Multimedia Continued…

But now computers are advanced enough to do basically anything. They can play DVDs and CDs, create animation, record voices, and they can even read text from the screen to you! Because almost all computers today can play video and sound, in addition to show text, they are considered multimedia.

Other Multimedia Appliances

Television continues to advance as well, and interactive television can be considered a new form of multimedia. With interactive applications, a viewer can control more aspects of the television, and even respond to news program surveys, all through their remote control.

MP3 players also offer a multimedia format. They can show text and play music. In addition, some can hold photographs and even show an album cover while the music is playing.

Cell phones that are capable of sending photographs along with sound are a newer form of multimedia as well. These phones can capture and send an image along with a message to anyone who has another cell phone capable of multimedia.

Multimedia Software

As I mentioned before, PowerPoint is a multimedia software program. On PowerPoint, a user can create a slide show of information. And, not only can they include text, but they can add sound effects, create animated movement of text or images, and even create transition animation between slides. Other programs, like PhotoShop and PaintShop Pro, are also multimedia programs.

Other Examples of Multimedia

Home shopping networks create a multimedia form of shopping. A consumer can view products on the television. Read the detailed, informational text on the screen. Then, they can call in and order the product. They can also call in and talk to the hosts of the show. This interactive arena is another form of multimedia.

Video-on-Demand similarly allows for interaction. A user can scan through available films, reads synopsis, and sometimes even view trailers for the films. Then, they can just hit “select”, and their film will begin. Most Video-on-Demand services even allow a user to rewind, pause, and fast forward, as if they had actually rented the film.

Video conferencing can also be considered multimedia. Technology allows someone sitting in an office in Japan to have a conference with someone in New York City. They can hear each other, see each other, and basically interact as if they were sitting in the same office (rather than half way across the world).

By Christy Patrick