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www.theinternationaljournal.org > RJSITM: Volume: 05, Number: 01, November-2015 5

Multimedia Challenges Issues Inventions & Multimedia Applications

Dr. Brahampal Singh

Associate Professor (IT & Computer Science) in Trinity Institute of Higher Education Vikaspuri New

Delhi Affiliated from G.G.S.I.P University New Delhi.

Abstract:

Multimedia is main important technology in these days. Multimedia technology is very essential need

of the modern world. Multimedia has given many important devices & program which enhance the

development of modern technology. Multimedia has made many applications easy & attractive.

Multimedia is the boon of technology for the present & future generations.

In this paper I am explaining multimedia applications, challenges, devices, new inventions & issues

related with these fields.

Keywords:

HDTV - High-definition television

1. Introduction:

Multimedia can have a many definitions these include:

Multimedia means that computer information can be represented through audio, video, and animation

in addition to traditional media (i.e., text, graphics drawings, and images).

A good general definition is:

Multimedia is the field concerned with the computer-controlled integration of text, graphics, drawings,

still and moving images (Video), animation, audio, and any other media where every type of

information can be represented, stored, transmitted and processed digitally.

1.1 Multimedia Systems

A Multimedia System is a system capable of processing multimedia data and applications.

A Multimedia System is characterized by the processing, storage, generation, manipulation and

rendition of Multimedia information.

A Multimedia system has four basic characteristics:

Multimedia systems must be computer controlled.

Multimedia systems are integrated.

The information they handle must be represented digitally.

The interface to the final presentation of media is usually interactive.

2. Challenges for multimedia system

Supporting multimedia applications over a computer network renders the application distributed. This

will involve many special computing techniques -- discussed later.

Multimedia systems may have to render a variety of media at the same instant -- a distinction from

normal applications. There is a temporal relationship between many forms of media (e.g. Video and

Audio. There 2 are forms of problems here

Sequencing within the media -- playing frames in correct order/time frame in video

Synchronization -- inter-media scheduling (e.g. Video and Audio). Lip synchronisation is

clearly important for humans to watch playback of video and audio and even animation and audio.

Ever tried watching an out of (lip) sync film for a long time?

The key issues multimedia systems need to deal with here are:

How to represent and store temporal information.

How to strictly maintain the temporal relationships on play back/retrieval

www.theinternationaljournal.org > RJSITM: Volume: 05, Number: 01, November-2015 Page 16

What process are involved in the above.

Data has to represented digitally so many initial source of data needs to be digitise -- translated from

analog source to digital representation. The will involve scanning (graphics, still images), sampling

(audio/video) although digital cameras now exist for direct scene to digital capture of images and

video.

The data is large several Mb easily for audio and video -- therefore storage, transfer (bandwidth) and

processing overheads are high. Data compression techniques very common.

3. Desirable features for a multimedia system

Given the above challenges the following feature a desirable (if not a prerequisite) for a Multimedia

System:

Very High Processing Power needed to deal with large data processing and real time delivery of media. Special hardware

commonplace.

Multimedia Capable File System

-- needed to deliver real-time media -- e.g. Video/Audio Streaming. Special Hardware/Software

needed e.g RAID technology.

Data Representations/File Formats

that support multimedia

Data representations/file formats should be easy to handle yet allow for compression/decompression in

real-time.

Efficient and High I/O

Input and output to the file subsystem needs to be efficient and fast. Needs to allow for real-time

recording as well as playback of data. e.g. Direct to Disk recording systems.

Special Operating System

To allow access to file system and process data efficiently and quickly. Needs to support direct

transfers to disk, real-time scheduling, fast interrupt processing, I/O streaming etc.

Storage and Memory

Large storage units (of the order of 50 -100 Gb or more) and large memory (50 -100 Mb or more).

Large Caches also required and frequently of Level 2 and 3 hierarchy for efficient management.

Network Support

Client-server systems common as distributed systems common.

Software Tools

user friendly tools needed to handle media, design and develop applications, deliver media.

4. Components of a Multimedia System

Now let us consider the Components (Hardware and Software) required for a multimedia system:

Capture devices

-- Video Camera, Video Recorder, Audio Microphone, Keyboards, mice, graphics tablets, 3D input

devices, tactile sensors, VR devices. Digitising/Sampling Hardware

Storage Devices

Hard disks, CD-ROMs, Jaz/Zip drives, DVD, etc

Communication Networks

Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, ATM, Intranets, Internets.

Computer Systems

Multimedia Desktop machines, Workstations, MPEG/VIDEO/DSP Hardware

Display Devices

CD-quality speakers, HDTV,SVGA, Hi-Res monitors, Colour printers etc.

5. Applications

Examples of Multimedia Applications include:


World Wide Web

Hypermedia courseware

Video conferencing

Video-on-demand

Interactive TV

Groupware

Home shopping

Games

Virtual reality

Digital video editing and production

systems

Multimedia Database systems

Reflecting the generic, or buzzword, nature of the term multimedia is the range of applications that

claim to be multimedia. Existing and planned applications list such diverse target areas as electronic

magazines, video--on-demand, patient monitoring systems in hospitals, remote robotic agents, distance

learning, and interactive (WAN-)distributed virtual reality games. Using some rough categorizations

we can sort multimedia applications into the following categories (this list is not exhaustive):

Information systems: All systems whose main purpose is to provide information to a user (or a group

of users). Example application areas are :

electronic publishing: Electronic newspapers (e.g., the Age or The Australian and magazines

(e.g., HotWiRED or Time Magazine online)

hospital information systems: Patient monitoring systems, multimedia patient databases,

mixed reality surgery(e.g., virtual reality goggles)

navigation and information systems: shopping center /airport and other public spaces offer

touch screen multimedia orientation systems

museums: Online catalogs using high definition rendering of paintings, interactive online

museum tours (the Virtual Museum in Victoria or the Paris Louvre Web Museum offer virtual

reality museum trips ).

(Remote) representation: Systems which represent a user at a remote location. The

representation can be either passive or active---that is, the user can either just receive

information about the remote location and the actions taking place there (passive

representation), or she can take part in the action and even influence the process at the remote

location (active representation). Notable example applications include:

conferencing applications: The user takes part in a conference; he/she can see and hear the

other participants; usually some kind of tool for showing text and graphics to the other

participants is available.

distance learning: Distance learning is essentially the same as conferencing; instead of

transmitting a conference session or a group meeting, a seminar, a lecture, or a class is

transmitted to students somewhere on the network.

remote auctions: a growing area which is and extension of online shopping

remote robotic agents: The remote location might be situated inside a hazardous environment

(e.g., the core of a nuclear reactor, or a deep-sea exploration) which is too dangerous for the

user as that she could be there in person, yet, the task which the user wants to carry out requires

human intervention.

remote task agents: Taking the concept of remote robotic agents one step further we can

employ a piece of software, an agent, to act on behalf of us: For example, the agent would

travel across the Internet, visit a pre-determined set of machines, carry out the instruction that

we programmed it to do, bundle up the results (which, of course, would be multimedia

documents), and return to our workstation.


virtual reality: Whereas the conferencing and remote robotic agent applications represent the

user at another, existing, location, to which she could travel to instead, virtual reality

applications represent users inside a physically-non existing environment; for example, rather

than accessing the records of a database through an arcane retrieval language, the database user

might enter a virtual reality representation of the database, which would present individual

records as old-fashioned folders.

Entertainment: This area attracts most of the attention of the general public as a lot of

telecommunication and media companies expect that the entertainment market will be the one

with the largest audience and, also, the market which is best suited for the employment of

multimedia techniques. The following list presents just a short excerpt of the projects planned

and worked on:

digital television: Originally, digital television started out as a technology to deliver television

broadcasts that were to be of substantially higher quality and size than current, analog

technology based broadcasting services (the term high-definition television (HDTV ) was

coined to describe these new broadcasting services). However, the service providers that are

implementing those services are already looking at other uses of the digital television

technology: Data transmission, paging systems, wireless telephony, and multiple television

programs within one channel are just a few of the uses in consideration, thereby pushing the

original HDTV goal aside

video--on-demand: Cable companies want to distribute a customized program to each viewer--

-that is, the user instead of the cable company shall have the authority to decide what kind of

program the cable company delivers; additionally, all the features which the user has come to

know from her video-cassette--recorder shall also be available with video--on-demand

widely distributed interactive games: Companies like Sega or Nintendo are working on

creating networks of game-boy machines, that will interconnect using the existing telephone

network or future networks.

interactive television: This kind of application is especially attractive for television companies

and multimedia "evangelists". The interactive part refers to the user's ability to partake in

televised voting or game shows. The attractive aspect of interactive television stems from the

fact, that the necessary technological infrastructure is already installed: Cable television and

telephony services are available almost everywhere. Hence, startup-costs are low; set-top boxes

link the television set, the telephone, and the user .

Music players audio & video application

All-in-one Media Players

VLC - an open-source, cross-platform multimedia player which plays most media files and has

a friendly user-interface.

mplayer - a primarily command-line media player which supports many formats. Has a

Spartan interface, but ships with some GUIs. Open source (GPLed) and cross-platform.

Windows Media Player - a proprietary, Windows-only media player from Microsoft.

GStreamer - an open-source multimedia framework. LGPLed. Is supported by many players,

including gst123 .

xine - a multimedia playback library, along with some standalone players for UNIX-like

operating systems. Open source (GPLed). Its popularity appears to have waned considerably

lately.

Wikipedia’s Comparison of Video Player Software.

Dedicated Music Players

Amarok - a powerful music player with many features and extensions for Linux, UNIX and

Windows. Open source (GPL).

Clementine Music Player - a multi-platform music player based on Amarok 1.4, ported to Qt

4. Open source (GPL).

http://space.twc.de/~stefan/gst123.php


Banshee - an open-source music and video player based on C#/.NET, gtk#, and Mono on

Linux and Mac OS X. Cross-platform.

Rhythm box - “an integrated music management application” for GNOME.

XMMS2 - an open-source and cross-platform multi-format music player based on the

client/server model.

EXail - a Gtk+ based music manager and player, inspired by Amarok, that is available for

UNIX-like operating systems and Windows. (Open source - GPLed).

Winamp - a media player for Windows-based PCs and Android devices. Proprietary and

freeware/shareware. Used to be popular in the late nineties, but its popularity waned.

foobar2000 - a freeware audio player. Aims for simplicity. Proprietary and Windows-only.

Wikipedia’s Comparison of Audio Player Software.

Video Downloaders

youtube-dl - a cross-platform command line program, written in Python 2.x to download

videos from YouTube.com, metacafe, Google Video, Photobucket videos, Yahoo! video,

Dailymotion, DepositFiles, blip.tv, vimeo, myvideo.de and others. Open source (public

domain).

Video DownloadHelper - an extension for Firefox that downloads videos from “hundreds of

YouTube-like sites”. Custom, mostly all-rights-reserved licence.

Waveform Editors

Audacity - an open source, cross-platform program for recording and editing sounds. Seems to

be the best-of-breed among open-source waveform editors.

Adobe Audition - a proprietary, commercial, application from Adobe (formerly known as

Cool Edit) that runs on latest versions of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

Wikipedia Comparison of multi-track recording software

Trends in Multimedia

Current big applications areas in Multimedia include:

World Wide Web

-- Hypermedia systems -- embrace nearly all multimedia technologies and application areas.

Ever increasing popularity.

MBone

Multicast Backbone: Equivalent of conventional TV and Radio on the Internet.

Enabling Technologies

Developing at a rapid rate to support ever increasing need for Multimedia. Carrier, Switching,

Protocol, Application, Coding/Compression, Database, Processing, and System Integration

Technologies at the forefront of this.

6. Issues in Multimedia Applications Design

6.1. Content Design

Content design deals with:

What to say, what vehicle to use.

"In multimedia, there are five ways to format and deliver your message. You can write it, illustrate it,

wiggle it, hear it, and interact with it."

6.2. Scripting (writing)

Rules for good writing:

1. Understand your audience and correctly address them.

2. Keep your writing as simple as possible. (e.g., write out the full message(s) first, then shorten it.)

3. Make sure technologies used complement each other.

6.3. Graphics (illustrating)

Make use of pictures to effectively

deliver your messages.

Create your own (draw, (color)

scanner, PhotoCD, ...), or keep "copy


files" of art works. - "Cavemen did it

first."

Graphics Styles

fonts

colors

o pastels

o earth-colors

o metallic

o primary color

o neon color

6.4. Animation (wiggling)

6.4.1. Types of Animation Character Animation - humanize an object

e.g., a toothbrush, a car, a coke bottle,

etc.

Factors in choosing a character

Emotion - Is it happy, sad, funny,

sloppy, ...?

Movement - Is it fast, slow, bumpy, ...?

Visual style - Is its color/texture consistent with the rest?

Copyright - "Don't use Mickey before checking with Walt."

Adequacy - e.g., Does it provide various poses (can't make a broomstick sit!)

Highlights and Sparkles

e.g., to pop a word in/out of the screen, to sparkle a logo -> to draw attention

Moving Text

e.g., put up one character at a time like a typewriter e.g., "pulsing" - the word grows/shrinks (or

changes color) a few times

Note: Do not slowly move entire line of text, they are not readable. Instead, for example, slide the

bullets in and out.

Video - live video or digitized video

+: more powerful than still images

+: often easier to obtain than graphics animation

-: takes a lot of disk space

-: sometimes needs special hardware

6.4.2. When to Animate "A leaf doesn't flutter if the wind doesn't blow."Only animate when it has a specific purpose

Enhance emotional impact

e.g., dove softly flapping its wings -> peace

e.g., air bag explosion + dummy movements -> car crash.

Make a point

e.g., show insertion of a memory chip onto the motherboard (much better than a diagram) e.g.,

Microsoft Golf (instructional)

Improve information delivery

e.g., "pulsing" words (in and out of screen) adds emphasis

Indicate passage of time

e.g., clock/hourglass -> program still running e.g., animated text -> to prompt for

interaction/response

Provide a transition to next subsection.

Wipes - e.g., L-to-R, T-D, B-U, diagonal, iris round, center to edge, etc.

Dissolve - the current image distorts into an unrecognizable form before the next clear image

appears, e.g., boxy dissolve, cross dissolve, etc.

Fade - a metaphor for a complete change of scene.


Cut - immediate change to next image, e.g., for making story points using close-up ** Cuts are

easy to detect in "video segmentation"

6.5 Audio (hearing)

Types of Audio in Multimedia Applications:

1.

Music - set the mood of the presentation, enhance the emotion, illustrate points

2.

Sound effects - to make specific points, e.g., squeaky doors, explosions, wind, ...

3.

Narration - most direct message, often effective

Interactivity (interacting)

Interactive multimedia systems!

people remember 70% of what they interact with (according to late 1980s study)

Types of Interactive Multimedia Applications:

1.Menudriven programs/presentations - often a hierarchical structure (main menu, sub-menus,

...)

2. Hypermedia

+: less structured, cross-links between subsections of the same subject -> non-linear, quick

access to information +: easier for introducing more multimedia features, e.g., more interesting

"buttons"

-: could sometimes get lost in navigating the hypermedia

3. Simulations / Performance-dependent Simulations - e.g., Games - SimCity, Flight

Simulators

6.6. Technical Design

Technological factors may limit the ambition of your multimedia presentation:

Technical parameters that affect the design and delivery of multimedia applications

---------- -------------- --------

CGA 320 x 200 4

MCGA 320 x 200 256

EGA 640 x 350 16

VGA 640 x 480 256

S-VGA 1,024 x 768 $>$= 256

S-GA 1,280 x 1,024 $>$= 256

. . .

16-bit color --$>$ 65536 colors

24-bit color --$>$ 16.7 million

colors

1. Video Mode and Computer Platform PC <-> Macintosh

There are many "portable", "cross-platform" software and "run-time modules", but many of

them lose quality/performance during the translation.

2. Memory and Disk Space Requirement Rapid progress in hardware alleviates the problem, but software is too "greedy", especially the

multimedia ones.

3. Delivery Live Presentation

Short checking list for hardware/software requirements:

o type of graphics card

o video memory (1 MB, 2 MB,

4 MB, etc.)


access time of hard disk (important for real-time video).

o type of sound card (support for General MIDI).

o audio-video software

Delivery by diskette

-: Small in size, slow to install

Delivery by CD-ROM

+: Large capacity -: Access time of CD-ROM drives is longer than hard-disk drives

Electronic Delivery (ftp, www, etc.)

- depends on baud rate, network connection, and monthly bill

6.6. Visual Design

Here we summarize factors that should be considers in the visual design of a multimedia presentation:

1. Themes and Styles - A multimedia presentation should have a consistent theme/style, it should not be disjointed and

cluttered with multiple themes.

- The choice of theme/style depends on the styles and emotions of your audience.

Some Possible Themes: Cartoon theme

+: interesting / entertaining -: must be consistent with the character's personality

Traditional theme - straightforward

+: simple, often informative

-: not as interesting

High tech theme - contemporary computer art work (morphing, texture mapping, metal texture,

explosions, ...)

+: attractive, easy to animate

Technical theme - include blueprints, 3D models of the product, ... e.g., start with a drawing,

then transformed into a rendered image.

+: shows adequate technical information

+: gives impression of solid design and construction

Color Schemes and Art Styles Natural and floral

(outdoor scenes, e.g., mountains, lakes, ...) -> getting back to nature

Oil paints, watercolors, colored pencils, pastels.

- these art styles can be combined with e.g., cartoon or high tech themes

2. Pace and Running length

A few guidelines: Allow a block of text to be slowly read twice.

Transition time should be an indication of real-time.

o dissolve - time delay, scene change

o cut - two views of same scene at same time, or abrupt scene change

Running length

o self running presentation: 2-3 minutes

o limited interaction: 5-6 minutes

o complete analytical, hands-on demo: < 15 minutes

o with questions, discussions: > 30 minutes

** build in breaks for long presentations

3. Basic Layout (a) Title (b) Action area (c) Narration (d) Dialog (e) Interactive controls

make sure that the information delivery path in the layout is smooth, not irregular/jumpy

use headlines/subtitles, additional shapes, buttons, fonts, backgrounds and textures to enhance

the visual appearance.


7. New Inventions in Multimedia & IT

(a) 4G Technology

Fourth Generation (4G) mobiles

4G also called as Fourth-Generation Communications System, is a term used to describe the next step

in wireless communications. A 4G system can provide a comprehensive IP solution where voice, data

and streamed multimedia can be provided to users on an "Anytime, Anywhere" basis. The data transfer

rates are also much higher than previous generations.

The main objectives of 4G are:

1)4G will be a fully IP-based integrated system.

2)This will be capable of providing 100 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s speeds both indoors and outdoors.

3)It can provide premium quality and high security.

4)4G offer all types of services at an affordable cost.

(b) New Blackberry Curve

BLACKBERRY LATEST MOBILE PHONE:

Blackberry Curve (8300) is one of the most popular latest phones since its launch. But since its launch,

mobile industry has experienced many advances in technology. So to keep them update wit latest

technology Blackberry family has launched its latest edition called BLACKBERRY BOLD.

With the help of new Blackberry Bold now it is possible to edit your Microsoft Word and PowerPoint

documents. These updates can be moved over onto main PC or Mac. So now you can update and

improve speeches and presentations during practice run or when still on the road.

(c) Vulture - Unmanned Aircraft

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of United States is working to develop an

unmanned aircraft that is able to stay in air for a period of 5 years at a time. It is one of the most recent

inventions of world.

Officials of DARPA have revealed that this aircraft will be known as VULTURE due to its Persistent

Pseudo-Satellite Capability. It means that this aircraft will be able to fly over a single area,

communicating or performing analysis for years at a time

(d) Forget Windows: Midori is coming

MICROSOFT is working on a new generation of operating systems called Cloud-Based Operating

System and rumors are there that MIDORI will be their first such operating system, which will replace

Windows fully from computer map.

(e) Dragonflies X6

http://stephen001lm.hubpages.com/hub/latestinventions




Draganflyer X6 is an advanced helicopter that can be operated remotely without any pilot. It is

designed mainly to carry wireless video cameras and still cameras. The Draganflyer X6 helicopter can

be operated very easily with its hand held controller.

(f) NEXI - Robot with facial expressions

A latest invention by MIT Media Lab is a new robot that is able to show various facial expressions

such as 'slanting its eyebrows in anger', or 'raise them in surprise', and show a wide assortment of facial

expressions while communicating with people.

(g) Intelligent Helicopters

Scientist at STANFORD have developed an Artificial Intelligence System that enables Robotic

Helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by watching other helicopters perform the same

maneuvers. It can result in development of autonomous helicopter than can perform a complete air

show of complex stunts on its own. It is one of most recent example of latest technology inventions.

(h) 3-Dimensional Computer Processor

Scientist at University of Rochester have developed a new generation of Computer Processors. These

processors are based on 3-Dimensional Circuits in contrary to 2-Dimensional Circuits of today.

This can be said as the next major advance in computer processors technology. The latest 3-D

processor is running at 1.4 gigahertz in the labs of University.

Conclusion

Multimedia is a progressive & interactive field. Multimedia is very useful in different fields

like entertainment, education etc. It creates interest of the people in the technology. In future some

advanced discovery was done in this field.

References

https://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave/Multimedia/node26.html

https://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave/Multimedia/node7.html

http://www.olinda.com/ArtAndIdeas/lectures/mm/mm_applied.htm

http://www.olinda.com/ArtAndIdeas/lectures/mm/multimedia.htm

http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave/MM/BSC_MM_CALLER/PDF/01_CM0340_Introduction

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Parallel Processing, ICPP 2004. International Conference, pp. 143 - 150 vol.1.

Beigbeder, T., et al., (2003). The effects of loss and latency on user performance in

Unreal Tournament, Proc. NetGames, (2004), pp. 144-151.

http://www.shlomifish.org/opensource/resources/multimedia-programs/


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http://latesttechnomanias.blogspot.in/2011/09/multimedia-technology.html

http://latesttechnomanias.blogspot.in/2011/09/multimedia-and-its-application.html

Multimedia Communications

Handbook of Multimedia

Computing.


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