Introduction to Multimedia

Multimedia

• Multimedia is an interactive medium that presents information using various methods like text, audio, video, graphics, and animations.
• It facilitates powerful communication and is employed in education, training, presentations, advertising, and documentaries.

Definition of Multimedia

• Multimedia is a representation of information using a combination of text, audio, video, graphics, and animations to ensure an engaging and attractive presentation.
• It's a computerized way to combine different media types, such as textual data, visuals, and audio, for presenting information effectively.
• Examples include email, video conferencing, instant messaging, and multimedia message service (MMS).

Components of Multimedia

• Text: Used in multimedia productions to present information in various font sizes and styles.
• Graphics: Enhance multimedia applications visually; two types exist:
  • Bitmap images: Real-world images taken from digital cameras or scanners, non-editable, and require substantial memory.
  • Vector graphics: Drawn on a computer, editable, and require less memory.
• Audio: Includes speech, music, and sound effects; used for interactive teaching and multimedia presentations.
• Video: Moving pictures with sound; used for conveying information in short duration, frequently used in multimedia applications for presentation of real life objects.
• Animation: A technique that gives static images the appearance of movement; important for attractive presentations.

Applications of Multimedia

• Business: Used for projects, team communication, and global teamwork via multimedia technology enabling team members to work globally.
• Education: Educational games enhance learning for kids, allowing them to explore various capabilities in various forms like drawing, coloring, playing rhymes.
• Banking: Multimedia is employed to display information about bank schemes and services to customers, assist in various transactions, training staff.
• Hospitals: Multimedia aids in real-time patient monitoring, expert consultations, and diagnosis, including multimedia presentations for training for junior staff.
• Pedagogy: Multimedia can aid the presentation process. Pedagogues can provide detailed and interactive challenges to students for stimulating and motivating them.

Multimedia Hardware

• Processor: The brain of the computer, today Core 15 or higher processors are recommended for multimedia applications.
• CPU: The central processing unit that performs data processing, stores data and instructions (program), and controls the computer's operations.
• Memory and Storage Devices: Essential for storing multimedia files, original audio/video clips, project files, and backups.
  • Primary Memory (RAM): Temporary storage for data and instructions currently being used by the computer, volatile.
  • Flash Memory: High-speed temporary storage, act as a buffer between CPU and main memory.
  • Secondary Memory (e.g., hard disk, CD, DVD): Permanent storage for multimedia files.

Input Devices

• Keyboard: Inputting data to the computer, various key layouts available.
• Mouse: Popular cursor-control device used to control the position of the cursor on the screen.
• Joystick: A pointing device used to control cursor position; used in CAD and computer games.
• Light Pen: Pen-like input device for selecting menu items or drawing on the monitor screen.
• Trackball: Input device that moves the cursor by moving the ball with fingers, used in notebooks/laptops.
• Scanner: Captures images from hardcopy document and transfers into digital form for editing before printing.
• Digitizer: Converts analog data to digital format; used in drawing and image manipulation.
• Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR): Primarily used in banks to read the information printed on cheques; high-speed and error-proof..
• Optical Character Reader (OCR): Scans text optically and converts it into machine-readable code and stores it in memory.
• Barcode Reader: Reads barcodes, transforms them into alphanumeric values, and sends them to computer.
• Optical Mark Reader (OMR): Reads the marks made by a pen or pencil on sheets, commonly used in exams.

Output Devices

• Monitors: Display images formed from tiny dots called pixels. Two types:
  • CRT Monitors: Traditional monitor type.
  • Flat Panel Displays (LCD, LED): More modern monitors with reduced volume, weights, and power requirements.
• Printers: Output devices for printing documents or images.
  • Dot Matrix Printers: Impact printers.
  • Line Printers: Print one line at a time.
  • Laser Printers: Non-impact page printers.
  • Inkjet Printers: Non-impact character printers that spray ink onto paper.
• Screen Image Projector: Projects information from a computer onto a large screen.
• Speakers: Output devices to produce and display audio.
• Digital Video Cameras: Capture images/video and store them in digital form, used for presentations.

Multimedia Software

• Multimedia software tells the hardware what to do; it handles and combines different media file formats.

• It includes categories like Text Editing Tools, Drawing Tools, Image Editing Tools, Sound Editing Tools, Video Editing Tools, and Multimedia Authoring Tools.

Multimedia File Formats

• GIF: Graphics Interchange Format, 256 colors (suitable for simple diagrams, icons, and animations).
• JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group, supports 24-bit color (ideal for photographic images).
• PNG: Portable Network Graphics, lossless compression (supports transparency).
• TIFF: Tagged Image File Format, vector graphics; high quality.
• BMP: Bitmap, widely used on Windows, uncompressed; large file size.
• EPS: Encapsulated Postscript, vector graphics; can be imported into nearly any application.

Digitization of Sound and Audio

• Converting analogous signals to digital signals consists of Sampling(measuring amplitude at regular intervals), Quantizing(assigning discrete values to each sample), and Encoding(converting these values into binary form).
• Sample Rate: Number of samples taken per second (measured in Hertz) affects the quality and file size of the audio. Higher sample rates produce greater accuracy.
• Bit Depth: Number of bits used to represent each sample; greater bit depth means higher quality audio.
• Pulse Code Modulation (PCM): Standard for digital audio; involves sampling, quantization, and binary encoding.
• Differential Pulse Code Modulation (DPCM): Encodes the difference between successive samples, which requires fewer bits than raw PCM.
• Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM): A more sophisticated approach, where the coding parameters adapt to the characteristics of the audio.