Introduction to Multimedia

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss the uses of the term “multimedia” since people may have quite different, even opposing, viewpoints on what this means. This textbook is aimed at computer science or engineering students, and consequently a more application-oriented view of what multimedia consists of is what is emphasized. The convergence going on in this field, with computers, smartphones, games, digital TV including 3D, multimedia-based search, and so on converging in technology, means that multimedia is a field that is essentially mandatory for such students to study. Moreover with the pervasive penetration of wireless mobile networks and development of mobile applications for smartphones and tablets, and the advent of social media, the contents of a multimedia course arguably forms the basis for much of the further studies many students will engage in. The components of multimedia are first introduced and then current multimedia research topics and projects are discussed to put the field into a perspective of what is actually at play at the edge of work in this field. For a fuller perspective, the remarkably short history of multimedia is synopsized, from the development of the World Wide Web up to current pervasive social media and anytime/anywhere access. Since multimedia is indeed a practical field, Chapter 1 also supplies an overview of multimedia software tools, such as video editors and digital audio programs, that are typically used to produce multimedia products such as those that are indeed produced in a course in this subject.