Hardware Demands
The demands placed on hardware by multimedia systems:
- Primary and secondary storage requirements, from
- Bit depth and colour representation: higher bit depth = larger RAM (frame buffer) and hard disk needed
- Sampling rate for audio data: more samples of original sound waves = larger hard disk and RAM needed to store it
- Processing, from
- Video data and frame rate: video files are large files (containing thousands of individual frames and high quality audio). Therefore, need separate processor chip on video card to reduce processing strain on CPU when playing and editing video
- Image processing: morphing (smoothly transforming one image into a different image) and distorting (changing image from original shape by bending, twisting and stretching)
- Animation processing: tweening (producing sequence of intermediate frames that alter the first key frame into the second)
- Display devices, from
- Pixels and resolution: high resolution images require high resolution screens (otherwise detail is lost).
Expertise required in the development of multimedia applications:
- Content providers
- Organisations that provide ready to use content for a fee (stock photographs, animations, video and text)
- Individuals who can create original content to meet a specific need
- System designers
- Identify purpose of the system, decide feasibility, determine hardware and software and overall design
- Leadership skills
- Project mangers
- Develop the project plan and ensure it is followed on time and on budget
- Communication and negotiation skills needed
- Those skilled in the collection and editing of:
- Text – writers selected on ability and knowledge of subject matter
- Graphics – illustrators and animators who use software to create figures
- Audio – need technical skills to mix different digital audio clips and creativity to create sound effects
- Video – camera operator, sound engineer, actors and director (who approves set design, costumes, camera angles, lighting, editing)
- Those skilled in design and layout
- Graphic designers improve the readability of multimedia by organising layout of screen, adjusting colour and size.
Demands placed on hardware: Video