Course Details

Course Information Package

Course Unit Title	MULTIMEDIA
Course Unit Code	ACSC375
Course Unit Details	BSc Computer Science (Computer Electives) -
Number of ECTS credits allocated	6
Learning Outcomes of the course unit	By the end of the course, the students should be able to: Explain issues related to multimedia/hypermedia in a broad foundation. Identify and compare its original as well as its most recent form. List, identify and describe the different emerging applications of multimedia as well as hypermedia. Identify and describe issues related to HCI, optimisation, digital representation and editing media. Distinguish and make clear the connections between Multimedia, VR, Simulation and/or Animation. Explain the importance of media compression in Multimedia environments. Differentiate between Audio and Video Compression as well as lossless and lossy compression. Describe the importance of media transmission in Multimedia environments. Employ the different application areas covered in (2) above to simulate small multimedia applications in the computer lab.
Mode of Delivery	Face-to-face
Prerequisites	ACSC285,ACSC382,ACOE312	Co-requisites	NONE
Recommended optional program components	NONE
Course Contents	·  Basics An Overview of Multimedia, definition Media types and characteristics (images, audio, animation, video etc) Application areas – storage – DVD, MM databases, transmission (conferencing, streaming etc) Multimedia Authoring Case Studies Basic Programming in Director ·  Hypermedia Principles of User Interface (including GUIs) User Interface & Screen Design Navigation Techniques Storyboarding & Story Development ·  Audio & Video Processing Digital audio representation and processing Fundamentals of digital video Java 3D API ·  Synchronization Synchronizing multiple media streams Responding to media events Multithreaded programming ·  Compression Lossless compression algorithms Huffman coding Arithmetic coding LZW algorithm Loose compression algorithms ·  Multimedia storage, communication, standards Multimedia storage devices RAID, CD, DVD etc Network multimedia Multimedia databases MP3, JPEG, MPEG4, MPEG7, MPEG21 ·  Applications Visualizing Quantitative Information Form vs. Function Appropriate Applications of Multimedia – When should a book be a book? Accommodating Multiple Views ·  Media Basic Electronic Imaging Image File Formats Importing/Exporting between Programs Scanning for Screen & Printer Traditional & Computer Animation Sound Processing, Representation of Sound Waves Recording, Mixing and Editing The Movie Image: Digitizing Video Video Editing & Production ·  Design Issues History & Impact of Typography Page Layout Techniques Basic Design Principles Colour Theory Principles ·  Publishing for the Future The WWW as a Culture Designing for the Web The HTML Language & its Future ·  Related Issues A Philosophical Perspective of multimedia The Impact of Technology on Learning The Presentation of Information The Impact of Technology on Art Copyright, Ethics & Society
Recommended and/or required reading:
Textbooks	Multimedia Communication Technology. Representation, transmission and identification of multimedia signals, Springer 2004
References	Java Media Framework API Guide, java.sun.com/products/java-media/jmf Java Sound Programmers Guide, java.sun.com/documentation/ D.J. Bovier Getting Started with Java 3D API. Sun Microsystems, 2001 Java Speech API Programmers Guide, Sun Microsystems, 1998
Planned learning activities and teaching methods	The course is mainly delivered through lectures (conducted with the help of computer presentations) that illustrate the core concepts. Lecture notes and presentations are available through the web for students to use in combination with the textbooks. Practical sessions are held in computer laboratories where programming exercises are given to gain practical skills and to implement the theoretical concepts taught.
Assessment methods and criteria	Assignments 5% Tests 15% Laboratory work 20% Final Exam 60%
Language of instruction	English
Work placement(s)	NO