Multimedia

The word ‘Multimedia’ is a combination of two words, ‘Multi’ and ‘Media’. Multi means many and media
means material through which something can be transmitted or send. Multimedia is the combination of
two or more than two media such as text, audio, video, graphic and animation which makes the
information more informative, effective and attractive.
Advantages
1. It makes teaching and learning easier in the classroom.
2. It is portable.
3. It makes easy to share views, ideas among various people around the world.
4. It can store data and information for long period.
5. Presentation can be done in big screen so that many people can see it.
6. It is a multi-sensory. It uses the senses of many users, while the use of multimedia such as hearings,
sees and talk.
7. It can be used for a wide variety of audiences, ranging from one person to a whole group.

Disadvantages
1. It can be expensive. Multimedia makes use of a wide range of resources, which can cost you a large
amount of money.
2. It needs a multimedia computer set and techno man (manpower) to prepare the multimedia
presentation.
3. Large files such as video and audio effects take more time to load your presentation.
4. It is not possible to distribute and use in the remote areas where poor people stay.
5. It takes time to produce multimedia files and content.

Types of Multimedia
a) Interactive multimedia: Interactive media, also called interactive multimedia, any computer-
delivered electronic system that allows the user to control, combine, and manipulate different
types of media, such as text, sound, video, computer graphics, and animation.
b) Non-Interactive multimedia: Non-interactive multimedia refers to those services and systems
which are not directly connected by the people. For example, while watching television we can
only watch it but cannot interact with it. Just like while working on the computer we can only
command it and it will follow the instruction only. Non-interactive Multimedia doesn’t allow to
express the emotions or feelings while watching television or playing the game on a computer or
computer games.

Some hardware and software requirements for multimedia:

Hardware:
1. High range of processor and motherboard
2. Sound card
3. Graphics card
4. High storage memory
5. High resolution monitor
6. High quality digital camera
7. High resolution of scanner
8. Overhead projector, etc.
 Software:
1. Adobe Photoshop - Digital Imaging Software
2. Director - Authoring Multimedia for CD ROM and Web
3. Adobe Premiere - Digital Video and Post Production Tool
4. Sound Editor - Sound Capture and Editing for Multimedia
5. Flash - Video Capture and Editing for Multimedia
6. Front Page - Authoring tool for WWW and Internet
7. Elias Wave front - 3D Tools for Games Films

Components / Elements of Multimedia

1. Text: Text is the basic element of multimedia. Computers use following hardware devices for
text processing such as keyboards, OCRs, monitors, Printers. Text processing capabilities help
us in multimedia computer system for better presentation and use of textual information such
as text editing, text style, text searching, and text importing and exporting. The text may
include character, letter, numbers and other special symbols. In multimedia, text is broadly
used for expressing different types of information for example casts on the movie, content of
the presentation, webpage.
2. Audio / Sound: Audio is yet another important component of multimedia, because in many
cases, sound enables us to understand certain information much better and quicker, and in
some cases, sound is the only way to provide the information. Most of the video games, movies,
advertise, audio is the most effective tool for convey information. For example, audio on
movies. Audio component produces the audio signals, which make the multimedia application
attractive as well as more understandable to the end user.
3. Video: Video deals with display of sequence of images to generate an effect of motion. Video
deals with recording of real life events with a video recording device such as a digital video
recorder. Video contains images, graphics, animation and other components to represent on
particular topics. Video data also requires large storage space and needs to meet real-time
constraints on retrieval, delivery, and display.
4. Image / Picture / Graphics: Graphics is an important component of multimedia applications
because a picture is a powerful way to illustrate information. The graphics can express many
things in shorter time frame. It gives better and clear idea on the particular topics. For example,
in a multimedia application for educating children, displaying photograph of a horse along
with its textual description makes illustration much more effective, different charts showing
of score board in cricket.
5. Animation: Computer animation deals with tools and technologies for generating, sequencing,
and displaying a set of images to create an effect of visual change or motion, similar to a movie
film (video). An animation clip is a powerful way to illustrate concepts involving movement.
The most common method of presenting animation is as a motion picture or video program.
Animation deals with displaying a sequence of images at a reasonable speed to create an
impression of movement. Animation is widely used in modern animated movies, games, videos,
which gives exciting looks and feel to the viewers.

Applications of Multimedia
1. Multimedia in Education: In education, multimedia can be used as a source of information.
Students can search encyclopedias such as Encarta, which provide facts on a variety of different
topics using multimedia presentations. Teachers can use multimedia presentations to make lessons
more interesting by using animations to highlight or demonstrate key points. A multimedia
 presentation can also make it easier for pupils to read text rather than trying to read a teacher’s
writing on the board.
2. Multimedia in Entertainment: The entertainment industry used this technology to create real life
games. Multimedia is being used in movie making very extensively. With the help of multimedia
the movie maker have the capabilities of creating what they want. Multimedia uses 3D technique,
graphics, and animations.
3. Multimedia in Presentation: Multimedia application can present information in a variety of forms
(text, graphics, animation, audio, video) involving use of our multiple senses. The multimedia
presentation can explain a subject matter more effectively. It helps in making a presentation more
interesting.
4. Multimedia in Special movies: Several movies now contain many computer generated visual tricks.
For example the Hollywood Movies Jurassic Park shows dinosaur as living creature by using
multimedia technology only. Similarly a number of successful movies like Bahubali, Titanic,
Superman, and Spiderman have used multimedia technology for showing special effects.
5. Multimedia in Business: Multimedia is used for advertising and selling products on the Internet.
Some businesses use multimedia for training where CD-ROMs or online tutorials allow staff to
learn at their own speed, and at a suitable time to the staff and the company. Another benefit is
that this form of training saves the company money, as they do not have to pay the additional
expenses of an employee attending a course away from the workplace.
6. Multimedia in Communication: We can communicate with other very easily like text chat, video
chat, audio chat, which makes our life easy. We use multimedia conference called video
conferencing, which refers to a system that simulates face-to-face video interactions among
participating users located far apart.

Virtual Reality (VR): Virtual reality is an artificial environment that is created with software and
presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real
environment. On a computer, virtual reality is primarily experienced through two of the five
senses: sight and sound. The simplest form of virtual reality is a 3-D image that can be explored
interactively at a personal computer, usually by manipulating keys or the mouse so that the content
of the image moves in some direction or zooms in or out.