04/22/23

COM 205Multimedia Applications

St. Joseph’s CollegeFall 2004

Chapter 9

Multimedia Hardware Mac vs. PC

Overview• Macintosh versus Windows platform.• Networking Macintosh and Windows

computers.• Connections.• Memory.• Storage devices.• Input and output devices.• Communication devices.

Which Platform Mac or PC?• Select platform based on

– Personal preference– Budget constraints– Project delivery requirements– Type and content of project materials– Availability to target audience

Mac versus WindowsThe Macintosh platform:

– Was launched by Apple in 1984.– Has a good built-in audio and high-

quality graphics capability.– Includes hardware and software for

digitizing and editing video and producing DVD discs.

– Makes multimedia project development easier and smoother.

Mac versus WindowsThe Windows platform:

– Is a collection of different vendor-neutral components that are tied together by the requirements of the Windows operating system.

– Initially focused on business computing and was not suitable for multimedia. However, it is now easier to find multimedia hardware and software for Windows as compared to the Macintosh.

MAC vs. PC• Macintosh• Since 1984 has

been multimedia• Good built-in

audio• Easy to learn GUI

PC• Intended for

business• System beeps and

tiny, tinny speaker• DOS screen-

command driven• Since late 1980’s

provides multimedia capabilities

Macintosh Platform• All Macs can play sound

– Latest include hardware for digitizing sound

• 8/16/24 bit graphics available• Can digitize both sound and video• Requires a mouse

Macintosh Platform• Power Mac

– 1994 (RISC) – reduced instruction set computing ( IBM/Motorola)

– 1997 G3 series – clock speeds > 233MHz• Higher performance than existing Pentium

based windows machines– 2003 G4 series – clock speeds > GHz

• Dual processor• Performance 20 times better than G3

Windows Multimedia PCs• MPC Standard- manufacturers

guarantee that software written to the MPC standard (labeled MPC

compliant) will play on their machines.

• Three levels of minimum requirements: MPC1, MPC2, MPC3

Windows Multimedia PCs• 1990- Level 1 ( MPC1)

– 16 MHz, 386SX, 2MB RAM, 30 MB drive– CD-ROM, VGA video ( 16 colors)– 8 bit audio board, speakers/headphones– MS Windows with Multimedia Extensions

package• Not powerful enough to develop Multimedia• Hardly powerful enough to play it

Windows Multimedia PCs• 1993- Level 2 ( MPC2)

– 25 MHz, 486SX, 4MB RAM, 160 MB drive– 2xCD-ROM, VGA/SVGA video – 16 bit audio board,

speakers/headphones, microphone

Windows Multimedia PCs• 1995- Level 3 (MPC3)

– 75 MHz, Pentium, 8 MB RAM, 540 MB drive

– 4xCD- ROM, MPG support– MPEG1 video playback– Full motion video ( in small window) with TV quality– CD quality sound

Networking• LANs- local area

networks• Located within short

distances ( such as a campus, or building)

• Allow sharing of resources such as printers

• Ethernet for cross-platform development

• WANs- wide area networks

• Used for long distances

• More expensive to install and maintain

• ISPs like AOL, MSN make it available and affordable

Networking Mac and Windows• Networking is essential for direct

communication and sharing of resources across platforms.

• Local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and Internet connections provide connectivity and networking capabilities.

Networking• In a LAN, workstations are located within a

short distance. They are relatively less expensive.

• In a WAN, communication systems span great distances and are typically set up and managed by large corporations. They are expensive to install and maintain.

• A dial-up connection to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) also enables communication.

Networking• To establish communication between a

Macintosh and Windows PC, install Ethernet system and client-server software.

• Ethernet is a method of wiring up computers.

• Client/server software is required for communication and transfer of files.

• Macintosh computers have built-in Ethernet networking, while Windows PCs require an additional Ethernet card.

Networking

• MACs• Have ethernet built

in• Usually run

Appletalk• Need DAVE to

communicate with PC

• PCs• Need ethernet

cards • Usually run TCP/IP

• Need MACLAN to communicate with MAC

Client/server software enables computers to communicate through an ISP

Connections• SCSI ( “scuzzy”) – Small Computer

System Interface – lets you add peripherals ( up to 8)

• IDE- connect internal devices• USB- universal serial bus- “plug and play”

and “hot swappable”• Firewire (IEEE 1394)- supports high

bandwidth serial data transfer among multiple computers

Memory• Sufficient memory must be allocated

for storing and archiving files.• Memory requirements of a

multimedia project depend on the project's content and scope.

• The two types of memory are random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM).

Memory and Storage Devices• RAM• ROM• Floppy and Hard Disks• Zip, Jaz and Syquest

– Zip – 100MB– Jaz – 1 GB

• Optical Storage CD, CD-R, etc.)• DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) upto 1GB

– DVD-video– DVD-ROM

Input Devices• Keyboards• Mice and Trackballs• Touchscreens• Magnetic Card Encoders and Readers• Graphic Tablets• Scanners• Optical Code Recognition (OCR)Devices• Infrared remotes• Voice Recognition Systems• Digital Cameras• Lightpens

Output Hardware• Audio Devices• Amplifiers and Speakers• Monitors• Video Devices• Projectors

• CRT – cathode ray tube• LCD – liquid crystal display

• Printers– Injet– laser

Communication Devices• Modems ( Hayes Compatible) v.90• ISDN – Integrated Services Digital

Network• DSL-Digital Subscriber Line• Cable Modems

Modems• Modems modulate and de-modulate

analog signals.• They provide connectivity through

standard phone lines.• Modems can be internal or external.• Modem speed is measured in baud,

and the standard modem speed should be at least 56 Kbps.

ISDN• ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital

Network.• It is used for higher transmission speeds

by telephone.• They transfer data at the rate of 128 Kbps.• ISDN lines are used for networking,

Internet access, and audio-video conferencing.

• They are more expensive than the conventional analog lines.

Cable Modems• They provide Internet access at

speeds 100 to 1,000 times faster than a telephone modem, over the same cable network that supplies the television signal.

• However, due to noise in the system, sending rates may be much slower than receiving rates.

Summary• Macintosh and Windows are the two most

common hardware platforms used in multimedia.

• LANs, WANs, Ethernet, and client-server software facilitate communication and connectivity among computers.

• Storage devices include floppy disks, hard disks, Zip drives, Jaz drives, MO drives, DVDs, and CD-ROMs.

Summary• Input devices include keyboards, mice,

trackballs, touchscreens, graphic tablets, scanners, OCR devices, infrared remotes, voice recognition software, and digital cameras.

• Output devices include audio devices, speakers, amplifiers, monitors, video devices, projectors, and printers.

• Communication devices include modems, ISDN lines, and cable modems.