Table of contents:
Introduction | Key Terms | Summary
of Presentation | Assignments | Additional
References | Lesson 1.2
The required text for this course describes Multimedia very well:
"Multimedia is an eerie wail as two cat's eyes appear on a dark screen. It's the red rose that dissolves into a little girl's face when you press 'Valentine's Day'. It's a small window of video laid onto a map of India, showing an old man recalling his dusty journey to meet a rajah there. It's a catalog of fancy cars with a guide to help you buy one. It's a real-time video conference with colleagues in Paris, London, and Hong Kong on your office computer. At home, it's an algebra or geography lesson for a fifth grader. At the arcade, it's goggle-faced kids flying fighter planes in sweaty virtual reality." (Vaughan)
In other words, multimedia can be any combination of text, graphics, sound, animation and video delivered to you by computer or other means. It can be a lot of work or a lot of fun (or both). How you use it and when you use it are up to you.
Before you begin this unit, please read Chapter 1 in your text.
Key Terms (back to top)
authoring tool
Authoring tools for multimedia include Microsoft Powerpoint, Macromedia
Director, Macromedia Flash, and Apple QuickTime. Using an authoring tool,
a developer can quickly bring together images, sounds, movies, and text
to create a seamless presentation to entertain, educate or inform users.
bandwidth
A highway can carry more cars at one time than a one-lane country road.
So too can some data communications systems carry more user traffic than
others. That ability depends on bandwidth. Bandwidth is the transmission
capacity of a communications channel. High-bandwidth communications systems
are referred to as broadband.
Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM)
A CD-ROM is a type of optical disc capable of storing large amounts of data,
used to hold text, graphics and hi-fi stereo sound. A CD-ROM disc uses spiral
grooved tracks to record data. It requires a CD-ROM player to retrieve data.
All CD-ROMs conform to a standard size and format, so can be read by any
CD player. The discs are "read-only" because the user can neither
add to nor delete data from a disc.
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
Short for digital versatile disc or digital video disc, DVD is a family
of optical discs that are the same overall dimensions of a CD, but have
significantly higher capacities. DVDs are also double-sided, whereas CDs
are single-sided. Dual-layer versions have two distinct data layers per
side. Requires a DVD player to access data. This term does not refer to
audio entertainment discs.
graphical user interface (GUI)
A GUI is a program interface that takes advantage of the computer's graphics
capabilities to make the program easier to use. GUIs incorporate icons,
pull-down menus and a mouse to interact with the computer.
hyperactive multimedia
Multimedia where the user can navigate between links in the presentation.
interactive multimedia
In interactive media, the user controls what he or she wants to see, and
when he or she wants to see it. The user may also have the ability to request
delivery of certain data during the presentation and exclude other data.
linear multimedia
Linear multimedia is a passive presentation. The user just watches and/or
listens.
multimedia developer
A multimedia developer is an author and/or programmer who creates multimedia
presentations using graphics, text, animation, audio and video. A multimedia
developer generally uses authoring tools to make the process faster.
multimedia project
The software vehicle, messages and content constitute a multimedia project.
multimedia title
A multimedia project that will be shipped or sold to customers or end users
is a multimedia title.
IMPORTANT: Please download and watch this Powerpoint presentation before continuing with the lesson.
1. Multimedia can be any combination of text, graphics, sound, animation, and video.
2. Multimedia can take many forms:
- Virtual greeting cards
- Real-time conferencing
- Online movies and photo albums
- Image catalogs
3. Types of multimedia:
- Interactive multimedia
- The user controls delivery of elements.
- Hyperactive multimedia
- The user can navigate links between elements.
- Linear multimedia
- The user sits back and watches the presentation.
- A movie is a common type of linear multimedia.
4. Multimedia is created by multimedia developers.
5. The content constitutes the multimedia project.
6. The shipped or delivered product is a multimedia title.
- The multimedia title may be delivered in various forms:
- In a box
- In a sleeve
- Online
7. Developers create multimedia content using authoring tools.
8. A project is usually presented to the end user with a graphical user interface (GUI).
There is a small assignment in the presentation on slide 11.
Research the bandwidth of your ISP. Research the bandwidth of a major national ISP. What is the bandwidth of each? What is the average bandwidth that a customer can count on?
Part I: View the multimedia presentation at http://www.politicsandprotest.com/. How long did it take to download and start playing? (Warning: it's a two-hankie show) How long would that same show have taken to download on a national ISP (average, assuming that yours is local)?
Part II: What elements are contained in that presentation? What was the purpose of the presentation? Do you feel that it achieved its purpose?
When you have completed and emailed these assignments, please go on to Lesson 1.2.
WeboPedia - http://www.pcwebopedia.com
TechWeb - http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia