Lecture 2

Multimedia Hardware and Software

MM hardware

We need to distinguish between hardware requirements for MM production, and hardware requirements for MM delivery

Producing MM

• MM production requires high quality, high speed equipment with massive storage

• Need to store, and process, vast amounts of MM data such as images, sounds, and video

Producing MM

• Need to be able to capture video from camera to disc, at a constant rate

• Need to be able to record sounds using high quality microphones in a sound studio

MM Delivery

• Computer hardware to be used for running MM products requires particular specifications

Multimedia Hardware

Apple computers have had multimedia capabilities since 1984 (played sound)

Apple Macintosh series

• Multimedia PCs available since late 1980s

386 series

Apple Mac

• Variety of Models since 1984

eg PowerPc, Quadra, Classic

• Latest - iMac, G4 and G5, eMac

Apple iMac

• iMac is entirely suited for MM use• Has high-level spec for:

Processor and memory Storage Graphics Communications Audio Optical storage (cd/dvd / rewrite

options)

• Full details can be found at:

www.apple.com/imac

G5 Spec

• More advanced than iMac

• better processor 1.8-2.5 GHz single/dual

• more memory 256Mb - 8Gb

• more hard disk space 80-500 Gb

• see notes pages:

www.apple.com/powermac/

eMac

eMac now also available128-256MB SDRAM - 1 DIMM

Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English

1.25GHz PowerPC G4

40-80GB Ultra ATA drive

DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive

Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 included

www.apple.com/emac/

PC

Multimedia PC (MPC) standard introduced to allow users to decide whether a particular PC was capable of running MM applications

• MPC 1 1989 386sx, 2mb ram, 30 mb hard disk, CD ROM Drive, VGA video (16 colours), an 8 bit audio board, speakers and/or

headphones Microsoft Windows software with Multimedia

Extensions package - not powerful.

• MPC 2 1993 486sx 25 mhz, 4mb ram (minimum), 160 mb hard disk, CD ROM (double speed), VGA video (64k colours) display resolution (640x480), a 16 bit audio audio board (digital sound, midi

playback), 101 keyboard and mouse, midi, joystick, serial,

parallel, Windows 3.0, plus multi media extensions

• MPC 3 1995 Pentium 75 mhz, 8mb ram (minimum), 540 mb, CD ROM (quadra speed), VGA video (64k colours) ( video enable graphics), 16 bit audio board (digital sound, wavetable, midi

playback), speakers must be measured at 3 watts per channel,

video playback, 101 keyboard and mouse, joystick, serial, parallel, windows 3.11 and DOS 6.0

PC Today

• Provides high-spec hardware and software capable of supporting MM applications

• Vastly exceeds MPC 3 requirements

• Distinction of ‘Multimedia PC’ no longer needed

• Example specification 3.6 GHz pentium 4 processor 512 – 4Gb memory 160 Gb hard drive cd/dvd rewrite Windows XP ~£1000

Peripherals for multimedia

• Extra Storage external

hard discs cd readers/writers zip drives dvd players/writers

• Input Devices Trackballs Touchscreens Graphics Tablets Scanners OCRD Infrared Remotes Voice Recognition Systems Digital Cameras (still and video)

• Output projectors video

Software for multimedia

• Multimedia application development software eg Macromedia Authorware, Macromedia Director,

Assymetrix Toolbook, Flash

• Graphics Creation and editing software eg Adobe Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Adobe

Illustrator

• Text Abobe Pagemaker, Adobe Framemaker, MS Word

Software

• Video Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, iMovie, Cinema 3D

• Sound provided with sound card, eg Soundblaster for PC and

Macintosh sound software• Web

Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe Go Live, Macromedia Flash and Macromedia Fireworks, shockwave

www.shockwave.com