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Multimedia@Work

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DQI Bureau
New Update

Multimedia continues to be a buzzword even today. Be

it school education or TV broadcast or business or the Internet. A technology that has

changed the very shape of entertainment, computing, and electronics industries. All

because people can actually 'use' the multimedia technology and 'apply' it in their daily

life-and make all the difference.

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The whole multimedia business is amazing.

It has redefined the areas in which information industries compete and has altered the

boundaries of competition. Here we make some observations on these issues and the role and

opportunity for multimedia from the past to the present.

In his book Powershift, Alvin Toffler says,

"We stand at the edge of violence and what will be among the deepest powershifts

which history has ever witnessed." In many ways, the statement has a ring of truth.

As, for the first time there exists a technology which does not call for end-users to be

computer scientists-and still increases and changes rapidly the utility of IT. The

convergence of media business with IT has had a remarkable impact on end-user

industry-from aerospace and engineering to medicine and primary education. Thanks to the

`interactivity' that allows users to explore ideas and the environment.

The decline in PC prices-as well as

processing power-has given the necessary drive to multimedia as such. Defined primarily as

the 'integration of text, graphics, audio, video, and animation on a computer, today its

definition is extended by integrated technologies such as telephony, connectivity, and

media. Multimedia applications such as CBT (Computer Based Training) systems, multimedia

databases, PoI (Point of Information) terminals, edutainment, and imaging have emerged as

key drivers to the integration of not just users and technologies, but also industries.

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Multimedia Apps



The standard configurations of multimedia PCs are Pentiums or equivalent in other
processors with 16 MB or 32 MB RAM, 1.2 GB HDD, SVGA color monitor, a sound card, and a CD

ROM with speakers or a headphone-in case you get a Mac it comes multimedia-configured.

Where does this place the applications and what is the potential? Multimedia applications

can be broadly categorized into PIECE (Productivity, Information, Entertainment,

Creativity, and Education).

PRODUCTIVITY



Users can integrate multimedia in productivity tools by embedding image or audio into mail
or presentations and product communication or even animating their spreadsheets or using

voice as reminders in diaries for appointments and scheduling meetings. In addition, with

connectivity whiteboard software and groupware tools have integrated multimedia that

connect people so that people can conference within a building or from one country to

another.

In addition, PC conferencing is an area

that is not only getting people and executives to interact with each other but more

importantly helping people and business to get closer to customers in terms of time and

costs.

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Multimedia documentation integrated into

applications has definitely made an impact on productivity. For example, Japan-based

Komatsu initiated worldwide development and implementation of electronic multimedia

documentation as an integral tool to business productivity for parts management, service,

and customer response. Back home, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has pioneered the

implementation of such systems to great RoI.

This indicates the trends in the utility of

multimedia in productivity applications. Today people at home buy new PCs which come

integrated with productivity tools that allow people to pay their taxes, monitor their

finances, and even manage their home with the aid of multimedia on screen. Productivity

tools also include the integration of even security systems connected to PCs!

Integration of multimedia tools and

technologies onto laptops, mobiles, pagers, and even watches, has made life much easier

for the corporate globe-trotters. In marketing communications, multimedia brings products

or services to life. Its interactivity allows a level of user engagement that could only

be approximated with an expensive personal sales call in the past.

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For the growing number of companies that

are doing business internationally, the multilingual flexibility of multimedia is a

quantum leap forward in dissolving geographic and language barriers to facilitate

productive communication. A single multimedia program can be developed to present audio

and text in various languages, and switch between them with the click of a mouse.

Interestingly, multimedia has the potential

to wrap useful customer service information together with powerful marketing messages and

ongoing updates. Pricing catalogs, retail directories, or specification sheets can

intertwine with the company identity and key advertising images as part of the customer's

information system. No other medium can stake such a powerful claim as multimedia when it

is embedded and fully exploited. Multimedia is ideal for presenting memorable images and

demonstrating products persuasively. It is increasingly being used in tradeshows to

capture attendee data for marketing purposes.

The multimedia applications offer unique

development opportunities: a focused audience and 'highest common denominator' playback

hardware. These factors lend themselves to high-impact presentations that can push

creative and technical boundaries-distinguishing features in busy, competitive settings.

Talk to Digital or CCSL to find out if this is the future@work?

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INFORMATION Information poverty in many

countries has contributed to the slowing down of the economy.

Information needs of yesterday-from

reference material at school to legislation and government processes-has always been the

need of any society. With multimedia and CD ROMs, information is not only being made

available-and affordable-but also being enhanced in delivery and presentation.

Multimedia reference titles range from

encyclopedias to reference databases, such as addresses and telephone codes of various

countries, which by a mere click on the map leads to government legislation being made

available online with the relevant media. Today, industries such as healthcare, telecom,

advertising are using multimedia information to store and distribute the much-needed

information needed by businesses. From business to the home and from government to the

individual, multimedia information is reducing the gap between information haves and

have-nots.

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PoI terminals that inform people about

paying their bills and parking tickets is much in demand today. The necessity to inform

common man has seen the rise in demand for PoI terminals. Now PoI terminals are even

connected via networks so as to share resources such as media and other information which

would have otherwise made these systems expensive to deploy and maintain.

ENTERTAINMENT



One industry where multimedia showed up early was entertainment, and that was nothing but
simple economics. Multimedia in movies, television, and games began to appear in the

latter half of the eighties and the early nineties to make a definite impact in the minds

of people. CD ROM titles, such as on movies, places or even tourism entertainment, are

definitely giving boost to users and producers alike.

Indian content for entertainment is

definitely one example. As we stand today, entertainment is definitely one of the largest

industries worldwide consuming and producing a lot of multimedia content for people.

Today, for example, music composers or singers first create music on their PCs with

various possible instruments and notes and simulate their music even before they decide

what to do next and how to do it. MIDI, for instance, is a music technology that is now a

standard in every percussion instrument available today. It has opened new vistas for

creators and entertainers of various categories to open their minds to entertainment and

relook what entertainment could really achieve by just going digital.

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In a world that is progressing so rapidly

toward an information culture, the interface-the on-screen appearance of information and

the way it is accessed-is the product. For many information companies, the interface is

almost the only manifestation of the organization. It is the package...the brand. Within

its design are the same opportunities for building product recognition and competitive

advantage as in more tangible products such as a car or TV set. Higher sales is reported

when interactive kiosks are used to support sales, e.g., IBM in-store application saw a

sales increase of 50 percent for in-stock items and 100 percent for special-order

accessories.

Multimedia is a powerful force wherever

company meets consumer...whether it's on the customer's desktop or at high-impact kiosks

in company locations. Multimedia can bring point-of-purchase and retail directories to

life, merging customer service with marketing and engaging the viewer in a dynamic

exchange of information and image.

CREATIVITY



With multimedia, creativity got a tremendous shot in the arm. From producing content for
information to reference or even entertainment, people automatically began to look at

their hidden talent, and started exploring. Exploration began at all levels, from dabbling

in creative ideas using paint, image or even sound tools to integrate ideas into life.

Whether it is in the office or making a movie or even leaving a note for someone on a card

on a PC, multimedia has given a new impetus.

Camera is a good example. It comes

digital-enabled so as to integrate photographs in a family CD ROM album by simply

connecting the camera to PC directly and making copies or taking print-outs on even

tee-shirts. All this can be done by ordinary people at home-yet took the job of a

professional. That is the impact of multimedia on creativity.

Today companies are working on a host of

products such as cameras and printers (traditional tools at home and office) to help

people stay in tune by simply connecting a TV to their PC and watching their favorite

music channel while working simultaneously. The list of possibilities here is endless.

EDUCATION



One of the early multimedia apps was CBT systems. A model case here would be American
Airlines. The training center, responsible for the training about 90,000 airline

employees, started using CBT systems to supplement instructor-led instruction to teach

curriculum such as Flight Attendant Training. This introduction led to some amazing

statistics which indicated decrease in costs and reduction in classroom delivery time by

as much as 36 percent without effecting the overall delivery and absorption of the course.

There was also greater productivity of the learning by about 30 percent in retention and

utility.



Among Indian companies, SKF has deployed similar systems for customers in certain specific
areas of manufacturing technology and maintenance training. Learning and instruction

methodologies alongwith multimedia address issues such as retention, empowerment,

creativity, and ability to visualize and work with the instructor to enhance the overall

scope of the curriculum.

In cases of defined end-user systems, the

development and deployment costs of multimedia-led CBT instruction systems have got

corporations from various parts of the world evaluating and deploying such systems as

integral components of HRD and to increase employee productivity and satisfaction.

However, to develop and deploy such systems a variety of skill-sets are required to be

integrated-such as curriculum designers, educational psychologists, multimedia design

houses, and end-users of such systems-to make them really effective.

The role of the domain experts is

therefore, a key in the whole process of the development life-cycle. Multimedia is ideal

for self-paced learning. Its interactive nature keeps users engaged, interested, and

involved. People learn more when they can access what they want, when they want. It can

lead to increased levels of understanding by providing the type of immediate, specific

feedback that once required an individual tutor.

"We've found that students move

through the learning experience more than 30 percent faster than in a

traditional classroom," says an executive of a leading manufacturing company in

India. Industry studies show that multimedia actually accelerates learning and

understanding-critical to companies racing to educate their employees, associates, and

customers about new products and services.

Multimedia can help people master complex

topics that are difficult to describe in words. Training can be more concrete-filled with

sights, sounds, and images of the real world. Information can be layered so that users can

progress to successive levels of detail and complexity when they're ready.

The Networked Future



With the rapid emergence of networks such as the Internet, the scale of economies have
changed. The Internet is the new economy. Over 60 million people and growing, this is a

nation state that's virtual, and to really leverage from this and become a Netizen you

need to get wired. Indian companies, like their counterparts from across the world, are

working overtime to understand this new business opportunity.

The WWW is growing at a pace faster than

you and I can think and it's the pace and the dimension of this new emerging paradigm

which is shifting everyone's avatar. The reasons driving the pace of change are multimedia

and people who are connected. Sites are growing at the rate of one a minute. Mind you, we

are talking sites. The old theories of economics get rewritten every time someone tries a

new idea and it gives birth to a new way.

The creation of wealth and the pace of it

has never been witnessed before. Netscape is a classic example. James Clark, Chairman of

Netscape-and who owns 32 percent of the stock-is worth more than $ 1 billion. The day the

company went public and the stock traded at about $ 28.80, he was worth $ 588 million-all

within a span of few hours. The point is, till that day the company did not even have a

profit!

This publishing, advertising, and

communication economy is very clear. It is driven by the millions and millions of people

interacting with machines and PCs but, more importantly, with ideas. What drives this

Webonomy? Four major issues-infrastructure companies, content creators, advertisers, and

users. The Internet is what the interactive future will look like, although it will

diminish what exists today as technologies rapidly become more powerful and cost-effective

and deployable, from giant corporations to common people.

The Interactive Future



Thus, the 'interactive future' presents an extremely exciting future. Designers, content
creators, software developers, Internet plumbers et al, represent the future of the

knowledge economies. The future of multimedia the world over, and especially in India, is

extremely exciting with applications in one PIECE. As an indicator of the growth of

multimedia, the Australian Government has a Minister for Multimedia.

Asian governments are working to deploy

multimedia in all walks of life. An example of a major global multimedia forum of the

future will definitely be the MSC (Multimedia Super Corridor) in Malaysia to the US and

Europe. The future is now!

GERARD J REGO



is CEO, Baron Hexa Pvt. Ltd.

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