Multimedia_class XII

Multimedia is content that uses a combination of different content form such as text, audio, images, animation, video and interactive content. The multimedia may be combined with movie, presentation, interactivity, graphics or animation to give some information which can be stored, transmitted and processed digitally.

Components of Multimedia

Text: - Text is the basic element of multimedia. Text is combination of alphabets symbols, digits, punctuation etc. In a multimedia application, other media or screen can be linked through the use of text. This is what you call Hypertext.

Graphics (Image): - A picture is a worth of thousand words. An image, figure, picture or drawing can consider as graphics. Graphics represent still image and defined as static representation. Extensions are jpeg, gif, bmp, png, jpg etc. Common graphic software program are Photoshop, paint. Net etc

For example:- Photoshop of an employee with his/her name, sex, age, address etc from a company's database of employee's make the employee information much more effective.

Audio: - A multimedia application may require the use of speech, music and sound effects. These are called audio or the sound element. There are two basic types of audio or sound: analog and digital audio. Applications of audio service are telephone communication, telemarketing, voicemail, audio teleconferencing, radio etc. Audio format include MP3, WMA, Wave, MIDI and RealAudio. Soundcard, headphone, speaker, audio mixer, and microphones are used for generating audio or sound.

Video: - Video is the sequence of images over time. Video clips can be combined with audio, text, graphics. Video conferencing, television, multimedia, CCTV etc are application of video communication, Common digital video formats include flash, Mpeg, AVI, WMV and QuickTime etc.

Animation: - Animation is the displaying of image in a sequence to create an effect a visual change or motion similar to a movie (video). Image generation tools such as digital camera, scanner and video generation tools such as digital video camera, videocassette Recorder (VCR), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) are the powerful tool for generating images and videos for animation. Common tools for creating animation are Adobe flash. Example Cartoons on television.

Application of Multimedia: Multimedia finds its application in various areas including

1.      Entertainment and fine arts: multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry, especially to develop special effects in movies and animations. Multimedia games are a popular pastime and are software programs available either as CD-ROMs or online. Multimedia applications that allow users to actively participate instead of just sitting by as passive recipients of information are called Interactive Multimedia. In the Arts there are multimedia artists whose minds are able to blend techniques using different media that in some way incorporates interaction with the viewer.

2.      Advertisement. It helps in advertisement of product for business organization. The concept of e-commerce is not only needed online purchasing, but advertise products amongst inter users.

3.      Education: Multimedia is used to produce computer based training courses (CBTs) and reference books like encyclopedia. CBT lets the user go through a series of presentations, text about a particular topic, and associated illustrations in various information formats. A large number of university also provide also provide online degree or distance mode of education courses for the higher education. Universities provide study material online, students reads it in their free time by using computer, give examination and receive university degree from their own locations.

4.      Journalism: Freelance journalists can make use of different new media to produce multimedia pieces for their news stories. It engages global audiences and tells stories with technology, which develops new communication techniques for both media producers and consumers.

5.      Multimedia reporters who are mobile (usually driving around a community with cameras, audio and video recorders, and laptop computers) are often referred to as Mojos, from mobile journalist.

6.      Engineering Software may use multimedia in Computer Simulations for anything from entertainment to training such as military or industrial training.

7.      Industry:  Multimedia is used as a way to help present information to shareholders, superiors and coworkers. Multimedia is also helpful for providing employee training, advertising and selling products all over the world via virtually unlimited web-based technology.

8.      Mathematical and scientific research: In mathematical and scientific research, multimedia is mainly used for modeling and simulation. For example, a scientist can look at a molecular model of a particular substance and manipulate it to arrive at a new substance.

9.      Medicine: In medicine, doctors can get trained by looking at a virtual surgery or they can simulate how the human body is affected by diseases spread by viruses and bacteria and then develop techniques to prevent it. Multimedia applications such as virtual surgeries also help doctors to get practical training.

10.  Document imaging: It is a technique that takes hard copy of an image/document and converts it into a digital format (for example, scanners).

11.  Disabilities: Media allows those with disabilities to gain qualifications in the multimedia field so they can pursue careers that give them access to a wide array of powerful communication forms.

12.  Presentation: It is a strong medium of presentation of graphs, reports and any other materials. The business organization, training centers, learning all depend on effective presentation. There are tools and techniques are developing to developed presentation kits.

13.  Virtual reality and Simulations: Flight simulation are used to train pilots, the external effect such as changing weather, required high resolution image and ability to control different aspects of the system.

14.  Training: The school, colleges, business organization etc use video clips, slideshows to trained manpower.

15.  Information Provision: Multimedia encyclopedia is an example of a multimedia system used to provide information. It displays information using text, color, audio and video or animation.