Multimedia Software Engineering

Multimedia Software Engineering
An Introduction

Prof. David Bernstein
James Madison University

Computer Science Department

bernstdh@jmu.edu

Etymology

Common Uses of the Words "Medium" and "Media"

Physics:
- A substance through which something is transmitted (e.g., sound is transmitted through the air)
Biology:
- The substance in which an organism lives (e.g., agar in a Petri dish)
Chemistry:
- A filtering substance (e.g., filter paper)

Common Uses of the Words "Medium" and "Media" (cont.)

Mass Communication:
- A means of mass communication (e.g., newspaper, radio, television)
Data Storage:
- A device/object on which data are stored (e.g., a disk)
Art:
- A specific kind of technique (e.g., lithography)
- The materials used in a technique (e.g., oil paints)
- A solvent (e.g., paint thinner)

Common Uses of the Words "Medium" and "Media" (cont.)

What These Uses Have in Common:
- The word "medium" seems to be used in the sense of the words "intermediary" or "means"
The Resulting Definition of "Multimedia":
- Involving multiple methods, means or intermediaries

The Conventional Approach

In the popular press, it is common to talk about the the following types of content (or media):

Shortcomings of the Conventional Approach

Sense-Specific?
- Images and sounds are each associated with a particular sense (sight and sound, respectively) but text can be either seen or heard
Different Levels of Abstraction:
- The term "image" is a type (i.e., a sign that represents a set) and a particular image is a token (i.e., a sign that represents by way of its place in time and space)
- The term "text" refers to a type and a particular piece of text, for example the word "dog", is also a type (we don't have a token until we can point to a particular instance of the word "dog")
Distinctions are Unclear:
- What is the difference between an image and a graphic?
- Is video only visual or can it have an auditory component?
Some Distinctions are Ignored:
- Recorded music, musical scores, recorded voice, and generated speech are very different from each other but are often grouped together as sounds/audio

Important Characteristics of Content

Creating a Better Definition

A medium is a means of representing, storing, transmitting, or presenting information that is perceived using a particular sense.
Media is the plural form of the noun "medium".
Multimedia is the adjectival form of the noun "media".

What is Multimedia Software Engineering?

Software Design (Fox, 2005):
- Software product design is the process of specifying software product features, capabilities and interfaces to satisfy client needs and desires.
- Software engineering design is the process of specifying programs and sub-systems, and their constituent parts and workings, to meet software product specifications.
Multimedia Software Engineering Design:
- Characterizing content based on whether it is auditory or visual, static or dynamic, and sampled or described
- Designing software components that encapsulate different kinds of content.

Not Of Interest: Detailed Design for Individual Media

Not Of Interest: Product Design

Product Design:
- Software Product Design (e.g., user interface design issues)
- Multimedia Product Design (e.g., usability issues)
Multimedia Product Development:
- Content Development (e.g., art, music, scripts)
- Delivery Media (e.g., CD/DVD Production)