Multimedia is the use of several types of outputs from a computer - or other device - in order to give the user a 'richer' and more interesting experience. Listening to a CD with earphones is not multimedia because you are only experiencing one media - sound. 'Video' is a good example in that it uses colour, onscreen motion and sound.
What is multimedia?
The main ways that the computer can feed the user's senses is through the use of:
- colour
- motion of areas of the screen as appropriate
- a range of standard shape tools such as rectangles and circles
- sound
- motion through the use of motors
Games on computers first started out without any sound at all, and many people thought that the inclusion of sound to a game would not make much difference. In fact it was soon found that adding even simple sounds enhanced the overall experience of the computer user.
The use of multimediamultimedia: The use of several types of media outputs from a computer in order to give the user a 'richer' and more interesting experience. also allows the possibility of user input to make selections and choices. This is called interactive multimedia, because the user interacts with the material in some way.
© MMIX