Multimedia Systems

Characteristics of Multimedia Systems ................................................................................................. 3

Types of Media.................................................................................................................................... 3
Text ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Numbers.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Audio ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Images ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Animations ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Video ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Hyperlinks ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Differences between Print and Multimedia ...................................................................................... 6
Modes of Display............................................................................................................................. 6
Interactivity ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Ease of Distribution ......................................................................................................................... 7
Authority of Document ................................................................................................................... 7
Hardware Demands............................................................................................................................ 7
Primary and Secondary Storage ...................................................................................................... 7
Image Storage ................................................................................................................................. 7
Audio Storage.................................................................................................................................. 8
Video Processing ............................................................................................................................. 8
Animation Processing...................................................................................................................... 9
People in Multimedia ....................................................................................................................... 10
Content Providers ......................................................................................................................... 10
System Designer............................................................................................................................ 10
Project Manager............................................................................................................................ 10
Technical Staff ............................................................................................................................... 10
Skills............................................................................................................................................... 11
Examples of Multimedia Systems ........................................................................................................ 11
Education and Training ..................................................................................................................... 11
Leisure and Entertainment ............................................................................................................... 11
Information Provision ....................................................................................................................... 12
Virtual Reality and Simulations ......................................................................................................... 12
Displaying in Multimedia Systems ....................................................................................................... 12
Hardware for Creating and Displaying .............................................................................................. 12
Screens .......................................................................................................................................... 12
 Projection Devices......................................................................................................................... 13
Head Up Displays .......................................................................................................................... 13
Audio displays ............................................................................................................................... 13
CD and DVD Players ...................................................................................................................... 14
Video Tape .................................................................................................................................... 14
Software for Creating and Displaying ............................................................................................... 14
Presentation Software .................................................................................................................. 14
Software for Video Processing ...................................................................................................... 14
Application Software..................................................................................................................... 15
Authoring Software ....................................................................................................................... 15
Animation Software ...................................................................................................................... 15
Web Browsers ............................................................................................................................... 15
HTML Editors ................................................................................................................................. 16
Other Information Processes ............................................................................................................... 16
Collecting .......................................................................................................................................... 16
Methods for Digitising...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Organising ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Script ............................................................................................................................................. 17
Storyboard .................................................................................................................................... 17
Individual Screen Layout ............................................................................................................... 18
Storing and Retrieving....................................................................................................................... 18
Compression ................................................................................................................................. 18
Bitmap Image File Formats ........................................................................................................... 19
Vector Image File Formats ............................................................................................................ 20
Audio File Formats ........................................................................................................................ 20
Video and Animation File Formats................................................................................................ 21
Processing ......................................................................................................................................... 22
Compression .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Issues Related To Multimedia Systems ............................................................................................... 23
Copyright ........................................................................................................................................... 23
Appropriate Use of the Internet ....................................................................................................... 23
Merging of Radio, Television, Communications, and the Internet ................................................... 23
Integrity of Source ............................................................................................................................ 24
Advances in Technology.................................................................................................................... 24
Characteristics of Multimedia Systems
Types of Media
Multimedia systems are information systems that include combinations of the following media types.
Text
• Text refers to letters and characters
• Created using word processor
• Each screen should relate to one piece of information
• Represented using:
o ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
▪ Represents English Language characters using decimals in the range 0 to
127- needing 7 bits
▪ E.g. “A” is decimal 65 and binary 1000001
o EBCDIC (Extended Binary Code Decimal Interchange Code)
▪ 8 bits per character
o Unicode
▪ Universal character encoding used to process, store and facilitate the
interchange of text data in any language
▪ It extends the character set to include other languages and special
characters
▪ Can be 8 bit or 60 bits
• Rules for using text:
o Must be broken in paragraphs and easy to read
o Have correct spelling and grammar
o Have consistent formatting (size, font face, colour)
o Text is organised in a grid pattern using resolution
o Serif fonts; Times New Roman; have curls – used mainly in newspapers (print)
o Sans-serif fonts; Arial; don’t have curls – used for web display as it gives cleaner
screen display.
• Typefaces are the actual style of the letter (e.g. Calibri)
• Fonts are a specific size and variation
o They live in the operating system
o Fonts will be substituted when a set font can’t be found

• Types of Fonts
o Outline (vector fonts)
▪ Describe characters using mathematical descriptions of lines and curves
within each character
▪ Scaled to any size without loss of quality -> the mathematical equation
recalculates
▪ Essential for print
▪ These are organised as vector
images
o Raster (bitmap fonts)
▪ Store bitmap of each character
▪ Become pixelated when enlarged
▪ These are organised as bitmap images
Numbers
• Numbers represent:
1. Integers- whole numbers
2. Real Numbers - decimal numbers
3. Currency
4. Boolean- true/false- single bit - 1 = true and 0 = false
5. Date and time
• Numbers have a special characteristic which is magnitude that is they have a place value
based on their position.
• They are used as part of the underlying code that controls the presentation -> they lie
behind radio buttons, checkboxes, command buttons.
• Numbers that don’t undergo calculations can be categorised as text (e.g., address)

Audio
• Audio is digital sound, music, speech, and sound effects
• Audio should reflect and enhance presentation & not be large to reduce loading time
• Waves can represent audio
o The frequency of a wave is the amount of wave cycles per second
▪ It determines the pitch
▪ A compact frequency (more waves per second) means a higher pitch will be
heard
o The amplitude of a wave is the maximum displacement
▪ It determines the volume
▪ A longer amplitude means a louder volume
• MP3, WMA, AAC are compressed audio formats

Images
• Images are pictures, such as drawings, painting or photographs
• All images on the screen are made up of pixels
o A pixel (or picture element) is the smallest part of the screen that can be controlled
by the computer
o The total number of pixels on the screen is called its resolution
o Higher resolution image = better quality = more pixels = requires more storage space

Raster Images
• These images are also known as bitmap images
• Each pixel on the screen is treated individually
• Gives more colour detail than vector images
• When you zoom in on a raster image you can see the individual pixels that make up that
image and it becomes blurry
• Compressing images allow them to be downloaded quicker
• When raster images are compressed, they suffer a loss of resolution
• Bit depth is the number of bits per pixel (the higher bit depth, the more colours possible)
 • To calculate file size (kB) of an uncompressed bitmap image:
Horizontal pixels × Vertical pixels × Bit depth
-----------------------------------------------------------
8 × 1024

• Examples of uncompressed raster formats are BMP or DIB

• Compressed raster formats include JPEG, GIF and PNG

Vector Images
• Unlike bitmaps, they are composed of objects, curves, or shapes
• Each object is defined by its characteristics such as
o Position
o Line width
o Patterns
• These characteristics are stored as mathematical expressions
o Each object has mathematical coordinates for start and end points (but no points in
between, which reduces file size)
• Not suitable for photographs because there is no shading
• Can be resized without loss of quality
• Examples are CGM, EPS and WMF

Animations
• The movement of a graphic that results from still images or frames presented rapidly
• Each frame used in an animation is called a cell
• Animations can either be cell based or path based
o Cell based
▪ Each cell is slightly different to the previous cell and when played gives the
illusion of movement
▪ Cell based animation involves creating a sequence of individual cells, either
digitally or by hand drawing, where each cell is slightly different to the
previous cell.
▪ Can be digitally created on software such as Adobe Illustrate or Animate, or
can be created with non-computer tools, like by hand and pencil.
o Path based
▪ A character follows a drawn line across the background
▪ Characters animated using path-based techniques can themselves be small
cell-based animations, for example, the character walking, or they can be
static images
▪ File types:
• .swf - adobe/macromedia flash (no longer common and supported
as of 2020)
• .fla - adobe animate flash (used to create/edit flash animation)
 • .xml - extensible markup language (used in web pages and HTML for
a range of things such as animation) -

Video
• Combines image and sound data displayed over time
• Starts with a continuous event and breaks it up into discrete frames unlike animation
• To represent video in binary, each frame is represented as a bitmap
o This means it’ll have a large file size
• To calculate file size for video
1. Calculate total frames (frames/sec × number of seconds)
2. Calculate size of each frame (Horizontal pixels × Vertical pixels × Bit depth)
3. Calculate total file size (frames × size of each frame = bits)
o Buffering prevents delay when playing videos
Hyperlinks
• A link that transports the user to other parts of the system; allowing them to freely explore
areas of interest
• Makes multimedia interactive
o Anchor
▪ Transport user to another part of the same webpage
o Link
▪ Transport user to a new webpage

Differences between Print and Multimedia

There are many differences between print and multimedia, mainly comprising of the mode of display
and interactivity.

Modes of Display
• Printed information is displayed using a printer or plotter
o Is a hard copy and cannot be continuously updated
o Harder to distribute
o Has a higher resolution than information displayed on screens
• Multimedia products display information using a screen and speakers
o A screen is a display surface that can display text, image, animation, and the visual
portion of video data
▪ The resolution and size of the screen affects the quality of the multimedia
product
▪ Usually allows people to use a touch screen and select information
o A speaker is a device used to produce sounds
▪ A small speaker is in most personal computers
▪ High-quality stereo speakers are often connected to the computer, using a
port and a sound card, or built into the sides of the monitor

Interactivity
• Interactivity allows the user to choose the sequence and content of information
• Print is static and has minimal interactivity
 • Multimedia is dynamic and is designed for interactivity so that the user controls content
o Input from a mouse, touch screen or keyboard is accepted into the system and an
action is performed to respond to it
o Hypertext and hypermedia are used to navigate through a multimedia product

Ease of Distribution
• Print is harder and more expensive to distribute
o It is heavy
o It requires printing paper, ink, printing press and a willing publisher
• Multimedia is easier to distribute
o It is stored on lightweight devices and transmitted via the internet
o It requires hardware, software and basic skills

Authority of Document
• Authority of document refers to the fact that printed documents such as books, and
textbooks are essentially more trusted sources
• With multimedia systems, such as websites, the content is less trustworthy
o You don’t know who wrote or published the work
o Information may not be as reliable
o To determine the reliability of the website, we must cross-reference many websites.

Hardware Demands
Primary and Secondary Storage
Result of Bit Depth
• Higher bit depth = larger RAM (frame buffer) and hard disk needed

Result of Sampling Rates

• More samples of original sound waves = larger hard disk and RAM needed to store it

Image Storage
• When selecting images to include in a multimedia product, it is important to consider the
format of the image and the resolution of the presentation device
• The current image being displayed is stored in the frame buffer which is a section of the
memory
• The storage requirements of an image are dependent on the number, size, tone and colour
of each pixel
• Bit mapping is the relationship between the image on the screen and the bits in memory

Morphing vs Distorting
• Morphing is an image process that requires two images of similar proportions and
dimensions
o One image is slowly changed pixel by pixel until the second image emerges -> called
metamorphosis
o The original image is called the source image and the final image is called the target
image, and morphing aims to essentially create a seamless transformation between
them.
 o E.g. If you had two portraits of a person from when they were a child to when
they’re an adult, the child photo would slowly change into the adult photo, one pixel
at a time
• Distorting only requires one image and changes the image from its natural shape
o The pixels are changed by bending, twisting, stretching, or altering the proportions
of the image
o E.g. rotating an image you have taken portrait to become horizontal
o The term warping is used when the distortion alters parts of an image rather than
the entire image

Audio Storage
• A sound wave is analog data however audio is sound that has been digitised
o For this to happen, an ADC must be used and vice versa for audio to be
demodulated to sound
o The ADC and DAC are built into the motherboard or are added through a sound card
• The method used by the ADC to digitise a sound wave is called sampling
• Sampling has three important characteristics
o Sampling rate
▪ The number of times a sample is taken from the sound wave per second
▪ It is measured in Hertz
▪ The higher the sampling rate, the better the sound.
o Sampling size
▪ The number of bits per sample (bit resolution)
o Mono or stereo
▪ Mono uses one channel of sound
▪ Mono File Size = (Sample Rate x Sample Size x Time IN SECONDS)
▪ Stereo uses two channels (left and right)
• Stereo sound is regarded as the better sound
• Stereo File Size = (Sample Rate x Sample Size x Time IN SECONDS) x 2
• The large file size of CD-quality has been a problem
o MP3 format is a compressed format that reduces this problem
▪ It filters out unnecessary data from the original audio source - this results in
smaller audio files with no apparent reduction in quality

Audio Track WAV (Waveform Audio File MP3 (MPEG audio Layer-3 - Moving Picture
Time Format) Experts Group)

4.11 minutes 42.4 Mb 3.5 Mb

3.33 minutes 36 Mb 3 Mb

8.16 minutes 83.5 Mb 6.95 Mb

Video Processing
• Video files are large files containing thousands of individual frames and high-quality audio
• A video camera is used to create a video clip in analog or digital form.
 o It needs separate processor chip on video card to reduce processing strain on CPU
when playing and editing video
• Videos can be an excellent medium to explain concepts however they place extra demand
on the multimedia system
• Analog signals need to be converted into digital using a wide capture card.
• Digital video production software is utilised to edit the video into a multimedia product
• Editing may involve adding text, audio, or images to the video clip.

Frame Rates
• The speed of a video or animation is called the frame rate
• It is measured by the frames per second (fps)
• The higher the frame rate, the smoother the video or animation
• When frame rates are increased to a maximum level, it can create a timelapse

Frame Size
• The size of width to length of the video
• Can be altered based on the hardware device

Animation Processing
• The creation of animation is affected by the size of the image being animated, and the speed
of the movement
o It is usually set at 30 frames per second
• Animation is created using path-based and cell-based animation
• Cell-based animation
o Traditional form of animation
o Involves drawing and displaying individual frames or cells
o Each frame is stored separately and loaded into a graphics page of primary memory
o The first frame is displayed from a graphics page while the second frame (which is
slightly different from the first) is created in another graphics page
o As the second frame is being displayed, the third frame is created in the graphics
page of the first page which is no longer being displayed
o Animation occurs by alternating the display of graphics pages
o This method of animation requires a very powerful computer with a fast processor
and a large fast-access storage device, to ensure that the animation flows at the
appropriate speed
• Path-based animation
 o Involves displaying the movement of an object on a fixed background, where only
the pixels of the object change, not the background
o Saves memory and processing time
o The object is drawn, displayed, wiped, and then drawn in a new position

Tweening
• Tweening is producing a sequence of intermediate frames that alter the first key frame into
the second
• Tweening helps save time when producing animations because the animator is only required
to draw key frames of each movement and the computer produces in between frames to
make the transition smoother
o The animator also chooses the number of in between frames.
• There are two types of tweening
o Classic tweening is when for the start and end position of the object is specified.
Used for transition purposes and earlier versions of animation. (can’t curve, moves
in a straight line to my understanding)
▪ They move very strictly, and it only moves horizontally - used for transitions,
because it is more limited.
o Motion tweening uses symbols to create movement, size, rotation changes, fades,
colour effects.
▪ Can draw a dotted line for the tweening process, where each dot represents
one frame. (path-based) - is more flexible because it can do more

People in Multimedia
Content Providers
• People who provide the material for the multimedia product
o Includes text, graphics sketches, final drawings, video footage and audio tracks
• Organisations that provide ready to use content for a fee (stock photographs, animations,
video, and text)
o Ensures the content is not copyrighted

System Designer
• Identify purpose of the system, decide feasibility, determine hardware and software and
overall design
• Leadership skills

Project Manager
• They develop the project plan and ensure it is followed.
• They schedule and monitor each of the development tasks.
• Communication skills are needed

Technical Staff
• A variety of artists and technicians who edit the graphic and video material, text, and all
other material into appropriate formats for the final document
 • Includes layout and design personnel who work to develop an overall theme and look for the
product

Skills
Collection and Editing
• Those skilled in the collection and editing of:
o Text – writers selected on ability and knowledge of subject matter
o Graphics – illustrators and animators who use software to create figures
o Audio – need technical skills to mix different digital audio clips and creativity to
create sound effects
o Video – camera operator, sound engineer, actors, and director (who approves set
design, costumes, camera angles, lighting, editing)

Design and Layout

• Those skilled in design and layout
o Graphic designers improve the readability of multimedia by organising layout of
screen, adjusting colour and size.

Technical
• Those with technical skills to support the use of information technology being used
o Multimedia delivered over internet relies on internet speed. Different levels of
compression, lower resolution and streaming can ensure presentation delivered
quickly
o Data distributed on CD-ROM is compressed. Must ensure required codec is present
on user computers
o For databases, need person skilled in creating schemas, writing queries, organising
back-up and securing the database.

Examples of Multimedia Systems

Education and Training
• The learner is engaged and progresses at their own pace
• Interactive educational games used to introduce reading and number skills to infants. They
have large buttons, bright colours, and a game style format.
o Input collected by mouse. Distributed by CD-ROM.
• Learning Management Systems allow online distribution of resources. When students log on,
they complete an activity and are given results from their online test
o e.g. Moodle
• Businesses use multimedia systems to train their staff for OHS and computer skills.
o Distributed online or CD-ROM.
• Software companies produce multimedia tutorials to assist users to use their product
o e.g. Internet Explorer 7 Quick Tour

Leisure and Entertainment

• Using computers to communicate with friends
o Instant messaging, blogs, wiki, email and web cam
• Computer games – in PC, mobiles and game consoles
 • Online games allow thousands of players to interact when they log on to a virtual world
o Hosted by a powerful server
• Simulation games mimic real world situations through photo quality animation
o Requiring fast CPU, large RAM, video card and high screen resolution

Information Provision
• Information kiosks – touch screen and secured PC so users can make selections to filter
content
o e.g. in shopping malls as a directory to provide location and information about each
store

Virtual Reality and Simulations

• Requires fast CPU and video card
• Flight simulators – allow pilot to experience aircraft failure in a more cost effective and safe
way
• Virtual reality used to treat people of extreme phobias; for instance, patient with fear of
heights can be exposed to virtual cliff
• Virtual walkthroughs of new architectural designs
o Created by Computer Aided Design software
o Allows analysis without construction
o Virtual reality headsets produce a more realistic 3D walkthrough.

Displaying in Multimedia Systems

Hardware for Creating and Displaying
Screens
• A screen is a display surface that provides immediate feedback about what the computer is
doing
• Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT)
o A monitor
o CRT monitors produce images by firing a stream of electrons onto the inside of the
screen, which is made up of pixels
▪ When the electrons hit the pixel, the phosphor glows to produce the image
▪ The process by which the colour of a pixel changes gradually from its original
colour to a new colour is called a cross fade
o Monochrome monitors use one stream and colour monitors use three streams to
strike red, green and blue phosphor
o Most CRT monitors use a raster scan
▪ It fires the electron stream in a series of zigzag lines and repeats to maintain
the image -> called refreshing
o In decline because of new screens that are lighter in weight, use less desk space and
have higher resolution
o ADVANTAGES: higher picture quality

• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

o A type of flat screen
o Consist of a layer of liquid crystal material places between two polarising sheets
 ▪ Light is passed through this material and current is applied at specific points
o Electric current changes position of liquid crystals, creating the image
o Used in portable computers
▪ With LED or CCFL light sources
o ADVANTAGES: Displays are very light, take up less room, produce no heat, have no
glare, require less power and create no radiation

• Plasma screens
o Heated gases emit U.V. light, which glows on phosphor coated screen to create the
image
o Used for large advertising displays and home theatre

• Touch screens
o Enter data by detecting the touch of the user’s finger
▪ The user’s finger interrupts a matrix of infrared light beams shining
horizontally and vertically across the screen
o In more technical words, sensor panel detects electrical disturbances to determine
where touch occurred
o Used in ATMs, game consoles, tablet PC, information kiosk
o Good for public areas – mouse and keyboard not damaged
o CRT and LCD screens can be converted into touch screens
o Do not allow fine precision of input

Projection Devices
• Data projection panel
o A data projection panel is a device that can be used together with a standard
overhead projector to project an image from the computer screen onto a wall or
white screen
o The projection panel uses LCD technology

• Data projectors
o Take a video signal directly from a computer and project it onto a wall or screen
o ADVTANGES: Smaller and more versatile than a projection panel

• Digital projection devices

o Halogen light globe projects image onto screen
▪ Either through a transparent image and then a lens (used in homes)
▪ Or reflects light of a smaller image and then lens (cinemas)
Head Up Displays
• Head up displays
o The display is superimposed on a transparent screen
o User can view critical information without need to look down and refocus eyes
o Used in military aircrafts so pilot can concentrate on real view and monitor functions
o Used in virtual reality with 3d animation to provide the user with more interactivity
with the virtual world

Audio displays
o Speakers
▪ Analog device converting alternating current into sound waves
 ▪ Moving electromagnet vibrates paper diaphragm, compressing the air which
forms sound waves

o Headset
▪ Integrates a microphone and speaker into a single device worn on the head
▪ Microphone close to mouth – amount of external noise low
▪ User can immerse themselves with sound without interrupting others close
by
▪ Used in telephone systems and gaming
▪ Virtual reality headsets add sensors to the user’s head, so when they move,
the displayed image moves fluidly
CD and DVD Players
• CD, DVD players
o Stores digital data on spiral track composed of pits and lands
o CDs have a single track; DVDs have more densely packed tracks
o Read head generates laser beam which is reflected as fluctuations from the pits on
the spinning disk. An opto-electrical cell translates this into an electrical signal,
representing the stored sequence of bits.
o DVDs can be double sided and dual layered = large storage capacity = ideal for
distributing multimedia
o Quality of CD and DVD data is maintained after copying

Video Tape
• Video tape players
o Stores analog data on long strip of magnetic tape wound on reels
o Quality reduces after copying

Software for Creating and Displaying

Presentation Software
• Produces high quality multimedia presentations designed for group display
• Slide shows (with animations, transitions, hypermedia)
o A slide is an individual screen or page of the presentation
• Creates several documents
o On-screen presentations: Slides displayed on a monitor or projected onto a screen
o Audience handouts: Images of two or more slides on a page
o Overhead transparencies: Slides printed as an overhead transparency
o Speaker’s notes: Notes the speaker needs when discussing the slides
• A transition is a special effect used to change from one image or screen to another
• E.g. MS PowerPoint, Apple iWork Keynote, OpenOffice Impress

Software for Video Processing

• Allows video to be captured, imported and edited (special effects, text overlays, transitions,
cut and paste, etc.)
• Compresses the original video source to a more efficient file size
 • E.g. Adobe Premiere, Windows Movie Maker

Application Software
• Software used for a specific task -> to create different types of media

Word Processors
• Text to be entered and documents to be created
• Can create documents that include images and sound
• E.g. Microsoft Word

Spreadsheets
• Use a rectangular grid made up of rows and columns to organise and store data that
requires some type of calculation
• Can also produce different types of charts
• E.g. Excel

Graphics Software
• Creates and edits images
• Paint program creates bit-mapped graphic
• Drawing program creates a vector graphic
• E.g. Microsoft Paint

Audio Software
• Creates and edits audio
• Deletes sounds, changes speed, adds echo, overlaying sound files and altering the quality
• E.g. Audacity

Video Software
• Creates and edit videos
• Adds a variety of effects, combine segments of different videos, changes frames and adds
text, audio and images
• E.g. Adobe Premiere

Authoring Software
• Create a multimedia production which incorporates several different types of media
elements
• Allows the user to create interactivity
• Assigns relationships and actions for the different media elements using a scripting language
• E.g.. HyperStudio, Macromedia Authoware, Asymetrix Toolbook

Animation Software
• Takes individual images and creates the illusion of movement
• Allows you to create, edit and publish 2D and 3D animations
o An animation is a series of images that are displayed in rapid succession
• E.g. CoffeeCup GIF Animator, Toon Boom Studio

Web Browsers
• A software program stored on a computer that allows access to the Web
 • Allows user to navigate and explore the web by viewing HTML documents and using search
engines
• Receive multimedia files that are embedded in a web page
o These pages will take longer to download because of the large sie
• E.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox

HTML Editors
• Web pages are created using hypertext markup language (HTML)
• HTML is a set of special instructions (tags) that indicate how parts of a document will be
displayed
• A HTML editor is a software program that specialises in writing HTML code
o Instruction in HTML are given using HTML tags
• E.g. Notepad, Adobe Dreamweaver

Other Information Processes

Collecting
• Collecting for a multimedia system can involve writing the text, drawing images, recording
and editing audio files, recording video tracks or gathering data from the internet
• A range of hardware collection devices is used to collect different media types

Scanners
• Scanners are input devices that electronically capture text or images
• They use a software standard called TWAIN that allows the digital image to be used in
different applications
o Handheld scanners enter text and images that are less than a page wide
o Flatbed scanners remain flat and stationary during scanning
o Overhead scanners are when documents are placed face up and a overhead tower
moved across the page

Digital Cameras
• Input devices that capture and store images in digital form
• Contain a viewfinder, a lens to focus the image and a storage medium to retain the images
(e.g. memory card)
• After a picture is taken it is transferred to a computer and can be manipulates using graphics
software
• Photos are limited by the amount of memory in the camera, the quality of the lend and the
output device
• ADVANTAGE: inexpensive and fast because there is no film processing

Video Cameras
• Used to create a video clip in analog or digital form
• Analog form is converted in digital form using a video capture card
o It interprets each frame as a bit mapped image
o Compresses the video clip and encode the frames
• Digital video cameras capture video in a compressed digital format (e.g. MPEG)
o Transferred directly to a computer
• A VCR is used to select footage from existing videotapes
• A composite video system sends all the video information using one signal
Microphones
• Input devices that capture sound
• Sound travels through air in waves and is analog data
• Audio is sound that has been digitised
• A sound card transforms the sounds from a microphone into audio

Organising
• A script and a storyboard are used to organise a multimedia product

Script
• A printout of all the text, graphic, animation, audio and video used in the production
• Outlines the interactivity in the project
• Gives directions for the construction oof the multimedia product
• A textual method of representing ideas or actions compared to the visual storyboard

Storyboard
• A storyboard is used in designing a multimedia system to show the organisation of
information, the different media types and navigational paths.
• It is about designing and user experience
• They describe the layout of each individual screen together with any navigational links
between screens
• This shows the link between different frames.

Linear Storyboards
• Used when there is a strict logical sequence or order
• One path
• E.g. slide show presentations that is structured progressively, video frames, photo carousel

Non-Linear Storyboards
• Unstructured and allows maximum flexibility
• E.g. dictionary, instagram

Hierarchical Storyboards
• As you go down, presented with more and more information
• Easy to visualise
 • E.g. Government sites, CSIRO

Composite
• Combine aspects of the above three
• E.g. hypertext webs

Individual Screen Layout

• Individual screen layouts should clearly show the placement of:
o Navigational Items
o Titles
o Headings
o Content
• It is also useful to Indicate which items exist on multiple pages i.e. contact details and menus
(relies on what the users and participants NEED)
• Elements or actions that are not obvious, should be made obvious by text (e.g. help page)
• The aesthetics such as the look and the overall feel should be included.
• A theme may be used for the Individual Screen Layouts and that may be detailed separately

Storing and Retrieving

Compression
• Compressing files increase the storage efficiency
• The amount a file is compressed is measured by the compression ratio
• It described how much smaller the compressed file is compared to the uncompressed file
• The two basic types of compression are called lossy and lossless
o Lossy Compression
▪ Removes data bytes from the file
▪ Smaller file size
▪ Lower quality
▪ Doesn’t influence audio and video as much because they aren’t as
noticeable
o Lossless Compression
▪ Allows the original file to be recovered in full
▪ Replaces repeated data with something that takes up less room
 ▪ Text uses lossless compression because it is critical that all data is contained
• Run Length Encoding (RLE) is an example of lossless compression
o Looks for repeating patterns within the data
o The pattern is included once with the number of times it occurs
o E.g. “AAAABBBBBBBBBBCDDDDDDDDD”
o Using RLE it can be encoded as “4A10BC9D” which is only 8 bytes
o This same method can be used for images in terms of the colour that makes up the
image (and how many pixels possess that colour)
• Huffman compression
o Lossless compression
o Looks for the most commonly occurring bit patterns within the data and replaces it
with shorter symbols
▪ Doesn’t lose any data

Bitmap Image File Formats

File format Compression Information
type

Windows Bitmap Lossless • Default bitmap format (for Microsoft windows)

(BMP) • Files are not compressed
• Run length encoding (RLE) is supported
• Can support 24 bit depth

JPG or JPEG Lossy • Popular compressed format for images on the

(Joint photographics web
expert group) • All web browsers can display JPEGs
• Can support 24-bit true colour bit depth

GIF Lossless • A GIF is an animated image

• Can be used as still images like PNG or JPEG
(Graphics Interchange • GIF files can hold multiple images, and it has
Format) gained popularity because it can display images
in a sequence
• Compressed using LZW, which is similar to RLE

PNG Lossless • Originally designed to replace GIF

• Supports 48-bit true colour
(Portable Network • High quality graphic file format
Graphics) • Graphics can have transparent qualities

TIF or TIFF Lossless • Standard for storing professional quality images

• Require large amount storage
(Tagged Image File • Used as a format for images being digitally
Format) edited.
• Support all bit depths up to 48 bits
Vector Image File Formats

File Format DESCRIPTION COMPRESSION

Windows A Microsoft format that due to its widespread use can NONE
Metafile be read and written by many other operating systems
(WMF) – however more usually used to exchange vector
images between windows applications

Portable Adobe PDF files are commonly used to distribute NONE

Document electronic versions of printed material. PDF files
Format (PDF) accurately describe the layout of pages, however they
can also include single vector images and also a
variety of different interactive elements such as
hyperlinks. (ie. Sometimes you can output images or
posters using PDF formats)

Scalable Vector A format developed by the W3C. The intention is for NONE
Graphics (SVG) SVG to become the predominant format for vector
graphics on the web. All web browsers will support
the SVG format.

Shows images and their elements in text format

Small Web A flexible metafile format that can be used for vector NONE
Format or images, animations and also video. Most computers
Shockwave with a web browser installed also have flash player
Flash (SWF) installed.

Audio File Formats

File format Description Compression
 Waveform Audio Microsoft’s WAV format is a metafile format Lossy,
Format (WAV) that can include compressed audio data or Lossless or
uncompressed raw audio. Various lossless and none
lossy audio codecs can be used in this process.
Common codecs include PCM (lossless) and
MP3 (lossy). WAV stores either 8 bit or 16-bit
sound.

AIFF (Audio Apple’s audio format for the MAC. Most AIFF Lossy,
Interchange File files contain raw sound samples, however they Lossless or
Format) ca also include data compressed using either a none
lossy or lossless codec. AIFF files can also (usually
contain note, tempo, and pitch data along with none).
sound samples – also an advantage. And Stores
8-bit digitised sound files.

MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio This is a very popular compressed format for Lossy. It
Layer 3) electronic distribution of commercial music compresses
files. The lossy compression removes many a CD quality
sounds that would not be noticed by many sound using
people. a ratio of
It is an audio compression technology that is 11.1.
also part of MPEG1 and MP2.

MIDI or MID (Musical This file format specifies each note, tone and Lossless or
Instrument Digital perhaps instrument. It is primarily used to none.
Interface) communicate with synthesisers and digital
instruments. Karaoke (KAR) files include lyrics
that can be displayed as the music plays.
MIDI is a standard connection for computers
and electronic musical instruments. A musician
uses a MIDI instrument to play music and uses
the computer to store and edit the music. MIDI
allows 16 instruments to be played
simultaneously from MIDI interfaces. The sound
is then recorded in a file format called the MIDI
sequence.
An example would be that music app where you
can combine tracks and play your own ones into
the music.

WMA (Windows A Microsoft format designed as a competitor to Lossy

Media Audio) the popular MP3 format.

Video and Animation File Formats

• All video data is compressed using lossy compression.
• Uncompressed video files are too large
 • Lossless compression techniques do not reduce the large file size

Animation is stored as a sequence of video frames using common video formats.

• E.g MPG

File Format Compression Description

MPG + MPEG Lossy • COMMON file format

• Compressed using MPEG video codec
(Motion Picture Experts
Group)

MP4, M4A + M4P Lossy • Used for a range of RESOLUTIONS and

FRAME RATES
(MPEG-4 Layer 14) • Used for portable devices, i.e iPhones,
iPods, PDAs

AVI Lossy (usually) • OLDER file format

• Created by Microsoft and IBM
(Audio Video Interleave)

MOV + QT Lossy (usually) • Apple file format- belongs to OS

• Can store other INTERACTIVE medias
(QuickTime)

WMV Lossy • Used for STREMING VIDEO data

• Microsoft file format- belongs to
(Windows Media Video) Window OS

GIF Lossless • Used for SMALL animations, hence

lossless
(Graphics Interchange • No audio
Format)

SWF Lossy, lossless or • User computer requires Flash player

none • FLEXIBLE file format- used for video,
(Small Web animation, interactive media
Format/Shockwave Flash)

FLV Lossy • Used for STREAMED video data on WEB

• Displayed by Flash player
(Flash Video for VECTOR
IMAGES)

Processing
• Processing data for a multimedia system is the manipulation of the data
• It involves the integration of data, compression of data and hypermedia
Integration of Data
• After the data is collected, it is imported into multimedia software
• Multimedia software is used to integrate text, number, image, animation, audio and video
data
• It allows the user to BRING TOGETHER the separate media types and create interactivity

Compression and Decompression

• Multimedia products are characterised by large file size
• Compression reduces the number of bits required to represent information
o It allows the user to store more and makes data transfer faster
• Compressed data must be decompressed to extract the original information
• A CODEC is used to encode and decode (compress and decompress) various types of data
o It is typically used for sound and video files
o It converts analog video signals into compressed video files such as MPEG
o It can convert analog sound signals into digitised sound, such as RealAudio
• In video compression, there are usually only small changes from one frame to the next
making it easier for the CODEC to select data to be discarded during compression
o It encodes the starting frame and a sequence of differences between frames

Hypermedia
• Hypermedia involves the linking of information in different types of media
• Each document is independent, and information is retrieved using hypertext
• All the various forms of information are linked together to provide an easy way to navigate

Issues Related To Multimedia Systems

Copyright
• Multimedia data is subject to copyright laws
• If unoriginal data is used, copyright holder must be acknowledged/paid royalty
• The particular issue with computer programs is that they’re relatively easy to copy and
modify digital data with the appropriate tools

Appropriate Use of the Internet

• As communications technology improves and new uses of Internet appear, such as net
banking, there are many opportunities of misuse and abuse.
• Introduction of ‘live video’ data raises the issue of privacy – privacy is the ability of a person
to control their personal data
• The placement of pornographic images and other disturbing materials within the reach of
young people browsing the Internet raises legal and ethical issues

Merging of Radio, Television, Communications, and the Internet

• Streaming allows live entertainment to be delivered over computer networks
• Streaming technology has allowed the development of online broadcasting and WebTV
 • Advances & cost reductions in processing speeds, storage, miniaturisation, file compression,
and speed of electrical components have made the use of digital data more affordable
• Ethical issues – not available to those without computer and internet, and skills required.

Integrity of Source
• Data integrity describes the reliability of the data
• There is no guarantee of the integrity of data in a multimedia system - the source of any
data must be cross-referenced
• Data integrity issues involve;
o Who is responsible for the accuracy of information?
o Do organisations that provide access to information in a multimedia system have the
responsibility to verify its accuracy?
o Is it the responsibility of the creator?
• Integrity and accuracy is vital in a multimedia application designed to educate

Advances in Technology
• Increased storage capacity – multimedia can be stored with ease and at high resolutions
(e.g. DVDs with more realistic images, interactive features)
• Increases in CPU processing power – high quality music and videos can be handled by
modern CPU (e.g. jump to any point instantaneously during editing)
• Improved resolution of capturing devices
• Improved resolution of displays – so displays are more realistic
• Improved bandwidth allowing transmission of high quality multimedia – companies use
online computer tutorials and home users enjoy online games and online newspapers with
video
• New codecs for handling compression of media while improving quality – highly interactive
multimedia can be distributed on the web
• Virtual worlds – online simulated environment where people take on another persona using
avatars
o Developed primarily for entertainment, however other uses are emerging.
o For instance; real business meetings can take place in a virtual world , people can
overcome their disabilities in a virtual world, companies can trial new products
without the need to build physical samples