Technologies That Support New Media

A wide range of new technologies has been created to support multimedia on CD-ROM and the Internet. These technologies enable developers to create sophisticated content using almost any type of medium and allow the end user to play the content in a seamless manner.

The MPEG, AVI, and QuickTime formats are just a few technologies that allow full-motion video files to be compressed and played back on a PC, whether from a CD or an Internet connection. The RealAudio and RealVideo formats are the current standard for streaming audio and video played over an Internet connection. Formats such as Macromedia's Shockwave allow developers to create entertaining, colorful animation that not only displays directly within a browser but also accepts input from the user.

Distributing New Media Content

The three primary means of distributing new media content are CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM), the Internet, and television. CD-ROM is the most widely used vehicle for distributing multimedia programs. Because of its storage capacity and ease of use, CD-ROM is used for games, references, CBTs, and many other types of multimedia products. The Internet is rapidly becoming an effective way to distribute new media content as new technologies emerge to enhance interactivity and performance. Television is seen as the ultimate multimedia delivery vehicle, but its interactive capabilities are limited. This limitation may change, however, as two-way Internet and satellite connections are integrated into television programming.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) – the computer-generated simulation of a real or imagined physical space – is probably the ultimate multimedia experience because it immerses you in a completely artificial environment. VR environments typically produce one of three possible image types:

Simulations of Real Places. You might find yourself in a virtual room, car, or cave.

Simulations of Imaginary Places. In this kind of simulation, you could be riding alongside King Arthur or battling aliens.

Simulations of Real Things That Do Not Exist. In this kind of simulation, you could walk through a building that has not been built yet.

Uses for Virtual Reality

People use these VR simulations in many situations:

Training. VR simulations of air combat, space shuttle flights, or nuclear reactor meltdowns provide excellent low-cost training areas.

Document and Facilities Management. Virtual reality allows you to file electronic documents visually. Using such a system, you can create a virtual model of a factory and then attach maintenance records to each item within the factory.

Design. By building a prototype in VR, a designer can work out design and construction flaws before the product leaves the drawing board.

Entertainment. VR games and adventures are the ultimate fantasy experience.

Vr Hardware and Software

VR technology appears in the following formats:

On-Screen. Images are displayed on a computer screen. The user is outside the environment, which limits the "reality" effect.

There are many different head-mounted VR displays. Using such a device, the wearer feels immersed in the virtual environment, without distractions from outside.

Head-Mounted Displays. Developers have created helmets and goggles that display stereoscopic images close to the user's eyes. The images block the outside world and create the illusion of a world that wraps around the wearer. As the wearer turns his or her head, tracking devices tell the computer to change the image, allowing the wearer to look around the virtual environment rather than stare straight ahead.

Rooms. These rooms, called Cave Automatic Virtual Environments (CAVEs), contain complex projection and stereo equipment that create a complete virtual world. The user can move around the room and move objects with the aid of a wand.

Clothing. Developers are working on VR clothing, like chest pads and gloves, that provide tactile feedback when you touch a virtual object.

The most impressive VR equipment costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nevertheless, home users can experience convincing VR using low-end equipment and a home PC.