Multimedia Technologies

Objectives: The book is written with two main objectives in mind: to present (1) a comprehensive foundation knowledge resource about multimedia technologies in one single volume and (2) a suitable model to teach this subject with particular emphasis on field practice and active experimentation. We hope that the book will provide the necessary foundation concepts that will trigger the reader’s curiosity to explore further. Target Readers: The subject of multimedia is included in various undergraduate and professional courses. Thus the book is written with particular emphasis on catering to the special needs of the BTech (CS and IT), BCA, BSC (CS and IT) and MCA course syllabi. Sufficient foundation and practical orientation is provided so that students can gain a strong fundamental knowledge. In addition, information technologists, computer scientists, digital media professionals and others interested in multimedia will find the book to be stimulating and a good reference source. Philosophy and Pedagogy: The field of Multimedia technology is the culmination of a number of technologies and disciplines. It covers almost all the areas of computer science (both hardware and software) and communications. Further, multimedia technology is characterised by fast developments in communication, Internet, hardware technologies and tools. In addition, the disciplines of management, psychology, art and creativity are also involved. Hence, the multi-disciplinary nature of the subject makes it a tough topic to teach. It is equally tough for the students to master all these technologies and concepts. The subject’s depth and breadth are therefore the two fundamental problems in teaching and learning multimedia technology. Moreover, the following beliefs guided our plan for the book. z A book’s scope can never be large enough to teach everything that we believe that a learner ought to know. So we should guide him/her to learn the most important aspects—the fundamentals. z Proble