U-1

Multimedia is combination of text, graphic art, sound, animation, and video delivered to you by computer or other electronic means MM elements are sewn together into a project using authoring tools. These tools provide the important framework we need for organizing and editing the elements of MM projects including graphics, sound, animation, video clips. Whole process of developing a MM package is AUTHORING. Authoring system is a collection of software tools that help in various aspects of MM production. TASK OF AUTHORING TOOLS i) Manage individual MM elements. ii) Provide user interaction Authoring S/W provides an integrated environment for binding together content and functions of project TYPES OF AUTHORING TOOLS i) CARD OR PAGE BASED TOOLS: In these authoring system, elements are organized as a pages of a book or stack of cards. These tools are best used when the bulk of our content consist of elements that can be viewed individually. Authoring systems lets us link these pages into organized sequence. We can jump, on command, to any page we wish. ii)ICON BASED, EVENT DRIVEN TOOLS: In these authoring system, MM elements and interaction events are organized as objects in structural framework or process. These tools display flow diagrams of activities along branching paths. iii)TIME BASED TOOLS: In these authoring systems , elements and events are organized along a timeline. These tools are best to use when we have a message with a beginning and an end.

TYPES OF MULTIMEDIA

1)LINEAR(NON INTERACTIVE): It is a kind of slide presentation in which the users involvement is highly restricted. If the end user receives the programme, which plays a sequence of sound, video and images without any control over the presentation content.eg TV documentary. When the users can sit and watch it just as they do a movie or television then the project is Linear as it is starting at the beginning and running through to an end. 2) NON LINEAR(INTERACTIVE):If the programme lets the user control the sequence by selecting different option then it is interactive MM. OR When we allow an end user (viewer of multimedia project) to control what and when the elements are delivered OR When the users are given navigational control and wander through the content at will, multimedia becomes non linear. CLASSIFICATION OF NON-LINEAR MM HYPERMEDIA (Hypertext with MM): With this, one can look at a screen of computer for information and if there is a topic or word that one wants more information about, click it and information comes up. These words are highlighted. When we provide a structure of linked elements through which the user navigates then interactive multimedia becomes hyper media :

USES OF MULTIMEDIA
1) MULTIMEDIA IN BUSINESS: i) Business applications for multimedia include presentations, training, marketing, advertising, product demos, databases, catalogues, and networked communications. ii) Presentations- for launching the products of a company. Reaching the target audience with necessary technical services or products requires clear communication, stating the benefits and features, outlining its applications and any other product related details, all presented in a well designed and interactive manner so that the users familiarize faster.

iii)

iv) v)

MM to create interactive product catalogues, training tutorials, buyer guides and information directories with adequate search and navigation facilities to guide the user to easily trace the desired information. Buyer guide can list the nearby dealers, comparison of top brands, maps of the city and other helpful guest services. Effective use of MM in advertising can make potential clients situp and make notice. Sales may be increased by allowing users to view product options real time. Brand royalty can be built by giving users a custom application that entertains, informs or assists them.

vi) Voice mail and video conferencing can be provided on many local and wide area networks using Internet protocols vii) Mechanics learn to repair engines. viii) Salespeople learn about product lines and leave behind software to train their customers ix) Motion, graphical elements, animation, audio and video can be used to more effectively deliver sales, instructional or marketing messages o differentiate your firm from competitors. 2) MULTIMEDIA IN EDUCATION: i) Schools are the most needed destination for multimedia ii) Computer encyclopedias have gained popularity as they allow the end user a non linear navigation of text, user can quickly access the desired topic. iii) Web can be thought of as a global digital MM library. The concept of e-learning or online learning using interactive communication tools has grown tremendously with popularity of WWW. It is accessible to a large no of people, can be accessed from anywhere and everywhere and promotes the quality of learning experiences. iv) Schools are the most best users for MM. Computer are replacing the actual classroom.MM based education greatly enhances traditional education by providing the children with the option of individual attention at his own place. v) MM based presentations and tutorials provide an easy to learn envt for young generation. reading and retention skills grow when concepts are explained using animated pictures.

vi)

MM prove to be tremendously helpful in medical field .It gives an opportunity of in depth, clear and interactive learning of new clinical advancements. vii) MM can be used for stimulating different types of environment used for training purpose. eg flight attendants can be trained to manage terrorism and security by artificially simulating such an envt. viii) Adults and children both can learn well by exploration and delivery. ix) With the help of MM, students can make quite time movies, images etc 3) MULTIMEDIA IN HOMES: From gardening to cooking to home design, remodeling, the multimedia has entered the home. Home consumers of multimedia either own a computer with an attached CD-ROM drive or a settop player that hooks up to the entertainment and games based media. 4) MULTIMEDIA IN PUBLIC PLACES: In hotels, train stations, shopping malls, museums, and grocery stores, multimedia will become available at stand-alone terminals to provide information and help. These installations will reduce the demands on traditional information booths and they can work round the clock even in the middle of night. 5) MULTIMEDIA IN ENTERTAINMENT: i) MM capabilities are used to develop interactive games with sophisticated animations, 3D and sound effects. These games can be played on computer, mobile devices. ii) Movies and cartoons unleashing full effects of MM, which were only available on tapes, are now stored on CD-ROM (VCD) to allow the user to watch on their computer screen. Multilayered DVD with more storage capacity and even higher processing speed, is slowly replacing CD-ROM .It can be used to view movies and play audio files. iii) Another application of MM is the advent of animated e-greeting cards for different occasions. iv) Wedding albums and family histories can be created on WWW , using power of MM.

STAGES OG MULTIMEDIA PROJECT:

4 basic stages of multimedia project are:--

i) PLANNING AND COSTING: Before we begin developing, plan what writing skills, graphics art, music, video and other multimedia expertise are required and after that a creative graphic look developed. Estimate the time needed to do all elements and prepare a budget. Work up a short prototype. 2) DESIGNING AND PRODUCING: Perform each of the planned tasks to create a finished product. 3) TESTING: Always test your programs to make sure that they meet the objectives of your project, they work properly on the intended delivery platforms, and they meet the needs of clients. 4) DELIEVERING: Package and deliver the project to the end user.

REQUIREMENTS TO MAKE MULTIMEDIA

I) HARDWARE: There are two most significant platforms for producing and delivering MM projects: Macintosh operating system from Apple and Intel based IBM PC The basic principles for creating and editing MM elements are same for Macintoshes and PCs The minimum recommended h/w requirement for MM application is: i) Almost any Macintosh (they are built for MM) ii) PC with following configuration: a) 486/33 or higher processor b) Windows 3.1 or higher version. c) 350+ megabyte hard drive. d) Double speed CD-ROM drive. iii)A laser disc can be used to provide full screen, real time movies. II) SOFTWARE: MM software tells the hardware what to do. eg display the color red, play the digitized movie or turn down the volume of MP3 player. There are also large no of software tools, which are used to work with text, images, sound, or video. S/W requirements for authoring MM may include interactive authoring with animation, sound, video, graphical DB for MM objects, screen captures, page layout for documentation, graphic creation and manipulation

programme, presentation, hypermedia authoring program, sound creation and editing program etc III) CREATIVITY: Before developing a MM project we must firstly develop a sense of its scope and content. Developers can add their own creativity touches to design their unique MM projects. There are certain known formulas for the success of MM. IV) ORGANIZATION: It is essential that we develop an organized outline and plan that rationally details the skills, time, budget, tools, resources that will be needed for a successful project. These should be in place before we start to render graphics, sounds and other components, and they should continue to be monitored through out the projects execution.

MULTIMEDIA SKILLS
TEAM: MM production team may require as many as 18 discrete roles: Executive Producer Producer/Project manager Creative Director/MM Designer Art Director/Visual Designer Artist Interface designer Game designer Subject matter expert Instructional Designer/ Training Specialist Script Writer Animator Sound producer Music composer Video Producer MM producer HTML coder Lawyer Marketing director PROJECT MANAGER: Project manager is responsible for overall development and implementation of a project as well as for day-to-day operations. Budgets, schedules, creative sessions, time sheets, illness, and

team dynamics-the project manager is the glue that holds it together. The project manager has 2 major areas of responsibility i) Design: It consists of devising a vision for the product and working out the complete functionality with the design time, and then putting that into a complete specification and adjusting it as necessary throughout the development of product ii) Management: It consists of scheduling and assigning tasks, running meetings and essentially overseeing all aspects of product development from beginning to end. MM designer: MM designer looks at the overall content of a project, creates a structure for the content, determines the design elements required to support that structure, and decides which media are appropriate for presenting which pieces of content. MM designer prepares the blueprint for the entire project: content, media, and interaction Interface designer:The role of an interface designer is to create a software device that organizes the MM content, that lets the user access or modify that content, and that presents the content on screen. An interface designer may also be then designer or the graphic designer. Writer: MM writers do everything writers of linear media do, and more. They create character, action, and they also create interactivity. They write proposals, they script actors narrations, they write text screens to deliver messages, and they develop characters designed for an interactive environment. The role of writer changes with each different project Video specialist: Video specialist may be responsible for an entire team of videographers, sound technicians, and lighting designers, set designers, script supervisors, production assistants and actors. VS must understand the potentials and limitations of the medium, how these limitations affect the video production itself, and how to get the most out of the videos must also understand interactivity and how it will affect the video. Audio specialist: They are the wizards who make a MM program come alive, designing and producing music, voice over narrations, and sound effects. AS may be responsible for locating and selecting suitable music and talent, scheduling recording sessions and digitizing and editing recorded material into computer files.

MM programmer: A MM programmer or software engineer integrates all the MM elements of a project into a seamless whole using an authoring system or programming language. The most important skill a MM programmer can bring to a team is the ability to learn and understand systems and not just understand the various calls, but know why these calls are needed. Producer, MM for the Web: Web site producer is a new occupation, but putting together a coordinated set of pages for the WWW requires the same creative process, skill sets and often teamwork. CONNECTION SCSI: Small Computer System Interface . SCSI lets us add the various peripherals equipment such as disk drives, scanners, CD-ROM players. We can connect as many as 8 devices( ID numbers from 0 to 7) to a SCSI bus , but one of them must be the computer itself with ID7, and one is our internal hard disk with ID0. High end Macintoshes had 2 SCSI buses, internal and external, and so hook up twice as many devices. SCSI cards can be installed in PCs and various external peripheral devices such as hard disc, CD-ROM drives, tape drives, printers, scanners, rewritable cartridge drivers can be connected to the installed card. When SCSI device is connected to the interface card in a PC, it is mounted to the system as another drive letter. Thus we may have a floppy disk drives mounted as drives A: and B: a hard disk as drive C:, a CD-ROM drive as D:, and SCSI-based external devices as E:, F:, G: and so on. SCSI cabling is very sensitive to length and to resistance. SCSI-1 transfers data at a rate of 5MB per second and supports up to seven devices. The newer SCSI-2 is divided into two classifications: Fast SCSI (10Mbper second) and Wide SCSI (with an increased bus width to 16-bit). A composite of these two (Fast / Wide SCSI) can achieve data transfer rates of 20MB per second.

The latest SCSI-3 (Ultra SCSI) can support up to 32devices and achieve speeds of 40MB per second. Unlike the less-expensive IDE scheme, a SCSI controller does not demand CPU time, and because it can support as many as 32 devices, it is preferred for real-time video editing, network servers, and situations in which writing simultaneously to two or more disks. Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) connections, also known as Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) connections, are typically only internal, and they connect hard disks, CD-ROM drives and other peripherals mounted inside the PC. A PC motherboard can support two IDE controllers, and each controller in turn can support two devices ( a master and a slave) . Thus, with IDE, we can install a combination of four disks, CD-ROM drives, or other drives in your PC. ADVANTAGE OF IDE The circuitry for IDE is typically much less expensive than for SCSI. LIMITATION OF IDE IDE requires time from the main processor chip, only one drive in a master / slave pair can be active at once, and because a master drive manages the operations of both drives attached to a controller, a failure of the master drive will disable both drives. VARIOUS TYPES OF IDE

Plain IDE: It can transfer data at 2.5MB per second. EIDE (Enhanced IDE): It can transfer data at 16.6MB per second. Ultra IDE : It can transfer data at 33MB per second.

MEMORY AND STORAGE DEVICES

Random access memory (RAM): - It is the mode in which any memory location can be accessed in any order in the same amount of time. Ferrite and semiconductor memories, which generally constitute the primary storage or main memory, are of this nature. Main Memory Static and Dynamic Ram The main memory is the central storage unit in a computer system. It is a relatively large and fast memory and is used to store programs and data during computer operations. The principal technology used for the main memory is based on semiconductor integrated circuits. Integrated circuits RAM chip are available in two possible modes, static and dynamic. The static RAM (SRAM) stores binary information using clocked sequential circuits. The stored information remains valid only as long as power is applied to the unit. On the other hand, dynamic RAM (DRAM) stores binary information in the form of electric charges that are applied to capacitors inside the chip. The stored charge on the capacitors tends to discharge with time and so much be periodically recharged by refreshing the dynamic memory. The dynamic RAM offers larger storage capacity and reduced power consumption. Therefore. Large memories use dynamic RAM, is mainly used for specialized applications. The different types of memory discussed above are both of the read/write type. What about a memory where only one of the operations is possible, e.g., if we allow only reading from the memory (cannot change the information in the memory)? The memory might have some major importance, like an important bit of the computers operating system which normally does not change, can be stored in this kind of memory. Such a memory is called ROM (Read Only Memory)

READ ONLY MEMORY 1. Read-only memory is not volatile. Unlike RAM, when you turn of the power to a ROM chip, it will not forget, or lose its memory.

2. ROM is typically used in computers to hold the small BIOS program that initially boots up the computer, and it is used in printers to hold built-in fonts. 3. Programmable ROM (called EPROMs) allow changes to be made that are not forgotten. 4. OROMs (Optical read-only memory), offer 128MB of storage, have no moving parts, and use only about 200 milliwatts of power, making them ideal for handheld, battery-operated devices. FLOPPY AND HARD DISKS 1. Floppy disks and hard disks are mass-storage devices for binary data- data that can be easily read by computer. 2. Hard disk can contain much more information than floppy disks and can operate at far greater data transfer rates. 3. Floppies are, however, no longer mass storage devices. 4. A floppy disk is made of flexible mylar plastic-coated with a very thin layer of special magnetic material . 5. Hard disk is actually a stack of hard material platters coated with magneticallly sensitive material, with a series of recording heads or sensors that hover a hairbreadth above the fast-spinning surface, magnetizing or demagnetizing spots along formatted tracks using technology similar to that used by floppy disks and audio and video tape recording. 6. Hard disks are the most common mass-storage device used on computers, and for making multimedia, we will one or more large-capacity hard disk drives. DIGITAL VERSATILE DISC(DVD):DVD can provide 720 pixels per horizontal line, whereas current televisions (NTSC) provide 240 .This medium is capable not only of gigabyte storage capacity but also full motion video(MPEG2) and high quality audio in surround sound .There are 2 types of DVD: DVD-Video and DVD-ROM. CD-ROM PLAYERS: Compact disc read only memory players have become an integral part of the MM development workstation and are an important delivery vehicle for large, mass- produced projects. A wide variety of developer utilities, graphic backgrounds, stock photography and sounds, applications, games, reference texts and educational software are available on this medium. CD-ROM players have typically been very slow to access and transmit data.

CD RECORDERS: With a compact disc recorder, we can make our own CDs using special CD- record able (CD-R) blank optical discs to create a CD in most formats of CD-ROM and CD-Audio. A compact disc or CD ia thin wafer of clear polycarbonate plastic and metal measuring 4.75 inches (120mm) in diameter, with a small hole, or hub, in its center. The metal layer is usually pure aluminium , sputtered onto the polycarbonate surface in a thickness measurable in molecules. As the disc spins in the CD player, the metal reflects light from a tiny infrared laser into a light- sensitive receiver diode. These reflections are transformed into an electrical signal and then further converted to meaningful bits and bytes for use in digital equipment. PITS on the CD, where the information is stored , are 1 to 3 microns long, about micron wide, and 1/10 micron deep. A CD can contain as many as 3 miles of these tiny pits wound in spiral pattern from the hub to the edge. A layer of lacquer is applied to protect the surface. CD-R(compact disc recordable) is an excellent method for distributing MM projects. CD-R writers and blank CD-R discs are inexpensive, and for short runs of a product

INPUT DEVICES: An input device is an electromechanical device, which accepts data from the outside world and translates them into a form, which the computer can interpret. Input devices are used to enter data from outside world into the primary storage. Most commonly used input devices can be classified into the categories of: 1) KEYBOARD DEVICES(general and special purpose, key to tape, key to disk.) Keyboard devices allow input into the computer system by pressing a set of keys, mounted on a board connected to the computer system .Keyboard devices are classified as general purpose and special keyboards. General-purpose keyboard: The most familiar means of entering information into a keyboard is through a typewrite-like keyboard that allows a person to enter alphanumeric information directly. The most popular keyboard used today is the 101-keys with a traditional QWERTY layout, having an alphanumeric keypad,12 function keys , a variety of special function keys, numeric keypad, and dedicated cursorcontrol keys.

Alphanumeric keypad: Contains keys for English alphabets, 0 to 9 numbers, special characters like *, +, /, [] 12 function keys (soft keys): These are keys labeled F1,F2F12 and are a set of user programmable function keys. The actual function assigned to a function key differs from one software package to another Special function keys: Have special functions assigned to each of these keys.eg the enter key is used to send the keyed-in data into the memory. Other special keys include: Shift, Spacebar, Ctrl, Alt, Tab, Backspace, Capslock, insert, delete, Home, End, Pileup, Page down, Delete, Home, End, Escape, print screen Numeric keypad: Consists of keys having numbers (0 to 9) and mathematical operators (+,-,*,/) defined on them. It is located on the right side of the keyboard and supports quick entry of numerical data. Cursor-control keys: Defined by the arrow keys used to move the cursor in the direction indicated by the arrow (top, down, left, right) Special purpose keyboard: These are stand-alone data entry systems. These typically have special purpose keyboards to enable faster data entry. E.g.: seen at ATMs where keyboard is required for limited functionality by the customers, Point of sale or POS terminals at fast food joints, Air/railway reservation counters. Key to tape, key to disk: These units have a small processor attached to a keyboard and visual display unit. The processor checks for the accuracy of data at the time of entry. The screen displays the data as it is being entered.. These facilities are very useful and desirable during mass data entry and are becoming very popular in data processing centers. 2) POINT AND DRAW DEVICES: Keyboard facilitates input of data in text form only. While working with display based packages, we usually point to a display area and select an option from the screen.

i)

ii)

MOUSE: It is a standard tool for interacting with GUI. Mouse is a small device that a computer user pushes across a desk surface in order to point to a place on display screen and to select one or more actions. The buttons on the mouse provide additional user input, such as pointing and double clicking to open a document, or the click and drag option, in which the mouse button is pressed and held down to drag an object. TRACKBALL: It is a pointing device that is much like an inverted mouse. It consists of a ball inset in a small external box or adjacent to and in the same unit. In this cursor is moved by using one or more fingers to roll across the top of ball. Trackball doesnt need the flat surface required by a mouse. Trackballs have at least 2 buttons one for the user to click or double click and other to provide the press and hold condition necessary for selecting from menus and dragging objects. It is more convenient and requires much less space than the mouse since here the whole device is not moved

JOYSTICK: It is vertical stick that moves the graphic cursor in the direction the stick is moved. It consists of a spherical ball, which moves within a socket, and has a stick mounted on it. The user moves the ball with the stick that can be moved and position the cursor in the desired location. Joysticks have a button on the top i.e used to select the option pointed by the cursor. Video games, training simulators and control panels of robots are some common uses of a joystick. iv) LIGHT PEN: It is a pen shaped device allowing natural movement on screen. It is used in CAD applications to directly draw on screen.
iii) v)

TOUCHSCREEN: Are the monitors that usually have a textured coating across the glass face. This coating is sensitive to pressure and registers the location of users finger when it touches the screen. It uses optical sensors in, or near the computer screen that can detect the touch of a finger on the screen. Once the user touches the

particular position, sensors communicate the position to the computer. This is then interpreted by computer to understand users choice of input. 3) SCANNING DEVICES: These are input devices used for direct data entry from source document into the computer system. Scanner facilitates the capturing of information and storing it in a graphical format for displaying it on the graphical screen They consist of two components, one to illuminate the pages so that the optical image can be captured and the other to convert the graphical image into digital format for storing. Graphical images thus scanned can be seen and processed directly by computer. Scanners are of two types: Hand held scanner: They are used where information to be scanned is very low. They are much cheaper but they prove inadequate for MM development. Flat bed scanner: They are used for scanning bulk information. They are expensive but they prove adequate for MM development.
i.

OPTICAL MARK RECOGNITION (OMR): OMR devices can sense mark on computer readable papers. This kind of device is typically used by academic institutions to grade aptitude tests where candidate need to mark the correct option from number of alternatives, on special sheet of paper. There answer sheets can directly read by the OMR device. Actual technique used by an OMR device involves focusing a light on the page being scanned thereby detecting the reflected light pattern for the marks.

ii.

MAGNETIC INK CHARACTER RECOGNITION (MICR):It is similar to OMR and is used exclusively by banking industry. MICR devices are used by banking industry to read the account numbers on cheques directly and subsequently do the necessary processing.

MICR readers are used to read and sort cheques and deposits .An MICR reader-sorter reads the data on the cheques and sorts the cheques for distribution to other banks and customers for further processing. iii. OPTICAL BAR CODE READER (OBR): Data coded in the form of small vertical lines forms the basis for bar coding. Alphanumeric data is represented using adjacent vertical lines called bar codes. These are of varying widths and spacing software then used to uniquely identifying books. Barcode readers uses laser beam technology. Laser beam is moved across the pattern of bars in the bar code. These bars reflect the beam; the reflected beam is then sensed by a light sensitive detector, which then converts the light patterns into electrical pulses thereby transmitting them to logic circuits for further conversion to alphanumeric value.
iv.

DIGITIZER: It is used to convert drawings and maps into a digital format for storage into the computer. It consists of digitizing or graphic tablet, which is a pressure sensitive tablet, and a pen with the X and Y coordinates on the screen. The movement of a pen is reproduced simultaneously on display screen. When pen is moved on tablet, the cursor on the screen moves simultaneously to the corresponding position on the screen. This allows the user to draw sketches directly. Digitizers are used by architects and engineers as tool for CAD

ELECTRONIC CARD READER: Card readers are devices that allow direct input into a computer system. The electronic card reader is connected to a computer system and reads the data encoded on an electronic card and transfers it to the computer system for further processing. Electronic cards are plastic cards with the data encoded on them. EG of electronic cards are the plastic cards issued by banks to their customers for use in ATMs. Electronic cards are also used by many
v.

organizations for controlling access of various types of employees to physically secured area. Electronic cards may be either magnetic strip cards or smart cards. Magnetic strip cards have a magnetic strip on the back of card. Data stored on magnetic strips cannot be read with naked eye. Smart cards have a built in microprocessor chip where data can be permanently stored. They also possess some processing capability .E.g. to gain access, an employee inserts a card in the reader. This device reads and checks the authorization code before permitting the individual to enter a secured area. Smart cards can hold more information. 4) VOICE RECOGNITION DEVICES: It consists of microphone attached to a computer system. User speaks into the microphone to input data. Spoken words are then converted into electrical signals. Digital to analog converter then converts analog form to digital form (0s and 1s) that can be interpreted by the computer. The digitized version is then matched with existing pre created dictionary to perform the necessary action. PROBLEMS: They require the ability to recognize who is speaking. What is being said? (This difficulty arises because people speak with different access and tone pitches. The computer requires a large vocabulary to be able to interpret what is being said. Most speech recognition systems are SPEAKER DEPENDENT that is they respond to the unique speech of particular individual. It requires creating a database of words for each person using the system. 5) VISION INPUT DEVICES: These systems facilitate hands-free interaction with our project. Most voice recognition systems currently available can trigger common menu events such as SAVE, OPEN, QUIT, PRINT and we can teach the system to recognize other commands also These devices allow a computer to accept data by focusing a camera in the object of concern. These devices allow data input in form of images. EG: DIGITAL CAMERA: Focuses on the object whose picture is to be taken. The camera creates the image of object in digital format, which can then be stored within the computer. The system then compares the digitized image to be interpreted to the prerecorded digitized images in the computers

database. Bases on whether or not the match is found, the appropriate action is taken. Video capture cards are needed for entering video information in the computer. Video files usually take up huge amount of space on hard disk. Images are uploaded from cameras memory using a serial, parallel or USB cable or the cameras memory card is inserted into the computer.

OUTPUT DEVICES:
An output device is an electromechanical device, which accepts data from a computer and translates them into a form, which is suitable for users. The processed data, stored in the memory of computer, is sent to an output unit, which then transforms the internal representation of data into a form that can be read by users. Output devices are broadly classified as:

1) DISPLAY DEVICES
MONITORS: Monitors use a cathode ray tube (CRT) to display information. The main component of CRT are the electron gun, the electron beam controlled by an electromagnetic field, and a display screen which is phosphor coated. The electron gun emits an electron beam, which is directed towards the phosphor-coated display by the electromagnetic field, and this in turn creates the image. The monitor is typically associated with a keyboard for manual input of characters. The screen displays information as it is keyed in, enabling a visual check of input before it is transferred to the computer. It is also used to display the output from the computer and hence serves as both an input and an output device. The monitor along with the keyboard is called a Visual Display Unit (VDU). ii) MULTIMEDIA PROJECTORS: A multimedia projector is an output device used to project information from the computer onto a large screen so that it can be viewed by a large group of people. Prior to this, the standard mode of giving presentations was to make transparencies and projecting them using an overhead projector. This was a tedious and time-consuming activity, since for every change in the subject matter a new transparency had to i)

be prepared. And of course, since electronic cut, copy and paste was not possible this, meant additional work. A multimedia projector can directly be plugged into the computer system and information projected on a large screen thereby making it possible to present information to a large audience. The presenter can also use a pointer to emphasize specific areas of interest in the presentation. Another popular method used today is to connect the computer to an LCD flat screen and then project the LCD image using an overhead projector. iii) TERMINALS DUMB, SMART, And INTELLIGENT: Terminals are classified capability. These are being used as online, remote data entry services. Dumb Terminal consists of a terminal and a keyboard for data input. The data entered is sent directly to the main computer. The terminal itself does not possess any processing capability. Data entered through dumb terminals is referred to as dirty data since it is sent to the main computer along with any errors. This may lead to delays in processing since data needs to be first cleaned before processing can be done. Smart Terminal is characterized by additionally having a microprocessor and limited internal storage. It, therefore, supports preliminary processing of data locally thereby assuring that only clean data is transmitted to the main computer for further processing. However, users cannot program smart terminals.

Intelligent Terminal computers having a built-in microprocessor, memory and which users, can program, are termed intelligent terminals. Such terminals also have their own online secondary storage devices like disks. Data can be stored locally and small jobs can be processed by the terminal itself without the need to interact with the CPU of the main computer.

X Terminals are graphic terminals supporting a wide variety of commands. These encompass a set of commands to draw graphics and images along with display of characters. They support managing areas on the screen also known as windows Opening anew window, resizing the existing window.

2) PRINTERS: printers are used for producing output on papers. There

are large varieties of commercially available printers today. These printers can be classified into categories based on a) Printing technology: Printers can be classified as impact or non-impact printers, based on the technology they use for producing output. Impact printers use variations of standard typewriter printing mechanism where a hammer strikes the paper through an inked ribbon. These printers have a mechanism that touches the paper in order to create an image. Eg Dot matrix printers and character printers. Non-impact printers do not touch the paper when creating an image. They use chemical, heat or electrical signals to sketch symbols on paper. Many of these require special coated or treated paper. Eg Inkjet, Laser, Thermal printers. b)Printing Speed: It refers to number of characters printed in a unit of time. Based on speed these may be classified as character printer (print one character at a time), line printers (print one line at a time), and page printers (print the entire page at a time). Printers speeds are therefore measured in terms of characters per second or cps for a character printer, line per minute or lpm for a line printer and pages per minute or ppm for a page printer. c) Printing Quality: Is determined by the resolution of printing and is characterized by the number of dots that can be printed per linear inch, horizontally or vertically. It is measured in terms of dots per inch or dpi.b

Types of printers: DOT MATRIX PRINTERS

Dot matrix printers were the most popular impact printers used in personal computing.

These printers use a print head consisting of a series of small pins to strike a ribbon coated with the ink, causing the ink to transfer to the paper at the point of compact. Characters thus produced are in a matrix format. The shape of each character, i.e. the dot pattern, is obtained from information held electronically. ADVANTAGES 1. It is versatile. 2. Low cost 3. Speed :- Range of speed is in between 40-100 cps (character per second) 4. Ruggedness DISADVANTAGES 1. Print quality is low.

INKJET PRINTERS
It is a non-impact printer. It uses a series of nozzles to spray drops ink directly on the paper. The print head of an inkjet printer consists of number of tiny nozzles that can be selectively heated up in a few microseconds by an IC register. When this happens, the ink near it vaporizes and is ejected through the nozzle to make a dot on the paper placed in front of the print head. The character is printed by selectively heating the appropriate set of nozzles as the print head moves horizontally.

ADVANTAGES 1. They are cheaper to buy.

DISADVANTAGES 1. They are slower than dot-matrix printers. 2. Expensive running cost because the cost of ink cartridge is considerably higher than that of DMP ribbon.

LASER PRINTERS
Laser printers use dry ink (toner), static electricity, and heat to place and bond the ink onto the paper. They use a combination of laser and photocopier technology. Printing is achieved by deflecting laser beam onto the photosensitive surface of a drum after which the latent image attracts the toner to the image. The toner is then electro-statistically transferred to the paper and fixed into a permanent image. Laser printers are capable of converting computer output into print page by page. Since characters are formed by very tiny particles, they can produce very high quality images (text and graphics), generally offer a wide variety of character fonts, and are silent and fast in use. ADVANTAGES
1. Speed: - They are faster in printing speed range from 10 pages a

minute to about 200 pages per minute. 2. High quality 3. High volume. 4. Noiseless operation DISADVANTAGES 1. It is expensive.

3) PLOTTERS
Plotters are used to produce graphical output on paper. It is a device capable of producing charts, drawings, graphics, maps etc. it is much like a printer but is designed to print graphs instead of alphanumeric characters.

Based on the technology used plotters may be pen plotters or electrostatic plotters. While pen plotters have an ink pen attached to draw the images, electrostatic plotters works similar to a laser printer. Image is produced by charging the paper with the high voltage.This voltage attracts the toner, which is then melted on the paper with heat. Advantages: Electrostatic plotters are fast Disadvantages: poor quality when compared with pen plotters Disadvantage of platters: Plotters are more expensive when compared to printers. Application of plotters: CAE (computer aided engineering) application like CAD (computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing), architectural drawing, map drawing etc. FLATBED PLOTTERS Flatbed plotters have a flat base like a drawing board on which the paper is laid. One or more arms, each of them carrying an ink pen, moves across the paper to draw. The arm movement is controlled by a microprocessor (chip). The arm can move in two directions, one parallel to the plotter and the other perpendicular to it. The computer sends the commands to the plotter which are translated into x & y movements. The arms move in very small steps to produce continuous and smooth graphics. The size of the plot in a flatbed plotter is limited only by the size of the plotter's bed. Advantage The user can easily control the graphics Disadvantage Flatbed plotters occupy a large amount of space. DRUM PLOTTERS Drum plotters use a drum revolver to move the paper during printing. The arm carrying a pen moves only in one direction, perpendicular to the direction of the motion of the paper. Thus in drum plotters the pen is moved in a single axis track and the paper itself moves on a

cylindrical drum to add the other axis or dimension. The combination of the pen and paper movement creates the graphics. Advantage Drum plotters are very compact and lightweight as compared to flatbed plotters. Disadvantage The user cannot freely control the graphics when they are being created. 4)COMPUTER OUTPUT MICROFILM(COM) COM is a process characterized by copying/printing data from media located on PCs, mini or mainframe computers onto a microfilm. It consists of a high speed recorder, which transfers digital data onto a microfilm using laser technology, and a processor that develops the microfilm once exposed to the light source. A computer output microfilm device translates information normally held on magnetic tape into miniature images on a microfilm (also called microfiche "fiche" pronounced as "fish"). The device displays information as characters on a CRT screen and then using photographic methods records the display onto the film. Drawings and images can also be displayed along with narrative text. A COM system provides an easy and compact way recording and storing information, and subsequently retrieving desired pieces of information. Advantages 1. reduction of paper 2. reduction of cost 3. improved quality 4. electronic record retention/archiving. COM is ideal for data that requires long term storage, because microfilm is less volatile than magnetic media such as disks and tapes. It stores data in a very compact form. 5)VOICE RESPONSE SYSTEMS Voice response systems enable the computer to talk to its users. It consists of an audio-response device that produces the audio output. Voice response systems are typically of two types:

voice reproduction system and speech synthesiser. VOICE REPRODUCTION SYSTEMS Voice reproduction systems produce an audio output by selecting the appropriate response from a predefined set of responses. These responses may be in the form of speech(words or phrases spoken by human beings), musical sounds, alarms or other sounds. The prerecorded responses are first converted into digital data and stored in the computer. Once the appropriate response is selected, it is converted back to analog form to produce the audio output. SPEECH SYNTHESISER A speech access system converts text into spoken words. The system consists of a synthesizer that does the speaking and the screen access program that directs the synthesizer. The building blocks of speech output are phonemes. The phoneme is the smallest segment of sound such that if one phoneme in a word is substituted with another, the meaning itself will change. Voice synthesizers are most commonly used in a voice output presentation in different languages for different users, multimedia presentation and children education software. Presently speech synthesizer are relatively expensive. Applications of voice response systems 1.automatic answering machines 2.audio help on how to operate a system 3.enquiry on product availability 4.talking alarm clocks. 6) AUDIO DEVICES All Macintoshes are equipped with an internal speaker and a dedicated sound chip, and they are capable of audio output without additional hardware and/or software. To take advantage of built-in stereo sound, external speakers are required. AMPLIFIERS AND SPEAKER Often the speakers we use during a project's development will not be adequate for its presentation. Speakers with built -in amplifiers or

attached to an external amplifier are important when our project will be presented to a large audience or in a noisy setting. COMMUNICATION DEVICES Communication among workgroup members and with the client is essential to the efficient and accurate completion of our project. If our client and we are both connected to the Internet, a combination of communication by e-mail and by FTP (file transfer protocol) may be the most cost effective & efficient solution for both creative development and project management. i) MODEMS Modems can be connected to our computer externally at the serial port or internally as a separate board. ii)ISDN For higher transmission speeds, we will need to use integrated services digital network (ISDN), SWITCHED-56, T1, T3,DSL, ATM,or another of the telephone companies digital switched network services. ISDN lines are popular because of their fast 128Kbps data transfer rate -4to5 times faster than the more common 28.8Kbps analog modem. ISDN lines are important for Internet access networking, and audio and video conferencing. They are more expensive than conventional analog. iii)CABLE MODEMS Cable modems operate at speeds 100 to 1000 times as fast as a telephone modem, receiving data at up to 10Mbps and sending data at spreads between 2Mbps and 10Mbps.They can provide not only high-bandwidth internet access but also streaming audio and video for television viewing. Cable modems usually send and receive data asymmetrically-they receive more (faster) than they send (slower).

User Interface
Designing the User Interface The user interface of your multimedia product is a blend of its graphic elements and its navigation system. If your messages and content are disorganized and difficult to find, or if users become disoriented or bored, your project may fail. Poor graphics can cause boredom. Poor navigation aids can make viewers fee] lost and unconnected to the content; or, worse, viewers may sail right off the edge and just give up and quit the program. Novice/Expert Interface Be aware that there are two types of end users: chose who are computer literate and those who are not. Creating a user interface that will satisfy both types has been a design dilemma since the invention of computers. The simplest solution for handling varied levels of user expertise is to provide a modal interfaceone where the viewer can simply click a Novice/Expert button and change the approach of the whole interface, to be either more or less detailed or complex. Modal interfaces are common on bulletin boards, for example, allowing novices to read menus and select desired activities, while experts can altogether eliminate the time-consuming download and display of menus and simply type an activity code directly into an executable command line. Both novices and experts alike may quickly learn to click the mouse and skip the annoying ragtime piece you chose for background music. Unfortunately, in multimedia projects, modal interfaces are not a good answer. It's best to avoid designing modal interfaces because they tend to confuse the user. Typically, only a minority of users are expert, and so the majority are caught in between and frustrated. The solution is to build your multimedia project to contain plenty of navigational power, providing access to content and tasks for users at all levels, as well as a Help system to provide some hand-holding and reassurance.

Present all this power in easy-to-understand structures and concepts, and use clear textual cues. Above all, keep the interface simple! Even experts will balk at a complex screen full of tiny buttons and arcane switches, and will appreciate having neat and clean doorways into your project's content. The Macintosh and Windows graphical user interfaces (GUI, pronounced "gooey") are successful partly because their basic point-and-click style is simple, consistent, and quickly mastered. Both these GUIs offer built-in Help systems, and both provide standard patterns of activity that produce standard expected results. The following actions, for example, are consistently performed by similar keystrokes when running most programs on the Macintosh or in Window:

For your multimedia interface to be successful, you, too, must be consistent in designing both the look and the behavior of your human interface. Multimedia authoring systems provide you with the tools to design and implement your own graphical user interface from scratch. Be prudent with all that flexibility, however. Unless your content and messages are bizarre or require special treatment, it's best to stick with accepted conventions for button design and grouping, visual and audio feedback, and navigation structure. Stick with real-world metaphors that will be understood by the widest selection of potential users. For example, consider using the well-known trash can for deleting files, a

hand cursor for dragging objects, and a clock or an hourglass for pauses. If your material is time-oriented, develop metaphors related for past, present, and future. If it is topicoriented, choose metaphors related to the topics themselves. If it is polar (the pros and cons of an issue, for example, choose relevant contrasting images. Users like to be in control, so avoid hidden commands and unusual keystroke/mouse click combinations. Design your interface with the goal that no instruction manual or special training will be required to move through your project. Users do not like to have to remember keywords or special codes, so always make the full range of options easily available as interactive buttons or menu items. And finally, users do make mistakes, so allow them a chance to escape from inadvertent or dangerous predicaments ("Do you really want to delete? Delete/Escape"). Keep your interface simple and friendly. Graphical Approaches Designing excellent computer screens requires a special set of fine art skills. and not every programmer or graduate in fine arts may be suited to creating computer graphics. Like programmers who must keep up with current operating systems and languages, computer graphic artists must also stay informed about the rapidly changing canvas of new features, techniques, applications, and creative tools. The artist must make broad design choices; cartoon stick figures for a children's game, rendered illustrations for a medical reference, scanned bitmaps for a travel tour of Europe. The graphic artwork must be appropriate not only for the subject matter, but for the user as well. Once the approach is decided, then the artist has to put real pixels onto a computer screen and do the work. A multimedia graphic artist must always play the role of the end user during the design and rendering process, choosing colors that look good, specifying text fonts that "speak," and designing buttons that are clearly marked for what they do.

Things That Work: Here are some graphical approaches that get good results: Neatly executed contrasts: big/small, bright/dark, thin/thick, cheap/dear. heavy/light,

Simple and clean screens with lots of white space. Eye-grabbers such as Drop caps, or a single brightly colored object alone on a gray-scale screen. Shadows and drop shadows in various shades Gradients Reversed graphics to emphasize important text or images Shaded objects and text in 2-D and 3-D Things to Avoid: Here are some mistakes you will want to avoid in creating computer graphics: Clashes of color Busy screens (too much stuff) Trite humor in oft-repeated animations Clanging bells or squeaks when a button is clicked Frilly pattern borders Cute one-liners from famous movies Requiring more than two button clicks to quit Too many numbers (limit charts to about 25 numbers; if you can, just show totals) Too many words (don't crowd information into bite-sized chunks) them; split your

Too many substantive elements presented too quickly Most graphic artists will tell you that design is an "intuitive thing," but they will be hard pressed to describe the rules

they follow in their everyday work. They know when colors are not "working" and will change them again and again until they're right, but they usually won't be able to explain why the colors work or don't work. A project with a good navigation design, though it may have been developed with good planning and storyboarding, is indeed more of-ten the result of many hours of crafty finagling with buttons and editors. Audio Interfaces A multimedia user interface may include important sound elements that re-fleet the rhythm of a project and may affect the attitude of your audience. Sounds can be background music, special effects for button clicks, voice-overs, effects synced to animation, or they may be buried in the audio track of a video clip. The tempo and style of background music can set the "tone" of a project. Vivaldi or Bach might be appropriate for a banking or investment annual report delivered on CD-ROM. Comic laughs and screeching effects might be appropriate for a clothing web site aimed at preteens. Choose music that fits the content and the atmosphere you wish to create. In all cases, use special effects sparingly. Always provide a toggle switch to disable sound. And always test a project that contains sound with potential users. Many AOL users disable the "You've Got Mail!" voice.

Brief Survey of Speech Recognition and Generation Speech is one of the main channels for human communication and thus must be handled carefully in any multimedia communications system. In contrast to what has been discussed thus far about music, a major criterion in

speech is intelligibility. For example, telephone-quality speech has a bandwidth limited to around 200-3400 Hs. An 8-kHz sample rate results in a 68-kb/sec-bit rate for PCM speech, far smaller than required for music PCM. Speech Production The organs involved in speech include the larynx, which encloses loose flaps of muscle called vocal cords. The puffs of air that are released create a waveform, which can be approximated by a series of rounded pulses. The waveform created by the vocal cords propagates through a series of irregularly shaped tubes, including the throat, the mouth, and the nasal passages. At the lips and other points in the tract, part of the waveform is transmitted further, and part is reflected. The flow can be significantly constricted or further, and part is reflected. The flow can be significantly constricted or completely interrupted by the uvula, the teeth, and the lips. A voiced sound occurs when the vocal cords produce a more or less regular waveform. The less periodic, unvoiced sounds involve turbulence in which some part of the whole tract is tightened. Vowels are voiced sounds produced without any major obstruction in the vocal cavity. In speech, formats are created by the position of tongue and jaw, for example. In separating vowels, the first three formats are the most significant. In the male, the fundamental frequency of voiced sounds in around 80-160 Hz, with three formats around 500, 1500, and 2500 Hz. The fundamental of the female is around 200 Hz and higher, with the formats perhaps 10 percent higher than those of the male. Consonants arise when the vocal tract is more or less obstructed. Sounds at the level of consonants and vowels are collectively known as phonemes, the most basic unit of speech differentiation, analysis, and synthesis. The next level up from phonemes is the diphthong and the syllable, then the word.

A time-varying representation of a speech signal. The regions of high energy appear dark. The vertical stripes in the dark region correspond to individual pulses from the vocal cords. The change in the position of the darkest areas from left to right correspond to the changes in formats. The SPASM system developed by Cook combines models of the glottal waveform and noise sources in the vocal tract with modeling of the tubes and obstructions in the vocal tract. The resulting articulatory model is implemented with a GUI, including cross-section of the head, to permit synthesis of spoken and singing voice. Encoding and Transmitting Speech The simplest way to encode speech is to use PCM, discussed above. The 8-bit, 8-kHz standard for speech is of significantly lower quality than what is required for music. Still, at the nominal 64-kb/sec rate for speech, if one bit per sample can be saved, then the total saving is 8 kb/sec. Methods for lowering the bit rate thus remain an active area of research. The ADPCM method discussed above can easily save 2 to 4 bits per sample. PCM, ADPCM, and related methods attempt to describe the waveform itself. There are other methods, such as the Subband coding discussed above under MPEG. We now turn to another class of methods, called voice coders, or vocoders. The human vocal tract can be simplified by assuming, for example, that the source of vibration for voiced sounds is not affected by the rest of the vocal tract. The series of filters that model the vocal tract can be modeled such that if one filter changes, there is no effect on the others. Under such conditions, we can calculate the voice model coefficients independently of the fundamental frequency or the voiced/unvoiced decision. We can also reasonably assume that formats change quite slowly compared to the rate of individual pulses from the vocal tract and transmit the filter coefficients at a slower rate.

The channel vocoder pioneered by Dudley analyzes speech as a bank of filters. The driving function for synthesis is noise or a series of pulses like those generated by the vocal cords. The filter coefficients, the fundamental frequency, and the voiced/unvoiced decision are transmitted. Research on the channel vocoder ultimately led to the phase vocoder implementation mentioned above. Linear prediction, also mentioned above, models the vocal tract as a source followed by a series of filters. Those filters can be modeled as a series of tubes, and the tube parameters can be transmitted. There is, unfortunately, no intuitive relationship between tube parameters and, say, the spectrogram representation, but LPC is certainly adequate for compressing speech for reproduction in chips. One transmits the pitch period, gain, the voice/unvoiced decision, and a dozen or so filters coefficients. In a different kind of system, both encoder and decoder can contain a lookup table. Each table entry is a vector containing a series of samples. Rather than transmit the samples, one can transmit just the index into the table. If the exact sequence of samples cannot be found, the closest vector is transmitted. This method can be used to transmit the waveform itself or sequences of coefficients for a vocoder. As we have seen, the basic data rate is 64 kb/sec (CCITT G 211) for 8 bit PCM. With ADPCM, 4 to 6 bits per sample are transmitted, for 32 to 48 kb/sec; there is a 32 kb/sec CCITT standard G.721 for ADPCM. Some Subband coding systems operate as low as 16 kb/sec. For higher-quality speech with Subband coding, there is CCITT G.722 for 50-7000 Hz at a 64-kb/sec rate. For various methods of coding, bit rates can fall as low as 2400-bit/s, but with a corresponding reduction in quality. Improvements in quality and lowering bit rate are being driven (as always) by military research and the usual telephone companies, but also by factors such as the desire to incorporate voice with other data, such as in ISDN, or the need to scrunch more channels from cellular networks.

Speech Synthesis A major driving force in speech synthesis has come from text-to-speech (TTS). A TTS system assumes that the text already exists in machine-readable form, such as an ASCII file. The machinereadable form is possible obtained from optical character recognition. TTS converts the text symbols to a parameter stream representing sounds. This includes expanding common abbreviations, such as Pres., and symbols like &. Also, the system figures out how to handle numbers: 1492 can be read as a date, and even the dollar amount $1492.00 could be read starting with fourteen hundred... or one thousand four hundred.... After creating a uniform symbol stream. The system creates initial sound parameter representation, often at the world level-some words may simply be looked up in a dictionary. Other parts of the stream are broken down into morphemes, the syntactic basic units of the language. With luck, a group of text symbols corresponds to one morpheme. It is often the case that there is a regular mapping between the symbols of such a group and some sound, in which case the group can be turned into sound. As a last resort, the system converts individual text symbols to sound using rules. The system synthesises sounds from the parameter string based on an articulatory model or using sampled sounds, LPC, or formats. The synthesis system may store units at the level of phonemes, diphthongs, syllables, or words. The sounds are concatenated. Then higher-level elements of speech such as prosody (the rise and fall of pitch), overall emphasis (e.g., whisper, shout), and glottal stops are added. Syntactical analysis provides the basis for adjustments in clause ends or sentence ends, e.g., the rise in pitch for a question. Speech Recognition A speech recognition system starts by breaking speech down into a parametric representation. The first step is to isolate

speech segments in time. (One big problem as in music, lies in the fact that in the acoustic signal, there are no discrete units). The speech signal is parameterised as the outputs of a bank of bandpass filters, or as LPC coefficients, or some form derived from LPC coefficients, such as cepstral coefficients (the log of the transform of the spectrum). Individual frames of data typically last on the order of 10-30 msec. The frames are matched against a template, using some measure of goodness of fit between input and template. The template typically contains raw spectral data or vector quantised spectral data. The measure of fit can be improved by dynamic time warping, in which the timevarying input signal is measured against several timevarying templates. The time scale of the input is modified non-monotonically so that the representation of the input best matches the representation of the template. In this manner, subtle difference in timing that would otherwise throw of template matching can be removed. This is similar to the WordFit time adjustment scheme discussed in digital signal processing, above. Another algorithm for improving identification involves Hidden Markov Models (HMM). The core of an HMM identification system is a finite-state machine, with probabilities associated with the transition from one state to another. But the states of the machine cannot be directly observed. Instead, a finite number of observations can be made about the current state of the state machine. The observations are stochastically related to the actual states. There is an algorithm for deriving the probability that a given sequence of observations was generated by a given sequence of states. In an HMM based system each element (e.g., phoneme) has one model representing it, that is, one state machine with associated probable initial state, transition probabilities, and observation probabilities. There is also an algorithm for deciding which of a set of models produced the speech also an algorithm for deciding which of a set of models produced the speech being analysed. Recently, neural networks have come to be used for speaker identification and speaker verification.

Obviously, speech recognition systems have an easier job if all speakers speak the same text. Isolated words are easier, connected speech is harder. Handling any arbitrary speaker from the general population is harder. Allowing an arbitrary vocabulary makes the task harder still. Currently, typical systems achieve an accuracy in the mid 90 percent range for dictionaries of several hundred words spoken by different speakers.