Computer Science 404

Introduction

What is Multimedia?

Mulitmedia is the use of a computer to present and combine text, graphics, audio, and video with links and tools that let the user navigate, interact, create, and communicate.

There are four components that are essential to multimedia.

1. The computer - it does all the coordination and allows interaction with user.
2. Links that connect the information
3. Navigational tools that allow you to traverse the web of connected information.
4. There must be a way for you to gather, process and communicate your own ideas.
 When you allow an end user, the viewer of a multimedia project, to control what and when the elements are delivered, it is Interactive multimedia.  When you provide a structure of linked elements through which the user can navigate, interactive multimedia becomes hypermedia.
  Multimedia doesn't have to be interactive to be called mulitmedia, users can sit back and watch just like they were watching a movie or television. In such cases a project is linear, starting at the beginning and running through to an end. When users get to make navigational decisions and wander through the content at their pleasure it is considered nonlinear and interactive.

What are the Uses and what is the Importance of Multimedia?

  Multimedia is appropriate whenever a human needs to use an electronic interface for information of any kind. Multimedia enhances traditional text based output by holding interest and attention. Multimedia improves information retention and when done properly can be very entertaining. Studies indicate that if you're stimulated with audio, you will about a 20 percent retention rate, audio-visual is up to 30 percent, and in interactive multimedia presentations wehre you are really involved, the retention rate is as high as 60 percent. If  I'd have had this when I was young I  probably could've got into a better college.
Multimedia in Business
  Business applications for multimedia can include presentations, training, advertising, demos, databases, catalogues, and networked communications. Multimedia allows sounds and videos to be included in the usually dreary business slide show. Training and simulation have really taken to the multimedia idea. Flight attendants learn to manage terrorism and security through simulation. Mechanics learn to repair engines. Salespeople use multimedia software to train their clients.

Multimedia at Home
From gardening to cooking to home design, remodeling, and repair to genealogy software, multimedia has entered the home. Probably the most prevelant example is the Encylopedia Brittanica software that came with almost all new computers in the mid 90's. The software encyclopedias have sound, text, videos, and a huge database to keep it all together. WebTV is becoming a commonplace in many homes. Internet through the TV, combining computers and television, the ultimate multimedia device. Companies such as Jellyvision in Chicago (the makers of the very popular game "You Don't Know Jack"), are planning for a future when games will be part of the cable package.

Multimedia in Public Places
In hotels, airports, shopping malls, museums, grocery stores, multimedia will become available at stand-alone terminals or kiosks to provide information and help. For example Hastings record store has a kiosks now that allows you to type in part of a song title and it retrieves pictures of the band, album reviews, and songs that are similar. Such installations reduce demand on traditional information booths or salespeople. They also add value, cut overhead, and they never need time off.

Virtual Reality
At the center of the multimedia revolution is virtual reality. Goggles, helmets, special gloves and bizarre human interfaces attempt to place you inside a computer environement. The movies have over extended the reality of virtual reality, but in many cases the movies have predicted the future. Virtual reality takes incredible amounts of computer power and resources to be realistic, and unfortunetely at MSU we can't afford the tools needed.