Graphics |Multimedia | its elements | components | features | advantages | disadvantages

Multimedia

Multimedia Information systems make use of many different ways of communication. These can include text, graphics, image, voice, and video. The term multimedia is generally used to describe more sophisticated systems that support moving images and audio.

In order to work with multimedia a personal computer typically requires a powerful microprocessor, large memory and storage capacity, a high quality monitor, external loudspeakers or headphones and a sound card for improved sound generation, and CD-ROM OR DVD-ROM drive, as well as special software to utilize many of these devices.

  

Interactive multimedia

It means to interface with these media typically with a computer keyboard, mouse, touch screen, on screen buttons, and text entry allowing a user to make decision as to what takes place next with this multimedia

Use of multimedia in education

• Used as reinforcement
• Used to clarify a concept
• Creates the positive attitude of individuals
• The content of topic can be carefully selected
• The length of time needed for instruction can be reduced

Elements of multimedia

• Audio
• Videos
• Graphics
• Animation\
• Texts 

Audio

Audio signals are continuous analog signals. They are first captured by a microphone and then digitized and store usually compressed as CD quality audio requires 16- bit sampling at 44.1 KHz

Video

• Video is a technology of electronically capturing , recording, processing, storing, transmitting a sequence of images representing scenes in motion.
• Video is stored as a standard computer files
• Digital video clearly needs to be compressed
• Analog video is usually captured by a video cameras and then digitized

Graphics

Graphics are the backbone of any multimedia products. Graphics are created using variety of tools including paint brush, AutoCAD, drawing software and digital camera

Graphics are usually conducted by the composition of primitives objects such as lines, polygons, circles, and arcs. Graphics are the visual presentation on some surface. graphics are used to provide the back ground or information content for multimedia product

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement.

2-D Animation 2-D figures are created and/ or edited on the computer using 2-D bitmap graphics or created and edited using 2D vector graphics. This include automated computerized versions of traditional animation techniques, morphing, onion skinning

3-D animation 3-D animation digital models manipulated by an animator. In order to manipulated a mesh, it is given a digital armature. This process is called rigging.

Text

Text plays an important part in almost all multimedia. The design and content of multimedia texts are so different from other type of texts such as newspaper/ magazine text and book texts.

Designing text

Designing multimedia text involvs controlling two very important characteristics of multimedia text

• Display
• Content

Display deals with "How" parameters of multimedia texts- like "how the text is going to be represented at a given place" which font is going to be used to represent this text and with what color etc.

Content design poor content fail to impress the user and result in loss of interest in the whole project. So the content of the project must be impressive.

Display design text display design in multimedia projects involves decisions in controlling two main display parameters involved with multimedia texts :font and colours

Components of multimedia systems

1. Capture devices
2. Storage devices
3. Communication networks
4. Computer systems
5. Display devices

Features of multimedia systems

1. Very high processing power
2. Multimedia capable file systems
3. Data representation
4. Efficient and high i/o
5. Special operating systems
6. Storage and memory
7. Network support
8. Software tools

Advantages of multimedia

1. Enhancement of text only messages
2. Improve over traditional audio-video presentation
3. Gains and holds attention
4. Good for "computer phobic"
5. Multimedia is entertaining as well as educational

Disadvantage of multimedia

1. Investment cost
2. Technical barriers
3. Legal problems