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Multimedia Definition
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Definition
Multimedia represents the convergence of text, pictures,
video and sound into a single form. It includes a
combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video,
or interactivity content forms.
Wikipedia

Multimedia is a combination of computers and video.
Rosch, 1996

Multimedia is a combination of three elements: audio,
images, and text.
McComick, 1996

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Definition
Multimedia is a combination of at least two inputs or
outputs media. They could be in form of audio, animation,
video, text, graphics, or images.
Turban et all., 2002

Multimedia is a tool that can create dynamic and
interactive presentation combining text, graphics,
animation, audio, and video.
Robin and Linda, 2001
Multimedia is computer utilization to combine text,
graphics, audio, and video using tools that enable users to
interact, create, and communicate.
Hofstetter, 2001
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Definition
From those definitions, we can conclude that:

Multimedia is the field concerned with the
computer-controlled integration of text, graphics,
drawings, still and moving images (Video),
animation, audio, and any other media where
every type of information can be represented,
stored, transmitted and processed digitally.
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History of Multimedia
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History
The term multimedia was coined by singer and artist Bob
Goldstein (later 'Bobb Goldsteinn') to promote the July
1966 opening of his "LightWorks at L'Oursin" show at
Southampton, Long Island.

Goldstein was perhaps aware of a British artist named Dick
Higgins, who had two years previously discussed a new
approach to art-making he called "intermedia.
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History
In the late 1970s, the term referred to presentations
consisting of multi-projector slide shows timed to an audio
track.

By the 1990s 'multimedia' took on its current meaning.

In 1993 Tay Vaughan declared Multimedia is any
combination of text, graphic art, sound, animation, and
video that is delivered by computer. When you allow the
user the viewer of the project to control what and
when these elements are delivered, it is interactive
multimedia.
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History
In common usage, multimedia refers to an electronically
delivered combination of media including video, still
images, audio, text in such a way that can be accessed
interactively. Much of the content on the web today falls
within this definition as understood by millions.

Some computers which were marketed in the 1990s were
called "multimedia" computers because they incorporated
a CD-ROM drive, which allowed for the delivery of several
hundred megabytes of video, picture, and audio data. That
era saw also a boost in the production of educational
multimedia CD-ROMs.
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Categorization of
Multimedia
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Catagorization
Linear active content progresses without any navigational
control for the viewer such as a cinema presentation,
multimedia art performance, etc.
Linear

Non-linear content offers user interactivity to control
progress as used with a computer game or used in self-
paced computer based training.
Non-Linear

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Elements of Multimedia
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Elements
When PC's were in their infancy running under MS-DOS
they only displayed text in one size and one color.

Text on those early PC's was displayed using the ASCII
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
charter set which was a series of 2 numbers that could be
sent to the monitor.

Each of those two digit numbers represented an alpha-
numerical character. For example, the ASCII character code
for a lower case a is 97 while the uppercase is 65.
Text

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Elements
A text charter was 8 pixels high and
8 pixels wide.

So, when a program sent a character
65 to the screen a helper systems
program called ANSI.SYS would send
a signal to the proper location
turning on and off 64 dots
appropriately to make an image of
the letter A.

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Elements
Later with the use of color monitors
which had multiple size modes which
made it possible to display larger text
(still using the ASCII system).

Windows and other graphical
operating systems, used a font (a
miniature picture) to paint text on the
screen in graphical mode.
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Elements
Image

The same process of alpha numeric character was used to
create a picture in the earlier computers.
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Elements
Then colors are added. Note the two shades of gray are
added, two shade of blue to the original black and white.

There are dozens of computer color mixing systems and an
endless number of custom palettes. All computer colors are
created by mixing RED, GREEN, and BLUE.
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Elements
Refers to the reproduction and transmission of sound
stored in a digital format. This includes CDs as well as any
sound files stored on a computer.

In contrast, the telephone system (but not ISDN/Integrated
Services for Digital Network) is based on an analog
representation of sound.

Audio

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Elements
Digital sound can be referred as the sound that is recorded
and stored as a series of numerical values rather than
fluctuations in amplitude.
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Elements
Every soundcard in a computer comes with an
Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) for recording,
and a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) for playing audio.

Then the operating system talks to the sound card to
actually handle the recording and playback, and an Audio
Processing software (e.g. Audacity, a free software) talks to
the operating system so that you can capture sounds to a
file, edit them, and mix multiple tracks while playing.
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Elements
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Elements
Animation is a sequential series of still images that create
an illusion of motion.

The difference between animation and video is that video
takes continuous motion and breaks it up into discrete
frames, while animation starts with independent pictures
and puts them together to form the illusion of continuous
motion.

2D animation figures are created and/or edited on the
computer using 2D bitmap graphics or created and edited
using 2D vector graphics. 3D animation are digitally
modeled and manipulated by an animator.

Animation/Graphics

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Elements
2D Animation

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Elements
3D Animation

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Elements
Unlike an animation that we can create from drawings or
images, a video is created by a photographic process and
converted or ported to a computer in sets of frames where
each frame has data stored in every pixel.

We measure the rate at which frames are displayed in
Frames Per Second (FPS).

Digital video can be copied with no degradation in quality.

Video

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Elements
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Multimedia System
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Multimedia System
A Multimedia System is a system capable of processing
multimedia data and applications.

A Multimedia System is characterized by the processing,
storage, generation, manipulation and rendition of
multimedia information.

Definition

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Multimedia System
Components (hardware and software) required for a
multimedia system are:
Components

Capture devices
Includes video camera, video recorder, audio microphone,
keyboards, mice, graphics tablets, 3D input devices, tactile
sensors, digitizing hardware, etc.
Video
camera
Graphics
tablet
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Multimedia System
Storage Devices
Hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROM,
etc.
Communication Networks
Local Networks, Intranets, Internet
or other special high speed
networks.
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Multimedia System
Computer Systems
Multimedia Desktop machines,
Workstations, MPEG/VIDEO/DSP
Hardware, etc.
Display Devices
Monitors, CD-quality
speakers, HD, SVGA(Super
Video Graphics Array), Hi-Res
monitors, color printers, etc.
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Multimedia File Format
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File Format
JPEG/JFIF
JPEG 2000
Exif
TIFF
RAW
PNG
GIF
BMP
PPM, PGM, PBM, PNM
WEBP
Etc.
Image

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File Format
Waveform Audio File Format (WAF)
MPEG Layer 3 (MP3)
Au file format
Windows Media Audio (WMA)
RealAudio
The Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR or AMR-NB)
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
MPEG-4 Part 14 (MP4)
Red Book (the standard for audio CDs)
FLAC
Etc.
Audio

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File Format
AVI format
Windows Media format (WMV)
Advances Streaming Format (.asf)
Data File (DAT)
Matroska file format (.mkv)
The MPEG Format
- MPEG-1
- MPEG-2
- MPEG-3
- MPEG-4
Etc.
Video

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Application and Career
in Multimedia
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Application and Career
Creative industries use multimedia for a variety of
purposes ranging from fine arts, to entertainment, to
commercial art, to journalism, to media and software
services provided for any of the industries.

An individual multimedia designer may cover the spectrum
throughout their career. Request for their skills range from
technical, to analytical, to creative.
Creative Industries

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Application and Career
Much of the electronic old and new media used by
commercial artists is multimedia. Exciting presentations are
used to grab and keep attention in advertising. Business to
business, and interoffice communications are often
developed by creative services firms for advanced
multimedia presentations beyond simple slide shows to sell
ideas or liven-up training.

Commercial multimedia developers may be hired to design
for governmental services and nonprofit services
applications as well.
Commercial

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Application and Career
Multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry,
especially to develop special effects in movies and
animations (VFX, 3D animation, etc.). Multimedia
applications that allow users to actively participate instead
of just sitting by as passive recipients of information are
called Interactive Multimedia.

In the Arts there are multimedia artists, whose minds are
able to blend techniques using different media that in
some way incorporates interaction with the viewer. One of
the most relevant could be Peter Greenaway who is
melding Cinema with Opera and all sorts of digital media.
Entertainment and Fine Arts

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Application and Career
In Education, multimedia is used to produce computer-
based training courses (CBTs) and reference books like
encyclopedia and almanacs. Edutainment is the
combination of education with entertainment, especially
multimedia entertainment.

Multimedia teaching is more intuitive than old ways;
teachers can simulate situations in real life. In many
circumstances teachers dont have to be there, students
will learn by themselves in the class. More importantly,
teachers will have more approaches to stimulating
students passion of learning.
Education

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Application and Career
News reporting is now not limited to traditional media
outlets. Freelance journalists can make use of different
new media to produce multimedia pieces for their news
stories. It engages global audiences and tells stories with
technology, which develops new communication
techniques for both media producers and consumers.

Multimedia reporters who are mobile (usually driving
around a community with cameras, audio and video
recorders, and wifi-equipped laptop computers) are often
referred to as Mojos, from mobile journalist.
Journalism

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Application and Career
Software engineers may use multimedia in Computer
Simulations for anything from entertainment to training
such as military or industrial training. Multimedia for
software interfaces are often done as a collaboration
between creative professionals and software engineers.
Engineering

In the Industrial sector, multimedia is used as a way to help
present information to shareholders, superiors and
coworkers. Multimedia is also helpful for providing
employee training, advertising and selling products all over
the world via virtually unlimited web-based technology.
Industry

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Application and Career
In scientific research, multimedia is mainly used for
modeling and simulation. For example, a scientist can look
at a molecular model of a particular substance and
manipulate it to arrive at a new substance. Representative
research can be found in journals such as
the Journal of Multimedia.
Scientific Research

In Medicine, doctors can get trained by looking at a virtual
surgery or they can simulate how the human body is
affected by diseases spread by viruses and bacteria and
then develop techniques to prevent it.
Medicine

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Application and Career
Document imaging is a technique that takes hard copy of
an image/document and converts it into a digital format
(for example, using scanners).
Document Imaging

Ability Media allows those with disabilities to gain
qualifications in the multimedia field so they can pursue
careers that give them access to a wide array of powerful
communication forms.
Disabilities

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Assignments and Exercises
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Pair Assignment
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In pair, you are to have a discussion for 10-15 minutes on how
multimedia can help you to achieve your future targets. Some
of you will make class presentations. There are several
particular things you should mention in your presentation,
they are:

1. General definition of Multimedia.
2. A glimpse of Multimedia history.
3. The category and elements that you are planning to use in
achieving your targets and purposes.
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Thank you
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