What is multimedia?
Multimedia refers to a combination of colours, sound, text and moving pictures. Simply put, where more than one medium is used at the same time, it is said to be 'multimedia'. Television is one example of multimedia.

How are Multimedia products different from multimedia such as television?
Unlike television, which merely uses multimedia to present information / programs to viewers, Multimedia products actually makes you interact with a company’s services or products or any kind of information that has to be conveyed to the masses. Some of the products are Interactive Presentations, Animations, et al.

In what way could I interact with these products?
Multimedia CD-ROMs allow you to 'navigate' through the contents. In other words, you are in command of what you want to see and how much time you can spend on it. In fact, you go back and forth as you please. Where as in television you cannot skip to different portions of the program and got to watch them in a sequence.

What is infotainment?
We are living in the information age, where getting the right information is exceedingly important for success. The concept of infotainment addresses this beautifully.
Infotainment refers to providing information in an entertaining manner coined from the words information & entertainment.

What is edutainment?
Again Edutainment is a coined word from education & entertainment which is a revolutionary new concept in learning that combines education with entertainment. So while children get help with learning, they love the process so much that they would’nt find it difficult to learn. In simple Learning made easier. Example CBT’s (Computer Based Tutorials)

What are Kiosk’s?
These are computers developed by company’s which are for the use of the public to access information about the city’s facilities, route map, et al. Kiosk are of different types like Touch Screen, Button Types etc. An ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) is an example of a kiosk.

What is a multimedia computer?
This computer that has the following basic features
- A CD drive to play CD-ROMs.
- A sound card so that sounds / audio can be enabled.
- A processor chip to enable access to the multimedia content.
- An optional colour monitor to experience the vivid colours of the multimedia experience.

What is a CD-ROM?
We have all seen & heard of music CD’s (Compact Disc), a CD-ROM (Read Only Memory) is also a disc. In addition to music, things like text, pictures, graphics and movies can be stored and viewed on a CD-ROM. Another benefit is that huge amounts of information can be stores on a CD-ROM. For example, the Encyclopedia Britannica, which runs into over 40 volumes, can be stored on just one CD-ROM, with space left over for more!

What is digital photography?
The main difference between digital and analog (or "regular") photography is that a digital camera captures images as bitmaps, storing them as pixels (picture elements, like the dots on a computer monitor) in memory. The obvious advantages are no film, no developing, and instant gratification--your pictures are ready right away. You won't feel constrained by the expense of developing film. If you don't like a photo, delete it out and start over.
Another advantage of digital photography is that you can load the results into your computer and e-mail them to your friends, post them to your Web site, or manipulate them endlessly using any number of simple or exotic programs. You can print digital photos on photographic quality paper with relatively inexpensive color inkjet printers, or at your local photo store.

Prices have come way down, so the equipment is not necessarily more expensive than analog cameras, especially as you can save on film and developing. (Buy a recharging unit so you won't spend a fortune on batteries.)
Disadvantages? The resolution doesn't match that of film. With the multi-megapixel digital cameras, however, you won't notice the difference unless you enlarge the image to 8 x 10, and maybe not then, depending on the level of detail. Printed copies currently do not last as long as conventional photographs, but then it's easy to reprint from your stored files.

A Condensed Introduction on Digital Video
Quality video for the web is usually material specifically prepared by careful shot selection, controlled shooting and editing, and compression into a suitable format for a web browser and media viewer. Video and multimedia are very demanding. The files are huge, and the processing limits of your computer (as well as the web site host) place definite constraints on how large or clear an image can be.

One major consideration is bandwidth, or how big the tube is into your computer. For most modem users, the real obstacle is the speed of their phone line. Many computers have 56k modems, few home phone lines send data that fast. If you are one of the lucky ones, and have access to broadband (T1, ISDN, Cable modem) the severity of these limitations shift fairly quickly, and you can enjoy quicker, bigger and cleaner imagery.

The next important issue to understand is data rate. When a segment of raw video is put onto a computer it is "digitized", either in the camera as in DV, or on a capture board within the videomakers' computer. This changes the electronic signal on tape to binary code and pixels. Uncompressed video usually comes in around 200KBs (Kilobytes per second) per frame, or 3MB a second, (200MB a minute). Video generally runs at the rate of 30 frames per second.

To access that much data, the media must undergo some kind of compression. In most scenarios, the hardware/software "reads the image" and discards redundant frames of color or motion. 28.8 Modems usually "read" at around 3KBs, (T1's at 30 KBS). This means, in rough terms, the original video is compressed between 100 and 1000 percent to be viewable in a steady stream via a modem.

These factors explain why you may encounter video that is either small or choppy or pixilated. To reach the ideal, the file size and data rate for the video must match the resources of the user's computer, and these parameters are fairly strict. To make a comparison, a 1x CD-ROM, (that archaic piece of technology) runs at 150KBs, roughly five times faster than the fastest internet connection. Yet recent advances in compression and streaming technology, in formats such as Quicktime and Real Media, are rapidly closing the gap between what was once virtually unconceivable, and what is now possible.

What is streaming video/streaming media?
Streaming media are audio or video files that begin playback before they are completely downloaded. Real Network's RealVideo format (file extension .ram) and Microsoft's Media Player format (file extension .asf) both support streaming video. These work better with high-speed connections, or in low-traffic conditions. You can probably get a streaming media plug-in for your browser.

What is streaming audio?
Streaming audio, or streaming media, refers to a technique for listening to audio files in such a way that they start playing before the download is complete. It works by downloading and storing enough of the file to act as a buffer, a reservoir that will let the music keep playing if the transmission is briefly interrupted. It's great because it lets you sample the audio and decide whether you want to continue downloading or just cancel. It also gives you something to listen to while you wait. Of course, if for any reason the transmission slows too much, the buffer can be used up, and the playback can sound choppy.

How do I digitize videos and make my own movies?
To get an existing video onto your hard drive, that is, to digitize it, you need video capture hardware. To work with the digitized version you need video-editing software. One type of video capture hardware is a device that sits between your VCR and the computer. There are also some high-end graphics cards that you can directly attach a VCR to. Of course, digitized video takes up huge amounts of disk space, so you better have gigabytes of free space before you get started.

If you buy a video capture box or graphics card, it will likely come with some basic editing software. Stick with that for a while before you decide whether you need to spend some serious money and time on a more elaborate editing program that offers special effects, crawling titles, and elaborate transitions.

Before sending video over the Internet or posting it on your Web site, you'll want to compress it. There are freeware and shareware MPEG encoders available, or you can visit the Web site of one of these companies for software that encodes video into their proprietary formats (See file type info below).

If you want to make your own digital videos, you can get started fairly cheaply with a WebCam. These simple cameras attach directly to your computer and produce video of a quality suitable for e-mailing, telecommunication, or even distributing via a live stream on your own Web page.

What types of video work well on the web?
For the most part, shadows, extreme motion, repetitive patterns, and uncontrolled zooming and panning work least well for compression. So the converse is true here. A relatively still shot, ideally from a high resolution camera on a tripod, of a well lit subject in front of mellow background has a chance of retaining its original character after compression.

What are best ways to download and see video on the computer from the web?
At this point many new computers will have the needed plugins built into the operating system or browsers. If not, you should go to the appropriate sites and download the latest version of Quicktime, Real Player, or Windows Media Player. They are all free. Quicktime and Real Player are cross platform (work on both Mac and PC) so they tend to be the format of choice for developers.

What is the future of multimedia and computers?
It's up for grabs. One thing is certain, tremendous time, energy and money is being put towards making the internet as multi-mediated, and multi faceted as possible. When the data delivery equation is solved (cable, satellite, or maybe something else entirely) people will enjoy full screen moving images with CD quality sound on demand.

What is the downside of all this development?
Unfortunately people are so addicted to media that I expect they will be insisting on things like monitors built into their cell phones or maybe the trend will be towards wearable mini-cinemas. If you find the current climate of gadget fixation difficult to take, the future maybe unbearable for you.