Multimedia is more than one concurrent presentation medium (for example, on CD-ROM or a Web site). Although still images are a different medium than text, multimedia is typically used to mean the combination of text, sound, and/or motion video. Some people might say that the addition of animated images (for example,( animated GIF on the Web) produces multimedia, but it has typically meant one of the following:
- Text and sound
- Text, sound, and still or animated graphic images
- Text, sound, and video images
- Video and sound
- Multiple display areas, images, or presentations presented concurrently
- In live situations, the use of a speaker or actors and "props" together with sound, images, and motion video
Multimedia can arguably be distinguished from traditional motion pictures or movies both by the scale of the production (multimedia is usually smaller and less expensive) and by the possibility of audience interactivity or involvement (in which case, it is usually called interactive multimedia). Interactive elements can include: voice command, mouse manipulation, text entry, touch screen, video capture of the user, or live participation (in live presentations).
Multimedia tends to imply sophistication (and relatively more expense) in both production and presentation than simple text-and-images. Multimedia presentations are possible in many contexts, including the Web, CD-ROMs, and live theater. A rule-of-thumb for the minimum development cost of a packaged multimedia production with video for commercial presentation (as at trade shows) is: $1,000 a minute of presentation time. Since any Web site can be viewed as a multimedia presentation, however, any tool that helps develop a site in multimedia form can be classed as multimedia software and the cost can be less than for standard video productions.
For multimedia Web sites, popular multimedia (sound or sound and motion video or animation) players include: MPEG, Quicktime, and Shockwave.
http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/multimedia/what%2Dis/
text and hyperlinks
Text is what you are reading at the moment!
Hyperlinks, or hypertext, are objects in the text that you can click on to jump you from one web page to another page at the same site or to another site somewhere else on the web. They act a little like electronic footnotes and assist you in navigating through all the information presented to you.
A hyperlink can be be text (hypertext) but can also be an image. A hand appears when you put your cursor over the hyperlink. When you click on it, you jump to the relevant information. To return to original text you were reading, you just click on the "back" button in your browser.
Pros:
- Hyperlinks are the foundation of the web. The ability to link various documents, pictures and other media provides a highly interactive and resourceful method of conveying information.
- More and more computer programs, such as Microsoft Word, are making it easier for various levels of users to publish their own hypertext documents.
- Text and hypertext are very fast to download, and are accessible by all browsers. So if you are wanting to create a website that will download quickly and be highly accessible to all users, including disabled and text-only browsers, consider creating a text-focused site.
Cons:
- Text can be considered uninteresting, particularly compared with other forms of media such as video and animation.
- The fundamentals of hypertext and web authoring need to be understood before embarking upon a web site. In particular, writing text for the web requires a specific "write in chunks of text" style to be most effective.
Images
Images are still pictures. They can be created in the normal way (eg photos) and transferred onto the computer or they can be created digitally on the computer (for example, using Photoshop).
Pros:
- Images are a highly effective way of conveying information and are easily inserted into various media delivery formats including the Web and CD-ROM.
Cons:
- Complex and detailed images can take significant time and computing resources to create.
- Designers must consider network capacity issues when designing graphics for the web, balancing quality and detail with delivery speed.
Alternatives:
- Rather than using multiple images for displaying models, consider using animation software such as Flash to create interactive graphics. (Please note however that animation also has several limitations, and should be used for a reason and not just as "eye candy".)
Audio
Audio is a sound recording, whether analogue or digital. Digital audio is a sound that has been converted to digital information. Streaming audio is digital audio that has been saved in such a way that it will play at the same time as downloading.
Pros:
- Like video, audio can provide a method by which those who cannot be present can access materials either live or in archived format.
- Audio can provide much of the important content of a lecture, without the high network requirements of video.
- Streaming audio can play while downloading, meaning that much larger audio files can be placed on the web without severely affecting the usabilty of a webpage (that it, is will no longer take a user potentially hours to download a large audio file - instead, with streaming audio, it can play while downloading.)
Cons:
- Audio still requires reasonably high computing and network capacity.
- Non-streaming audio is prohibitively slow to download, and even streaming audio can experience difficulty and delays if the network is congested.
Alternatives:
- Consider using short 'bites' of audio amongst quoted text.
video
Video files are the computer equivalent of video tapes. It is possible to film an event with either a digital or analogue video recorder. With the latter, the recording must be digitised. Video files are typically quite large and therefore your computer will need more memory to run the video than it would if you viewed a still image.
Pros:
- Video allows the live and archived presentation of lectures and events.
- Digital video can be easily edited and distributed for viewing on CD-ROMs or the web.
Cons
- Video, particularly for delivery via the web, requires recent computer hardware and uses a large amount of network capacity.
- Filming, editing and delivery of video requires some special hardware and software and thus planning for access to resources is essential.
- Digitising of analogue video can be a slow process and may require some time to complete.
Alternatives:
- Consider using only audio to reduce network requirements.
- Consider using simple animations such as Flash animation with audio instead of full video to reduce file size.
- If you do wish to include video, consider having the video designed to play in a small window only - the smaller the window, the smaller the file size.
Combining media
Combining more than one media into a single doument can affect how each of the mediums are used to communicate a message.
Pros:
- Combining media allows the effective use of the advantages of each.
- Combining media can more effectively transmit the message, as each media can convey a different aspect of the message.
Cons:
- Combining media adds to the complexity of the project and thus the time required for development.
- Designing effective combinations of media can require significant planning.
Animation
Animation is a visual special effect using progressive images in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement. For example, a cartoon. Flash is a common software program that creates animation.
Pros:
- Animation can provide a method for constructing models and displays.
- Animation can be interactive, providing simulations of objects and locations.
- Flash, a web standard for animation, can create files that are relatively small to allow delivery over the Internet.
Cons:
- Animation can be complex to design and create, particularly 3D animation.
- Some animation files can be large, depending on the amount of interactivity and detail.
- Animations can be difficult to access by people with text-only browsers ot those with disabilities.
- Usability studies show that looping animations (that is, those that continue endlessly) can be irritating to users.
Alternatives:
- Consider using video if time constraints the lengthy animation creation process.
Interactivity
Interactive elements can be incorporated into multimedia documents to encourage student interaction with learning materials and facilitate in the assimilation of information.
Interactive elements can include:
- Question and answer - where the student is asked a question and must submit an answer (eg multiple choice). The interactive system can then respond, telling the student if they are correct, and explain the correct answer.
- Drag and drop - objects can be clicked on with the mouse, dragged and dropped to construct images, objects and assemblages on the screen.
Pros:
- Interactivity provides immediate feedback for students and lecturers.
Cons:
- Creating interactive media can be a lengthy process, particularly if a custom solution needs to be created.
Alternatives:
- Consider a text and hyperlink-based system where users can click to see the correct answer. This may be a useful solution is time-constrained circumstances.
powerpoint
PowerPoint is a software program that creates what are, in effect, computerised slide shows. You can use it in combination with other media such as video and audio.
Pros:
- PowerPoint provides an easy to control and customisable way to present text, images (including photos, graphs,etc.), video, and audio.
- It enables the lecturer to provide pre-lecture access to slides on subject web page for students.
- PowerPoint presentations can be easily transferred to the web.
Cons:
- Whilst PowerPoint provides some onscreen notes and drawing ability, many may prefer an overhead projector presentation to be able to add notes and diagrams during presentations.
- Video, audio and animation must be created in other computer programs to be added into a PowerPoint presentation.
Alternatives:
- For purely online presentations, consider basic text/hypertext and images as it will be faster to download.
Web Delivery
World Wide Web (WWW) or web for short. The web is the part of the Internet that allows you to navigate through all kinds of graphical information. To view the web, you use a browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Information on the web is formatted into pages. Each page contains some text and interactivity and possibly pictures, sound, animation or video. A homepage is the main page or first page of a web site.
Pros:
- The web is an incredibly flexible and interactive medium across which text, images, sound and video can be distributed. It's standards provide a means by which users of various computing platforms can all access information.
- More and more 'traditional' computer programs are providing built-in web publishing capabilities including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Cons:
- Though it is becoming easier, there still remains many esoteric characteristics and limitations of web publishing and delivery.
- Despite its aims to become a platform-independent medium, various emerging standards and competing interest groups can cause difficulties in ensuring an equal browsing experience for all visitors.
- Network and some users' computer capacity can limit the delivery of video and animation via the web.
Alternatives:
- Consider CD-ROM development as a way of ensuring users view content as planned.
CD ROM Delivery
CD ROMs are an alternate form of multimedia delivery. They can be useful in distributing large amounts of information in a "handout" format, such as conference proceedings or large amounts of subject materials.
Pros:
- CD-ROMs are a relatively inexpensive means of delivering large amounts of text documents, movies, and animation without the network constraints of working over the Internet.
- 'Web sites' can be created on CD-ROM, creating a browser interface (with Netscape or Internet Explorer) which provides fast access to content on the CD-ROM whilst allowing links to further resources on the Internet.
Cons:
- CD-ROMs are permanent compared with the ability to constantly update a web site.
- Whilst the CD-ROM itself is relatively inexpensive, extras costs such as covers and packaging need to be considered.
- 'Web sites' on CD-ROMs cannot have the same dynamic features (such as database access and interactive testing) as web sites online.
Alternatives:
- Consider using a web-based approach if the ability to constantly update content is a necessity.
Online Discussion Forums
Online discussion forums are a facility currently offered by WebRAFT (a central University system) for all University subject pages. They involve students and lecturers posting messages to a central area, which can then be read by all others who are enrolled in that subject when they log on. The discussions can be monitored and edited by the lecturers as necessary.
Pros
- Discussion forums provide a method for students to express their views without the time constraints of lectures and tutorials.
Cons
- Discussions require contributions by students to be successful and hence students must be motivated to submit their questions and thoughts.
- Lecturers must monitor the discussion board to ensure its proper use, including keeping students 'on-topic' and encouraging discussions.
Alternatives
- Using email and mailing lists can often be an effective alternative.
http://www.landisarts.com/mm/mm.htm
The Impact of Multimedia
Multimedia is about communicating messages. A good multimedia project can teach without the audience knowing they're learning. It can persuade without provoking cynicism. It can also entertain. But make no mistake, the message must be the underlying reason for everything you create.
What Is Multimedia?
In the strictest sense, multimedia is the use of more than one channel when communicating a message. In computer-based multimedia, different channels include clip art, photos, music, video, animation, text, voice or any other computer-based format you can think of.
Each channel is used differently and carries a specific portion of the message. When they work together, your audience will have a better understanding of the subject than before.
While you can impress people by making sophisticated presentations, affect their mood by playing certain music and captivate them with stunning visuals, the trick is to inform and not overwhelm your audience
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