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Multimedia is
simply multiple forms of media integrated together. Media can
be text, graphics, audio, animation, video, data, etc. An
example of multimedia is a web page on the topic of Mozart
that has text regarding the composer along with an audio file
of some of his music and can even include a video of his
music being played in a hall.
Besides
multiple types of media being integrated with one another,
multimedia can also stand for interactive types of media such
as video games CD ROMs that teach a foreign language, or an
information Kiosk at a subway terminal. Other terms that are
sometimes used for multimedia include hypermedia and rich
media.
The term
Multimedia is said to date back to 1965 and was used to
describe a show by the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. The show
included a performance that integrated music, cinema, special
lighting and human performance. Today, the word multimedia is
used quite frequently, from DVD's to CD ROMs to even a
magazine that includes text and pictures.
Multimedia
Applications
Multimedia has
become a huge force in any culture, industry and education.
Practically any type of information we receive can be
categorized as multimedia, from television, to magazines, to
web pages, to movies, multimedia is a tremendous force in
both informing the American public and entertaining us.
Advertising is
perhaps one of the biggest industry's that use multimedia to
send their message to the masses. Where one type of media,
let's say radio or text can be a great way to promote an
item, using multimedia techniques can significantly make an
item being advertised better received by the masses and in
many cases with greater results.
Multimedia in
Education has been extremely effective in teaching
individuals a wide range of subjects. The human brain learns
using many senses such as sight and hearing. While a lecture
can be extremely informative, a lecture that integrates
pictures or video images can help an individual learn and
retain information much more effectively. Using interactive
CD ROM's can be extremely effective in teaching students a
wide variety of disciplines, most notably foreign language
and music.
Multimedia
and the Future
As technology
progresses, so will multimedia. Today, there are plenty of
new media technologies being used to create the complete
multimedia experience. For instance, virtual reality
integrates the sense of touch with video and audio media to
immerse an individual into a virtual world. Other media
technologies being developed include the sense of smell that
can be transmitted via the Internet from one individual to
another. Today's video games include bio feedback. In this
instance, a shock or vibration is given to the game player
when he or she crashes or gets killed in the game. In
addition as computers increase their power new ways of
integrating media will make the multimedia experience
extremely intricate and exciting.
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