Unit 1 : Introduction & Stages of multimedia projects

Agenda Introduction to multimedia Multimedia objects Uses of multimedia

Introduction to multimedia

What is multimedia?• Multimedia is a combination of text, graphics, art, sound, animation and video

elements.• User’s perspective is – Multimedia is to represent information through audio, video in addition to text, image, graphics and animation.• It enhances the communication of the message and its understanding.• When you allow an end user to control what and when the elements are delivered, it becomes dynamic multimedia

What others have to say about it• Multimedia is a combination of time based media such as voice,

animation and video and along with space based media such as text, graphics and images.

- Mr. Christine Hughes

• Multimedia is commonly defined as the combination of text, graphics, audio, video and animation on the computer.

-Mr. Fox

• The term multimedia describes a new application oriented technology that is based on the multi-sensory nature of humans and the evolving ability of computers to convey diverse types of information.

Mr. Little

Multimedia Objects

Multimedia Objects

• Multimedia objects (OBJE) are files that contain images, scanned documents, audio recordings, video clips etc. that relate to some fact within our genealogical data.

• A multimedia object may be linked with several entities (person, family, source, …) and vice versa.

Where should we store multimedia objects?

• Multimedia files may be stored anywhere in the network. But it is recommended to keep them in a folder structure within the folder of the GEDCOM file. Thus only relative paths are kept, and a transfer of our genealogical data including pictures, document scans or audio files is much easier.

Uses of multimedia

Uses of multimedia

• These days many industries are rapidly adapting the uses of multimedia rich applications. Multimedia enhances the traditional methods of text based presentations.

• Following are some major areas of use of multimedia –– Multimedia in Business– Multimedia in Education– Multimedia at home– Multimedia in public places

Multimedia in Business

• This is the mainstream market for multimedia• This includes –– Marketing– Advertising– Product demos– Other methods like presentation, network

communication etc.• For marketing, we need communication and it is

done through person, print, video, voice mail and video conferencing

Multimedia in Business…

• Advertising is a backbone of any business system.• Multimedia advertising is the driving force behind the

many value propositions.• Multimedia authoring tools provides a complete alternative to video editing, that reduces the video production bottleneck and allow more advertising to be produced in less time.

Multimedia in Business…

• Presentations are most probably the largest application for multimedia in business.

• As we know, all business requires a message to communicate, whether to its staff, trading partners, distributers or the customers.

• Some powerful multimedia presentation software’s are-– Liquidpoint- powerpoint with built in support for 3-D – Flash presentation – supports animation– MagicLantern – Freeware with cross platform compatibility.

Multimedia in education• This is perhaps the most needy field for the multimedia.• One of the challenges in teaching the engineering or any other

discipline, is trying to meet the need of the variety of students (mainly in large classes)

• A survey of learning styles reveals that- Students are visual, yet lectures are primarily verbal.

• Because of these, when we come to consider the computer and learning, the debate focuses on the occasions when adding videos, sounds and other elements might be useful.

• Multimedia softwares favor visual learners, images, graphs, animations, movies etc.

Multimedia in education…

• Some softwares are-– EDUSMART – smart and interactive classroom– Chanakya ( Smart Learning based software for Std.1st to12th

Marathi & English Medium ) As par Maharashtra State Board CBSE, ICSE Syllabus

– SmartGuru ( Smart Analysis based software for 12th MHT-CET students to score more marks in exams )

• To know more about Edusmart, visit http://www.edusmart.co.in

Multimedia in education…

• Interactive video: these videos are such that a user can interact using some input device say mouse, touch screen or keyboard.

• Computer games• Photographs and graphics

Multimedia in public place• Kiosks : In recent years much effort has gone into the creation of online

resources.• Kiosks are used in airports, shopping malls, hotels, museum, galleries etc.• These are computer based information center which reduces the demand of books and available round the clock.• In IIT Chennai, the information center having a touch screen monitor, giving information about the campus, courses, number of students in each stream, near by visiting places and many more.

Virtual Reality

• This is a new field of multimedia, where user can interact with a three-dimensional environment that sense the users position and attempt to place you inside a real experience.

• There are three-dimensional software designing tools which allow a developer to create the shapes, lightning and other effects of virtual environment.

• The idea behind the concept of virtual reality is to show the user a computer generated environment that adjust to you, to your movements.

• It involves a high end user interface that involves real time 3D simulations and interactions through position and motion tracking.

Uses of virtual reality

• Scientific simulators• Air traffic control system (ATC)• Games• Architectural planning • Business planning• Education and training

Tools of a VR system

• Head-Mounted Display(HMD)• Binocular Omni-Orientation Monitor(BOOM)• Cave Automatic Virtual Environment(CAVE)• Input devices and other technologies

HMD

• Head-Mounted Display (HMD): A head-mounted display or helmet mounted display, both abbreviated HMD, is a display device, worn on the head or as part of a helmet, that has a small display optic in front of one (monocular HMD) or each eye (binocular HMD).

• Evans and Sutherland demonstrated a HMD in 1965.

• It took more than 20 years before VPL Research introduced a commercially available HMD named EyePhone.

HMD cont.

• A typical HMD has either one or two small displays with lenses and semi-transparent mirrors embedded in a helmet, eye-glasses (also known as data glasses) or visor.

• The display units are miniaturised and may include CRT, LCDs, Liquid crystal.

• Some vendors employ multiple micro-displays to increase total resolution and field of view.

Types of HMD

• HMDs differ in whether they can display just a computer generated image (CGI), show live images from the real world or a combination of both.

• Most HMDs display only a computer-generated image, sometimes referred to as a virtual image

• Some HMDs allow a CGI to be superimposed on a real-world view. This is sometimes referred to as augmented reality or mixed reality. Combining real-world view with CGI can be done by projecting the CGI through a partially reflective mirror and viewing the real world directly. This method is often called Optical See-Through.

BOOM• The BOOM (Binocular Omni-Orientation

Monitor) from Fakespace is a head-coupled stereoscopic display device.

• Screens and optical system are housed in a box that is attached to a multi-link arm.

• The user looks into the box through two holes, sees the virtual world, and can guide the box to any position within the operational volume of the device.

• Head tracking is accomplished via sensors in the links of the arm that holds the box.

CAVE

• The CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) was developed at the University of Illinois at Chicago

• provides the illusion of immersion by projecting stereo images on the walls and floor of a room-sized cube.

• Several persons wearing lightweight stereo glasses can enter and walk freely inside the CAVE.

• A head tracking system continuously adjust the stereo projection to the current position of the leading viewer.

Input devices and other technologies

• A variety of input devices like data gloves, joysticks, and hand-held wands allow the user to navigate through a virtual environment and to interact with virtual objects.

• Directional sound, tactile and force feedback devices, voice recognition and other technologies are being employed to enrich the immersive experience.

• A data glove allows for interactions with the virtual world: