An integration of text, graphics, still and moving images, animation, sounds, or any others.
Characteristics
- Digital – key concept
- Integration of multiple media types, usually including video or/and audio
- Can be interactive or non-interactive
Types
- Text
- Graphics
- Image
- Video and animation
- Sound
Captured media
Information captured from the real world. Example: still image, video, audio.
Synthesized media
Information synthesized by the computer.
Discrete media
Has no time component.
Continuous media
Time-based.
Classification
Text
Can either be plain text or rich text.
Graphics
Revisable document that retains structural information. Consists of objects such as lines, curves, circles, etc. Usually generated by software.
Image
2D matrix consisting of pixels. Have no structural information. Two categories: scanned vs. synthesized.
Pixel
The smallest element of resolution of the image. Represented by a number of bits aka pixel depth.
Video and Animation
Moving images or graphics. Captured or synthesized.
Consists of a series of bitmap images. Each image is called a frame. Speed of video is frame rate and measured in frames per second.
Animation is moving graphics. Generated by computer program. Consists of a set of objects. Object may move and change over time.
Sound
1D time-based signal. Can be either speech or non-speech. Can be either captured or synthesized.
Multimedia Networking
Audio and video can be streamed live or from storage.
Stored streaming can support pause, rewind, fast forward.
Live streaming can support pause and rewind but not fast forward. Must have lower latency.