills

Multimedia is widely used in business, schools, are essential for authoring a high-quality
public places, and at home. multimedia project.

Virtual reality is an extension of multimedia.
The basic stages of a multimedia project are
planning and costing, design and production,
testing and delivery.
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