Xref: utzoo comp.multimedia:340 alt.hypertext:844 comp.os.os2.misc:979 Path: utzoo!censor!geac!lethe!tvcent!comspec!telly!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!helios!archone!jansen From: jansen@archone.tamu.edu (Mark Jansen) Newsgroups: comp.multimedia,alt.hypertext,comp.os.os2.misc Subject: Re: Hypermedia systems for OS/2 and UNIX Message-ID: <13784@helios.TAMU.EDU> Date: 26 Mar 91 22:42:49 GMT References: <91078.124726A601IFAD@HASARA11.BITNET> Sender: usenet@helios.TAMU.EDU Followup-To: comp.multimedia Organization: College of Architecture, Texas A&M University. Lines: 34 In article trip@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Tripatinder Chowdhry) writes: >I just subscribed to this group. Could some one tell me what a >multimedia is? > >thanks >...trip Multi-media used to mean any artwork that combines more then one media. Paint and pencil might be considered multi-media. Then multi-media became a buzz word that meant the use of slide projectors with sound track. To this day if you go to an audio-visual supplier and ask what they have in multimedia they will start to sell you slide projectors, sound equipment, programmers. I was hoping when I first found this group that I would learn more about this theatrical control of equipment. BUT what this group seems to center on is the presentation of images, sounds and animation on a computer. Much of the talk is about compression and decompression schemes (hardware and software) and document standards such that there are files for images, sounds, animation. In terms of selling a multi-media computer, presumedly it would be a machine that can playback realtime animation somwhere on the screen. With image compression chip sets out its only a matter of time until such a machine comes into existence. The amiga and Next machines are probably the closest so far although PC's and Macs and Suns are having hardware add ons to make it happen. mark -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Jansen jansen@archone.tamu.edu Visualization Laboratory,Department of Architecture ph:409-845-0199 Texas A&M University,College Station, TX, 77843