CGMB324: MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM DESIGN

Chapter 1: Introduction To Multimedia

Objectives

At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

understand the history and development of media, computer and multimedia systems

distinguish between hypertext, hypermedia and multimedia

state and describe the multimedia applications and software tools available

History & Development Of Multimedia

History Of Multimedia

What can we say about the evolution of media that has taken place for thousands of years?

Since the dawn of time, people have had the need to communicate with one another.

This created what we called as communication media.

http://www.december.com/present/mediaev.html

History Of Multimedia

Newspapers (perhaps) the first mass communication medium, which used mostly text, graphics, and images. 1895 Gugliemo Marconi sent his first wireless radio transmission at Pontecchio, Italy. 1901 he detected radio waves beamed across the Atlantic. Initially invented for telegraph, radio is now a major medium for audio broadcasting.

History Of Multimedia

•Television new media for the 20th century. •It brought video (+audio) and has since changed the world of mass comm.

Some Important Events In Computer History

1945 - Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) wrote about Memex a device in which an individual stores all his

books, records, and communications, and which it is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility

Vannevar Bush

Engelbart

Some Important Events In Computer History

1960s - Ted Nelson started Xanadu project (The Original Hypertext Project)

1968 - Douglas Engelbart demonstrated NLS (oN Line System) - The Debut of The Mouse

1969 - Nelson & Van Dam hypertext editor at Brown University.

Some Important Events In Computer History

1976 - Architecture Machine Group proposal to DARPA: Multiple Media

1985 - Negroponte, Wiesner: opened MIT Media Lab in Boston

1989 - Tim Berners-Lee proposed the World Wide Web to CERN (European Organization For Nuclear Research)

1990 – Kristina Hooper Woolsey headed Apple Multimedia Lab, 100 staff, for education

Some Important Events In Computer History 1993 - U. Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications: NCSA Mosaic 1994 – Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen: Netscape 1995 - JAVA language for platform-independent application development. 1998 – XML 1.0 announced as a W3C recommendation 1998 – Handheld MP3 devices (32MB) flash memory 2000 – WWW size estimated over 1 billion pages.

Overlapping Technologies Different branches of multimedia grow

together because of new, upcoming multimedia technology and applications.

Two challenges lie ahead: Timing requirements (synchronization etc.) Integration requirements (of different

media types)

Hypertext, Hypermedia & Multimedia

Hypertext and Hypermedia Hypertext text which contains links to other

texts and is usually non-linear Invented by Ted Nelson around 1965 Hypermedia is not constrained to be text-based.

It can include other media, e.g., graphics, images, and continuous media (audio & video).

Apparently, Ted Nelson was also the first to use this term.

The World Wide Web (WWW) is the best example of hypermedia applications.

Hypertext

Ted Nelson

Hypertext and Hypermedia

HypermediaHypertext

Multimedia

The notion of MultimediaConsists of two words:Multi (Latin)= many; much; Medium (Latin) = An intervening substance through which something is transmitted or carried on.

Multimedia

What is Multimedia? Multimedia means a (usually)

interactive combination of two or more media elements (multimedia building block), such as text, graphics, audio, video and animation integrated using a computer

A multimedia system is a system that supports more than a single type of media.

Multimedia Building Block

Digital environment

USERUSER

Elements of Multimedia

Multimedia

Multimedia has a number of distinct and unique features, including: Based on Edgar Dale (Cone Of Learning),

on average, people remember: 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they hear and see, multimedia

approach multimedia rich elements, multi-sensory

delivery system can facilitate greater retention of new knowledge

Multimedia Modalities

Modalities are the sensory systems through which a multimedia activity occurs

This includes tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), visual (sight), auditory (hearing), olfactory (smell)

Based on the multimedia elements we have today, only two modalities are regularly used.

Multimedia Channels

Channels can be understood as existing within a modality.

For example, with the auditory modality, we have different channels for noises, speech and music.

With the visual modality, we have different channels for words, pictures and movies.

Multimedia Channels

Bandwidth is a concept of how much information can be carried by a certain channel within a certain modality.

For example, we can read at the rate of 150 words per minute which is the ‘printed text’ channel within the ‘visual’ modality.

Much like your modem, you are unlikely to reach the theoretical maximum bandwidth of your channel within any modality, in practice.

Multimedia Channels

The reason for this discrepancy in practice is because in theory, we assume a perfect encoder and decoder.

For example, English text ‘encoded’ on a page and the English language ‘decoder’ in someone’s head is assumed to be perfectly compatible.

In reality, however, it is highly dependent on the education level of the reader, the nature of the text information presented and many other factors.

Multimedia ‘Medium’

A medium can be understood as a set of co-ordinated channels, spanning one or more modalities, which have come to be referred to as a unitary whole, and which possess a cross-channel language of interpretation.

Examples include a television show, which typically uses the auditory and visual modalities; and picture, written text, speech and music channels.

Multimedia ‘Medium’

What is meant by a ‘cross-channel language of interpretation’ is that there must be some form of relationship between the channels.

Take the TV show, for example. The moving pictures and sound are

closely related. In combination, they provide a clearer

message than when alone.

Multimedia System Characteristics

Multimedia systems must be computer controlled.

All multimedia components are integrated.

The interface to the final user may permit interactivity.

Information must be represented digitally.

Multimedia Applications & Software Tools

Types of Multimedia Applications

1.Linear Multimedia Users have little control over the presentation,

just sit back and watches the presentation The presentation normally plays from the start

to end or even loops continually to present the information.

A movie is a common type of linear multimedia

Types of Multimedia Applications2. Interactive Multimedia

Users dictate the flow of delivery, to control the what and when.

Users have the ability to move around or follow different path through the information presentation.

Advantage: complex domain of information can be presented.

Disadvantage: users might lost in the massive “information highway”.

Useful for: information archive (encyclopedia), education, training and entertainment.

Multimedia Applications

Examples of Multimedia Applications Digital video editing and production systemsElectronic Newspapers/MagazinesGamesGroupwareHome shoppingInteractive TVMultimedia coursewareVideo conferencingVideo-on-Demand (VoD)Virtual reality

Multimedia Software Tools A fully functional multimedia project

utilized different tools and programming language Music Sequencing & notation Digital Audio Graphics & Image editing Video Editing Animation Multimedia Authoring

Multimedia Software Tools1) Audio/Music Sequencing & Notation/Digital

Audio Cakewalk

Supports General MIDI. Provides several editing views (staff, piano roll, event

list) and Virtual Piano. Can insert WAV files and Windows MCI commands

(animation and video) into tracks.

Cool Edit Pro/Adobe Audition Used for wav file editing with a variety of filters and

functions such as reverb, normalizing, noise reduction and amplification

Multimedia Software Tools2) Graphics & Image Editing Adobe Photoshop

An image & graphics editing tool. Supports many bitmap formats, e.g., GIF, PNG, JPEG, and BMP Many filters and effects for photo enhancement Supports multiple layers

Adobe Illustrator Powerful publishing tool for creating and editing vector

graphics Easily exported to use on the web

Macromedia Fireworks Making graphics for the web (bitmap & vector editor, JavaScript

generator)

Multimedia Software Tools3) Video Editing Adobe Premiere

Provides large number (up to 99) of video and audio tracks, superimpositions and virtual clips.

Supports various transitions, filters and motions for clips. A reasonable desktop video editing tool.

VirtualDub Freeware Flexible and expandable video editing software Many features, filters and effects Supports several of the latest video and audio codecs

Multimedia Software Tools4) Animation Multimedia APIs

Java3D – used by Java to construct and render 3D graphics DirectX – windows API supports video, images, audio and 3D

animation for computer games OpenGL – 1992, highly portable and multiplatform

Rendering Tools 3D Studio Max – high-end pro tools for character animation,

game development, visual effects production. Softimage XSI – modelling, animation, rendering package for

special effects in films and games Maya – complete modelling package. RenderMan – by Pixar, excels in creating complex surface

appearances (Monsters Inc., Final Fantasy : The spirit within)

Multimedia Software Tools

5) Multimedia Authoring - Tools for making a complete multimedia presentation, including animations, where users usually have a lot of interactive controls.

Macromedia Flash Create interactive movies or games for the web

Macromedia Director Movie metaphor (the cast includes bitmapped sprites,

scripts, music, sounds, and palettes, etc). Can accept almost any bitmapped file formats. Lingo script language with own debugger allows more

control including external devices, e.g., VCRs and video disk players.

Web authoring features available for fully interactive Shockwave movies over the Web.

Multimedia Software Tools

Macromedia Authorware Iconic/Flow-control metaphor, drag-and-drop interface. Hyperlinks to link text, digital movies, graphics, and sound. Compatibility between files produced from PC version and MAC

version. Used mainly for developing courseware

The iconic/flow-control metaphor used by Authorware makes developing courseware easy

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