COM 205

MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS
St. Josephs College
Fall 2004
 Chapter 1

Introduction to Multimedia
What is Multimedia?
Multimedia is any combination of
text,
graphic art,
sound,
animation,
video,
delivered by computer or electronic
means
 What is Multimedia?
Text
Graphics
Sound
Animation
Video
Multimedia takes may forms
Greeting Cards
Conferencing
Movies
Photo albums
Image catalogs
Creating and Delivering Multimedia

Graphic User Interface - GUI

Producing a Multimedia Project
Requires
a) creative skill
b) technology tools
c) organizational and business talent
d) knowledge of ownership and
copyright rules
Where Do You Begin?
Study each element of Multimedia
Read trade periodicals
Visit web sites
Where Do You Begin?
Learn tools to create or edit that
element
Learn to use texts and fonts
effectively
Learn how to make and edit colorful
images
Learn how to animate images into
movies
Learn how to record and edit sound
Types of Multimedia
Interactive multimedia
Hyperactive multimedia
Linear multimedia
Interactive Multimedia

Allows the user to control

what and
when the elements are delivered
Hypermedia
Interactive Multimedia which
provides a structure of linked
elements through which the user
can navigate
Multimedia Project
Software vehicle, messages and
content presented on a computer or
TV screen
Multimedia title - if sold or shipped to
users with or without instructions
Web page if on the www and composed
of HTML or DHTML ( Dynamic Hypertext
Markup Language)
Multimedia Project
Linear - users watch from beginning
to end
Non-linear and interactive - users are
given navigational control and can
wonder through the content
Authoring Tools
Multimedia elements are sewn
together using tools like Authorware
to provide facilities for creating and
editing text and images
have extensions to drive videodisc
players and other peripherals
playback the sound and movie elements
created with other tools
 Requirements
Multimedia requires:
large amounts of digital memory and
network bandwidth;
GUI (gooey) - a graphical user interface
CD-Rom or DVD technology for storage
In the future these may be replaced by
connected fiber, and radio/cellular
technology
DVD Digital Versatile Disc
Delivering and Using Multimedia
Multimedia demands bandwidth
CD-ROMs hold 650-700 MB (80
minutes of full screen video)
DVD-ROMs hold 4.7-18 GB
Multimedia can be delivered on line
Why Multimedia?
Multimedia enhances learning,
memory and retention
audio stimulation - 20% retention rate
audio/visual - up to 30% retention rate
interactive multimedia - up to 60%
retention rate
Delivering and Using Multimedia
Online uses include:
Books and Magazines
Movies
News and Weather
Education
Maps
Entertainment
Appropriate uses
Business
Schools
Homes

Public Places
1995 Al Gore - White House Challenge
to connect every classroom, clinic,
hospital to Information Superhighway
by 2000
Delivering and Using Multimedia
Virtual Reality
New Technologies
VR- Virtual Reality
Goggles, helmets, gloves, etc. place
users inside a life-like experience
View changes as user moves forward,
left/right, etc.
Composed of thousands of geometric to
be realistic
Will require new standards (VRML) for
transmitting virtual worlds on the web
Results
Multimedia will cause radical changes in
teaching and learning
Teachers will become mentors and
guides along a learning path that is
student centered (See pp. 12-13)
Education will shift from the
SAGE on the STAGE to the
GUIDE at the SIDE of each student.
 Project
Visit the International Space Station (ISS)
Virtual Tour at
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html
Choose the Interactives and ISS Explorer
then try to answer these questions:
What is the Soyuz capsule used for?
In node 2, what does the PMA-2 interface
serve as a docking station to?
The Japanese Experiment Module is named
Kibo. What does kibo mean in English?
Alternate Project
Virtual tour of London and
St. Michaels Abbey
Go to main website:
http://www.virtualfreesites.com/museums.html
then Virtual Reality tours
St. Michaels Abbey
What happens when you click on a red spot?

Virtual Tour of London

What is the London Eye?
Why is the Tower of London famous?