ITC 751 MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY

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ITC 751 MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY

• Chapter 1
• - Intro - History
• - Media Classification - Definition
• - MM Properties - Characteristics

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Introduction

• Multimedia, from the users perspective means
• Computer information can be represented through
  audio and/or video, in addition to text,
  graphics, image and animation
• e.g. using audio and video, a variety of dynamic
  situations in different areas can be presented
  better than just using image and text alone

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• The integration of these media into the computer
  provides extra possibilities for the use of
  computational power available presently to
  interactively present huge information.
• These data can be transmitted through computer
  and telecommunication network.

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• Multimedia provides the possibility for a
  spectrum of new applications e.g. personal
  newspaper, holography and simulation.
• Another point to note the migration process in
  different industrial branches e.g.
  telecommunication, consumer electronics,
  recording studios, publishing house etc..

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• Another challenge in Multimedia is the
  integration requirement of different types of
  media in a multimedia application.
• e.g. Traditional media vs. Continuous media
• Analog vs. Digital

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• Related terminologies begin with a clarification
  of the notion MULTIMEDIA, followed by a
  description of media and the important properties
  of Multimedia systems.
• Definition
• Multi many much multiple
• Medium an intervening substance through which
  something is transmitted or carried on a means
  of mass communication such as newspaper,
  magazine, or television

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• Definition not very exact, therefore calls for
  the notion medium to be adapted with respect to
  computer processing.
• Medium in general describes a means for
  distribution and presentation of information.
  e.g. Text, graphics, speech, music
• Media can be classified into different criteria
  according to
• Perception, Representation, Presentation,
  Storage, Transmission and Information Exchange.

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Media classification

• Perception Medium help humans to sense their
  environment through seeing or hearing. (How do
  humans perceive information in a computer
  environment?)
• One primary difference between the two with
  regard to computer
• seeing text, image, video
• - hearing music, noise, speech

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• Representation Medium characterized by internal
  computer representations of information.
• (How is the computer information coded?) -
  various formats are used to represent media
  information in a computer
• Text are coded by ASCII or EBCDIC, graphics by
  CEPT or CAPTAIN, audio (Pulse Coding Method),
  image JPEG or GIF, combined audio/video sequence
  can be coded in different TV standard PAL, SECAM,
  NTSC and stored in the computer using an MPEG
  format

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• Presentation Medium refers to the tools and
  devices for the input and output of information.
• (Through which medium is information delivered by
  the computer or introduced into the computer?)
• Paper, screen, speaker output media
• Mouse, keyboard, camera, mic. input media

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• Storage Medium refer to data carrier which
  enables storage of information
• (Where will the information be stored?)
• Not limited to available components of computer
  e.g. paper, microfilm, floppy, hard disk, CD-ROM

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• Transmission Medium characterizes different
  information carriers that enable continuous data
  transmission (storage media are excluded)
• (Over what will the information be transmitted?)
  - over networks which uses wire and cable
  transmission, free air space
• Wired vs. Wireless

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• Information Exchange Medium includes all
  information carriers for transmission i.e. all
  storage and transmission media.
• (Which information carrier will be used for
  information exchange between different places?)
• Information can flow through intermediate storage
  media and transported outside of computer
  networks
• OR direct transmission using computer networks
• OR through combined usage of storage and
  transmission media e.g. electronic mailing system)

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Representation Values and Representation Spaces

• This classification of media can also be used as
  a basis for characterizing the notion medium.
  Each medium defines Representation Values and
  Representation Spaces.
• Representation Spaces presentation media
• e.g. paper or screen

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Representation Values and Representation Spaces

• Representation Values determine the information
  representation of different media
• e.g. text medium visually represents a sentence
  through a sequence of characters, this sentence
  is represented by the speech medium in the form
  of a pressurized wave.
• Some representation values are self-contained by
  their media (properly interpret by recipient)
  temperature, taste, smell
• Other media require a pre-defined symbol set
  which users must agree upon text, speech,
  gestures

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• Representation values can be considered either as
  a continuum or a sequence of discrete values.
• Pressure wave fluctuations ?
• Text ?

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Representation Dimension

• Media can be divided into two types with respect
  to time in their representation space
• Time-independent
• Time-dependent

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Time-independent

• Text and Graphics are time-independent as these
  media consist exclusively of a sequence of
  individual elements or of a continuum without a
  time component.
• Therefore the notion discrete is used. The
  processing of the discrete media should happen as
  fast as possible but the processing is not time
  critical as the validity (correctness) of the
  data does not depend on any time condition.

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Time-dependent

• Sound, full-motion video change over time and
  therefore time-dependent. Information is
  expressed in both its individual value and the
  time of occurrence.
• The semantic depends on the level of the relative
  change of the discrete values or of the
  continuum. Processing is time critical because
  the validity (correctness) of the data depends on
  a time condition.

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Properties of a Multimedia System

• Deriving a Multimedia definition from a
  dictionary any system which supports more than
  a single kind of media.
• This characterization is insufficient as it deals
  with a quantitative evaluation of the system.
• e.g. combination of text and graphic ?

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• Multimedia should be understood in a more
  qualitative manner.
• A multimedia system can be distinguish from other
  systems through several properties.
• Combination of media
• Independence
• Computer-supported Integration
• Communication Systems

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a. Combination of media

• Not any arbitrary combination of media justifies
  the usage of the term Multimedia.
• Multimedia should be mentioned only when both
  continuous and discrete media are present and
  utilized.

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b. Independence

• An aspect of different media is their level of
  independence from each other. Multimedia may
  require several levels of independence.

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c. Computer-supported Integration

• Computers are the ideal tool to provide the
  possibility of combining media in arbitrary
  forms.
• Simple input or output of different media
  through one system does not satisfy the
  requirement for a computer-controlled solution.
• Computer-controlled data should be integrated to
  perform certain functions.

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• Timing, spatial and semantic synchronization
  relations should be included.
• e.g. text processing program that supports text,
  table calculation and video does not satisfy the
  demand of integration if program supporting the
  connection between the data could not be
  established
• A high integration level is accomplished if one
  change causes another corresponding change.
• Integrated Multimedia System

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d. Communication Systems

• Communication-capable multimedia systems must be
  approached.
• Considering the network world a local processing
  multimedia function is a restriction.
• Distributed environments promotes interesting
  multimedia applications.

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Multimedia History

• Multimedia started back about 40 years ago in the
  form of teaching and learning kits used by the
  teacher and the students. It consists of a
  combination of various media such as drawings,
  pictures, slide, microfilm, chalk, blackboard,
  text book and exercise book.

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Multimedia History

• The characteristics of the previous Multimedia
  teaching learning kits
• a. each media is prepared and developed in
  isolation
• b. each media is used as a single entity in its
  own package environment
• c. difficulty in integrating each media to become
  a package in delivery in class or exercise
• The Multimedia kits failed. Why ?

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Multimedia Definition

• Steinmetz and Nahrstedt (1997)
• A Multimedia System is characterized by a
  computer-controlled, integrated production,
  manipulation, presentation, storage and
  communication of independent information, which
  is encoded at least through a continuous
  (time-dependent) and a discrete
  (time-independent) medium.

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• Halimah (1996)
• Multimedia merupakan kesepaduan di antara
  pelbagai media spt teks, numerik, grafik, imej,
  video, animasi dan suara dalam satu persekitaran
  digital, disamping mempunyai keupayaan
  interaktiviti bagi membolehkan pengguna mencapai
  maklumat keperluannya tanpa mengikut urutan.

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• Oblinger (1993)
• Multimedia merupakan penyatuan dua _at_ lebih media
  komunikasi spt teks, grafik, imej, animasi, video
  dan suara dengan ciri-ciri interaktiviti komputer
  untuk menghasilkan satu persembahan yang menarik.

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• Peck (1998)
• Multimedia ialah kombinasi dua _at_ lebih jenis
  media, utk mewujudkan satu jujukan aturcara yg
  berkesan dlm menyampaikan sesuatu idea, lazimnya
  dgn bantuan kedua-dua bunyi dan visual. Secara
  tipikal, penerbitan multimedia dibangun dan
  dikawal oleh komputer.

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• Vaughan, Tay
• multimedia is woven combinations of text,
  graphic art, sound, animation and video elements
• Feldman
• multimedia is the seamless integration of data,
  text, image of all kinds and sound within a
  single digital environment
• Galbreath
• integrasi di antara audio, video, teks, animasi,
  numerik dan grafik dalam satu persekitaran digital

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Common traits

• Objects/Elements/Building blocks
• ? ? ?
• Common environment

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Multimedia Characteristics

• The vast usage of Multimedia has brought about
  the common traits of the package
• 1. Seamless integration
• Very close interweaving that a discrete
  character of a different type of individual media
  is submerged in the experience of the multimedia
  environment.
• The integration of all the various media /
  elements are so smooth that it cannot be detected
  by the naked eye. End users can view the
  animation or video presentation while music is
  played at the background.

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Multimedia Characteristics

• 2. Digital environment
• Each and every media should be transformed into
  digital form so as to initiate the ease of use of
  the media in the computer. The reasons are
• Digital is the lingua franca for electronic
  device / media
• digital information is the lingua franca of the
  information industry
• no serious future in multimedia unless it is also
  digital

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Multimedia Characteristics

• 3. Interactive
• Interactivity empowers the end users of your
  project by letting them control the content and
  flow of information. (Tay Vaughan 1998)
• Multimedia emphasizes using multiple media. The
  most important feature of multimedia is the
  ability it affords you to interact with media,
  both actively controlling what you see and hear
  and creating your own media.

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Multimedia Characteristics

• 4. Non-linear / Non-sequential
• A good Multimedia application is non-linear in
  transferring information and presentation
  delivery. End users can explore quickly while
  building their own pathway without being
  restricted by the linear format. This method is
  effective as compared to the traditional method.
• Setbacks ? ? ?

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Multimedia Building blocks

• TEXT
• Traditionally used to convey information and one
  of the most widely used. The intensity of the
  text usage depends on the purpose of the program.
  
• Possible usage titles, buttons, bullets,
  paragraphs and scrolling text

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Multimedia Building blocks

• GRAPHICS
• An ancient Chinese saying, A picture is worth a
  thousand words,. People often learn and retain
  more information than from other forms of
  information. Learning styles are the various
  methods individuals have for perceiving and
  processing information while reacting to their
  environment.
• The integration of graphics into a Multimedia
  application includes Background, photos,
  three-dimensional pictures, charts (graphs),
  flowcharts etc

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Multimedia Building blocks

• VIDEO
• One can employ various ways to integrate video
  into an interactive Multimedia application such
  as digitized video, a video window displaying
  the output of a laser disc or a videotape player,
  a video window displaying a live TV signal or a
  broadcast signal using PC-TV

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Multimedia Building blocks

• SOUND
• The integration of sounds and special effects
  provides an additional dimension.
• Some forms of sounds that can be used special
  sound effects, narration, audio tracks from
  analog or digital source, background music or
  musical performances, background or ambient sounds

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Multimedia Building blocks

• ANIMATION
• Plays a huge role in entertainment (providing
  action and realism) and education (providing
  visualization and demonstration). The animation
  made up of many still images each in its own
  frame. Movies on video run at about 30 fps, but
  computer animations at 12 15 fps. Any less than
  this results in a jerky motion.