Multimedia is media that utilizes a combination of different content forms. In Communication, media (Singular Medium) are the storage and transmission tools used to store and deliver Information The term can be used as a noun (a medium with multiple content forms) or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which only utilize traditional forms of printed or hand-produced text and still graphics. In general, multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content forms. Sound' is Vibration transmitted through a Solid, Liquid, or Gas; particularly sound means those vibrations composed of Frequencies An image (from Latin imago) or picture is an artifact usually two-dimensional that has a similar appearance to some subject &mdashusually The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames In Film and Video, footage is the raw unedited material as it had been originally recorded by video Camera, which usually must be edited to

Multimedia is usually recorded and played, displayed or accessed by information content processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance. Information as a concept has a diversity of meanings from everyday usage to technical settings Multimedia (as an adjective) also describes electronic media devices used to store and experience multimedia content. Electronic media are media that utilize Electronics or Electromechanical energy for the End user ( Audience) to access the content Multimedia is similar to traditional mixed media in fine art, but with a broader scope. Mixed media, in Visual art, refers to an artwork in the making of which more than one medium has been employed Fine art is any Art form developed primarily for Aesthetics rather than Utility. The term "rich media" is synonymous for interactive multimedia. Interactive media refers to media that allows for active participation by the recipient hence Interactivity. Hypermedia can be considered one particular multimedia application. Hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term Hypertext in which graphics audio video plain text and Hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear

Multimedia contains a combination of content forms:
Text	Audio	Still Images
Animation	Video	Interactivity

Categorization of multimedia

Linear Presentation	Non-linear Interactive

Multimedia may be broadly divided into linear and non-linear categories. An image (from Latin imago) or picture is an artifact usually two-dimensional that has a similar appearance to some subject &mdashusually The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames In Film and Video, footage is the raw unedited material as it had been originally recorded by video Camera, which usually must be edited to Linear active content progresses without any navigation control for the viewer such as a cinema presentation. Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue Non-linear content offers user interactivity to control progress as used with a computer game or used in self-paced computer based training. A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather Electronic learning (or e-Learning or eLearning) is a type of education where the medium of instruction is computer technology Non-linear content is also known as hypermedia content. Hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term Hypertext in which graphics audio video plain text and Hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear

Multimedia presentations can be live or recorded. Presentation is the process of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience A recorded presentation may allow interactivity via a navigation system. In Computing, spatial navigation is the ability to navigate between focusable elements such as Hyperlinks and form controls within a structured document or User A live multimedia presentation may allow interactivity via an interaction with the presenter or performer.

Major characteristics of multimedia

Local Recorded	Online Streaming

Multimedia presentations may be viewed in person on stage, projected, transmitted, or played locally with a media player. In Theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in Stagecraft) is a designated space for the Performance of theatrical productions For biologic transmitters see Transmitter substance. A transmitter is an electronic device which usually with the aid of an antenna Media Player was a media player originally included in Windows 3 A broadcast may be a live or recorded multimedia presentation. For the band see Broadcast (band Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or Video signals which transmit Broadcasts and recordings can be either analog or digital electronic media technology. Analogue electronics (or analog in American English) are those electronic systems with a continuously Variable signal Digital electronics are Electronics systems that use Digital signals Digital electronics are representations of Boolean algebra also see Digital online multimedia may be downloaded or streamed. Streaming multimedia is Multimedia that is constantly received by and normally presented to an end-user while it is being delivered by a streaming provider (the Streaming multimedia may be live or on-demand.

Multimedia games and simulations may be used in a physical environment with special effects, with multiple users in an online network, or locally with an offline computer, game system, or simulator. Computer networking is the Engineering Discipline concerned with communication between Computer systems or devices Networking routers Simulation is the imitation of some real thing state of affairs or process

The various formats of technological or digital multimedia may be intended to enhance the users experience, for example to make it easier and faster to convey information. Or in entertainment or art, to transcend everyday experience.

A lasershow is a live multimedia performance. A laser lighting display or laser Light show involves the use of Laser light to entertain an audience

Enhanced levels of interactivity are made possible by combining multiple forms of media content. Online multimedia is increasingly becoming object-oriented and data-driven, enabling applications with collaborative end-user innovation and personalization on multiple forms of content over time. Collaborative software (also referred to as groupware or workgroup support systems) is software designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their User innovation refers to Innovations developed by Consumers and End users rather than Manufacturers Eric von Hippel of MIT Examples of these range from multiple forms of content on web sites like photo galleries with both images (pictures) and title (text) user-updated, to simulations whose co-efficients, events, illustrations, animations or videos are modifiable, allowing the multimedia "experience" to be altered without reprogramming. In addition to seeing and hearing, Haptic technology enables virtual objects to be felt. Emerging technology involving illusions of taste and smell may also enhance the multimedia experience. Taste (or more formally gustation) is a form of direct Chemoreception and is one of the traditional five Senses

Terminology

History of the term

In 1965 the term Multi-media was used to describe the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a performance that combined live rock music, cinema, experimental lighting and performance art. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. The Exploding Plastic Inevitable, sometimes simply called Plastic Inevitable or EPI, was a series of Multimedia events Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. This article is about Performance art For other uses see Performance (disambiguation

In the intervening forty years the word has taken on different meanings. In the late 1970s the term was used to describe presentations consisting of multi-projector slide shows timed to an audio track. In the 1990s it took on its current meaning. In common usage the term multimedia refers to an electronically delivered combination of media including video, still images, audio, text in such a way that can be accessed interactively. ^[1] Much of the content on the web today falls within this definition as understood by millions.

Some computers which were marketed in the 1990s were called "multimedia" computers because they incorporated a CD-ROM drive, which allowed for the delivery of several hundred megabytes of video, picture, and audio data.

Word usage and context

Since media is the plural of medium, the term "multimedia" is a pleonasm if "multi" is used to describe multiple occurrences of only one form of media such as a collection of audio CDs. Pleonasm is the use of more Words (or even word-parts) than necessary to express an Idea clearly This is why it's important that the word "multimedia" is used exclusively to describe multiple forms of media.

The term "multimedia" is also ambiguous. Static content (such as a paper book) may be considered multimedia if it contains both pictures and text or may be considered interactive if the user interacts by turning pages at will. Books may also be considered non-linear if the pages are accessed non-sequentially. The term "video", if not used exclusively to describe motion photography, is ambiguous in multimedia terminology. Video is often used to describe the file format, delivery format, or presentation format instead of "footage" which is used to distinguish motion photography from "animation", motion illustrations. Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images In Film and Video, footage is the raw unedited material as it had been originally recorded by video Camera, which usually must be edited to The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames Multiple forms of information content are often not considered multimedia if they don't contain modern forms of presentation such as audio or video. Likewise, single forms of information content with single methods of information processing (e. g. non-interactive audio) are often called multimedia, perhaps to distinguish static media from active media.

Usage

VVO Multimedia-Terminal in Dresden WTC (Germany)

A presentation using Powerpoint. Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Microsoft PowerPoint is a proprietary Presentation program developed by Microsoft. Corporate presentations may combine all forms of media

Virtual reality uses multimedia content. Virtual reality ( VR) is a technology which allows a user to interact with a Computer-simulated environment be it a real or imagined one Applications and delivery platforms of multimedia are virtually limitless. In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows

Multimedia finds its application in various areas including, but not limited to, advertisements, art, education, entertainment, engineering, medicine, mathematics, business, scientific research and spatial temporal applications. Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency See also Entertainment (disambiguation and The Entertainer (disambiguation Entertainment is an activity designed to give people Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and A business (also called firm or an enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena Picture thinking, visual thinking or visual/spatial learning is the common phenomenon of thinking through visual processing Several examples are as follows:

Creative industries

Creative industries use multimedia for a variety of purposes ranging from fine arts, to entertainment, to commercial art, to journalism, to media and software services provided for any of the industries listed below. There are many different definitions aimed at describing one of the newest media terms creative industries sometimes referred to as creative economy Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people An individual multimedia designer may cover the spectrum throughout their career. Request for their skills range from technical, to analytical, to creative.

Commercial

Much of the electronic old and new media utilized by commercial artists is multimedia. The old media or Legacy media are traditional means of communication and expression that have existed since before the advent of the new medium of the New media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of Digital, Computerized or Networked information and communication technologies Exciting presentations are used to grab and keep attention in advertising. Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand Industrial, business to business, and interoffice communications are often developed by creative services firms for advanced multimedia presentations beyond simple slide shows to sell ideas or liven-up training. Creative services are a subsector of the Creative industries, a part of the economy that creates wealth by offering Creativity for hire to other businesses Commercial multimedia developers may be hired to design for governmental services and nonprofit services applications as well. Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by Government to its Citizens, either directly (through the Public sector) or A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage

Entertainment and fine arts

In addition, multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry, especially to develop special effects in movies and animations. The illusions used in the Film, Television, Theater, or Entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called Multimedia games are a popular pastime and are software programs available either as CD-ROMs or online. Some video games also use multimedia features. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. 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. The arts is a broad subdivision of Culture, composed of many expressive disciplines. Multimedia artists are Contemporary artists who use a wide range of media to communicate their art One of the most relevant could be Peter Greenaway who is melding Cinema with Opera and all sorts of digital media. Peter Greenaway, CBE (born 5 April 1942) is an English Film director born in Wales. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Another approach entails the creation of multimedia that can be displayed in a traditional fine arts arena, such as an art gallery. An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually Visual art. Although multimedia display material may be volatile, the survivability of the content is as strong as any traditional media. Digital recording material may be just as durable and infinitely reproducible with perfect copies every time.

Education

In Education, multimedia is used to produce computer-based training courses (popularly called CBTs) and reference books like encyclopedia and almanacs. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency Electronic learning (or e-Learning or eLearning) is a type of education where the medium of instruction is computer technology A CBT lets the user go through a series of presentations, text about a particular topic, and associated illustrations in various information formats. Edutainment is an informal term used to describe combining education with entertainment, especially multimedia entertainment. Edutainment (also educational entertainment or entertainment-education) is a form of Entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse

Learning theory in the past decade has expanded dramatically because of the introduction of multimedia. Several lines of research have evolved (e. g. Cognitive load, Multimedia learning, and the list goes on). Cognitive Load is a term that refers to the load on Working memory during instruction Multimedia learning is the common name used to describe a the “Cognitive theory of Multimedia learning” (Mayer and Moreno 1998 Moreno and Mayer 1999 Mayer 2001 The possibilities for learning and instruction are nearly endless.

Engineering

Software engineers may use multimedia in Computer Simulations for anything from entertainment to training such as military or industrial training. Software engineering is the application of a systematic disciplined quantifiable approach to the development operation and maintenance of Software. Simulation is the imitation of some real thing state of affairs or process The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge skills and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge Multimedia for software interfaces are often done as a collaboration between creative professionals and software engineers. A creative professional is a person who is employed for the extraction of skills in creative endeavors

Industry

In the Industrial sector, multimedia is used as a way to help present information to shareholders, superiors and coworkers. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Multimedia is also helpful for providing employee training, advertising and selling products all over the world via virtually unlimited web-based technologies.

Mathematical and Scientific Research

In Mathematical and Scientific Research, multimedia are mainly used for modelling and simulation. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena For example, a scientist can look at a molecular model of a particular substance and manipulate it to arrive at a new substance. A scientist, in the broadest sense refers to any person that engages in a systematic activity to acquire Knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices Molecular modelling is a collective term that refers to theoretical methods and computational techniques to model or mimic the behaviour of Molecules The techniques Representative research can be found in journals such as the Journal of Multimedia. The Journal of Multimedia is a peer-reviewed Scientific journal published monthly by Academy Publisher

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. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health Surgery (from the χειρουργική cheirourgikē, via chirurgiae meaning "hand work" is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental The human body is the entire physical and mental structure of a Human Organism. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly A virus (from the Latin virus meaning Toxin or Poison) is a sub-microscopic infectious agent that is unable The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have

Miscellaneous

In Europe, the reference organization for Multimedia industry is the European Multimedia Associations Convention (EMMAC). The European Multimedia Associations Convention (EMMAC is a European network of Multimedia associations

An observatory for jobs in the multimedia industry provides surveys and analysis about multimedia and ITC jobs. [1]

Structuring information in a multimedia form

Multimedia represents the convergence of text, pictures, video and sound into a single form. In the absence of a more specific context convergence denotes the approach toward a definite value as time goes on or to a definite point a common view or opinion or The power of multimedia and the Internet lies in the way in which information is linked.

Multimedia and the Internet require a completely new approach to writing. The style of writing that is appropriate for the 'on-line world' is highly optimized and designed to be able to be quickly scanned by readers. ^[2]

A good site must be made with a specific purpose in mind and a site with good interactivity and new technology can also be useful for attracting visitors. The site must be attractive and innovative in its design, function in terms of its purpose, easy to navigate, frequently updated and fast to download. ^[3]

When users view a page, they can only view one page at a time. As a result, multimedia users must create a ‘mental model of information structure’. ^[4]

Patrick Lynch, author of the Yale University Web Style Manual, states that users need predictability and structure, with clear functional and graphical continuity between the various components and subsections of the multimedia production. Patrick Lynch is the name of Patrick Neeson Lynch (1817&ndash1882 Catholic bishop during the American Civil War Patrick Lynch (Roman Catholic In this way, the home page of any multimedia production should always be a landmark, able to be accessed from anywhere within a multimedia piece.

Conferences

There are a large number of multimedia conferences, the two main scholarly scientific conferences being:

• ACM Multimedia;
• IEEE ICME, International Conference on Multimedia & Expo. ACM Multimedia ( ACM-MM) is the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM's annual conference on Multimedia, sponsored by the SIGMM special interest The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE (read eye-triple-e) is an international Non-profit, professional organization

References, Sources, and Notes

• Multimedia Making it Work, by Tay Vaughan. Osborne McGraw Hill, 1993. ISBN 0-07-881869.

See also

• Multimedia Esperanto
• Multimedia literacy
• Multimedia Messaging Service

External links

• History of Multimedia from the University of Calgary
• Multimedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality
• Machizo Multimedia, a socially committed multimedia organization
• Multimedia Webzine, publishing mutlimedia local content from Bangladesh
• Academy Of Film & TelevisionSchool Of Multimedia