CO42002 MT4 Overview/Unit 1

Online MultimediaTom McEwan

455 2793. Room C47

Schedule• Module Overview and Plan

– Break

• Contentious Introduction• Multimedia: Convergence & Maintaining Authoring Tools

• Next week: proprietary v standardised web technologies• Tutorial – Use Dreamweaver to present current

opportunities for multimedia developers

Learning Outcomes (this week)

• After this week’s work, you must be able to … – Ensure you have the prerequisite knowledge for this

module– State the learning outcomes for the module – Create a study plan for the 150 hours you need to

spend on this module– Contribute to controversial debates such as

“information wants to be free…”– Evaluate the implications of technological

convergence on multimedia projects and careers

Some of what you (should) know already

• What the Internet and the World Wide Web are, and their histories • Basic HTML and the use of authoring tools such as Macromedia

Dreamweaver. • Graphics and Animation, colour models, vector & bitmap graphics,

3D Modelling • Integration of graphics, animation, 3D, audio and video into

interactive applications • Network technologies, www, client-server, browser architecture,

bandwidth, streaming • Multimedia Production: development lifecycle, iterative design

techniques, documentation, project management, intellectual property rights (IPR), digital rights management (DRM) and related ethical issues, content management.

• And have achieved the relevant learning outcomes. • If you feel uncertain about any of these areas, it is vital you discuss

this me.

Module Overview• To pass this module you need to be able to:

– Analyse trends in the architecture of WWW browsers and plug-ins (weeks 1-5, 8-12 cw & exam)

– Design, produce, test and evaluate a multimedia educational application including 3D and audiovisual content and deliver it through a browser (weeks 1-7, cw).

– Describe commercial audio standards for the WWW and analyse business models for exploitation of music on the internet (weeks 9-11, exam)

– Interpret the effects that new technologies will have in facilitating e-Commerce (weeks 8, 11-13, exam)

• Aiming for professional quality (and not quantity!)• To prepare you for employment in the industry

– SFIA Competency– Skillset Competency

SFIA Job Roles• Web Site Specialism

– Level 2: “Uses defined tools, templates and standards to design, create and test simple, well-engineered web pages with specified content and layout. Obtains and analyses web site usage data and presents it effectively.”

– Level 3 “Liaises with clients/users to clarify details of requirements specifications. Designs, creates and tests moderately complex, well-engineered web pages with specified content and layout, including basic web interfaces to new or existing applications. Uses appropriate tools to make finished web material available on intranet or Internet.”

• Other Roles– Content creation– Non-functional needs analysis– Usability evaluation– Human factors integration

Some examples from Skillsethttp://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_6311.pdf?2

• IM1 Work Effectively In Interactive Media • IM2 Obtain Assets For Use In Interactive Media Products• IM3 Prepare Assets For Use In Interactive Media Product• IM4 Prepare User Interface Assets For Interactive Media Products• IM5 Design User Interfaces For Interactive Media Products• IM6 Use Authoring Tools To Create Interactive Media Products• IM7 Code Scripts To Provide Functionality For Interactive Media

Products• IM11 Manage Intellectual Property Rights• IM14 Evaluate User Testing Of Interactive Media Products• IM16 Plan Content For Web And Multimedia Products• IM17 Architect Interactive Media Products• IM18 Use Mark-Up In Interactive Media Products• IM19 Use Style-Sheets In Interactive Media Products

SFIA levels 1 and 2 (adapted from content available at http://www.sfia.org.uk/ )

Category SFIA Level 1 SFIA Level 2

Autonomy •Works under close supervision. Uses little discretion. Expected to seek guidance in unexpected situations.

•Works under routine supervision. Uses minor discretion in resolving problems or enquiries. Works without frequent reference to others.

Influence •Interacts with department. •Interacts with and may influence department. May have some external contact with customers and suppliers. May have more influence in own domain.

Complexity •Performs routine activities in a structured environment. Requires assistance in resolving unexpected problem.

•Performs range of varied work activities in variety of structured environments.

Business skills

•Uses basic IS functions, applications, and processes. Demonstrates an organised approach to work. Capable of learning new skills and applying newly acquired knowledge. Basic oral and written communication skills. Contributes to identifying own development opportunities.

•Understands and uses appropriate methods tools and applications. Demonstrates a rational and organised approach to work. Awareness of health and safety issues. Identifies and negotiates own development opportunities. Sufficient communication skills for effective dialogue with colleagues. Able to work in a team. Able to plan, schedule and monitor own work within short time horizons. Can absorb technical information when it is presented systematically and apply it effectively

Activity

• How would you demonstrate to an employer that they should take you on at level 2 instead of level 1?

Learning outcome 1 (of 4)

• “Analyse trends in Browser Architecture” – Helper applications and plug-ins, for both desktop and other

platforms, – The effect of commercial and social pressures on proprietary

and open standards. – Evaluate vector graphics and animation standards for the WWW. – Translation, chunking and bandwidth issues.

• This means more than just skimming a web magazine.• You will have to select and read a variety of technical

papers – peer reviewed, commercial white papers and standards bodies (eg W3C).

Learning outcome 2 (of 4)

• “Design, produce, test and evaluate an online multimedia educational application including 3D”. – Use tools to generate Javascript for HTML pages. – Use templates to simplify production – Create Director 3D and VRML content and use it to evaluate

how online 3D will develop.

• Use the coursework development tutorials (weeks 4-7) to analyse your effectiveness

• Examine your production values• Understand how people learn from websites

Learning outcome 3 (of 4)

• “Describe commercial audio standards for the WWW and analyse business models for exploitation of music on the internet” – Evaluate trends in Configuration/Content/Asset Management for

Digital Media, – Focus on Digital Rights Management

• Understand the history of each of the MPEG standards• Discover and critique current business models• Predict trends for other rich media content

Learning outcome 4 (of 4)

• “Interpret the effects that new technologies will have in facilitating e-Commerce” – Gain a basic understanding of XML/MPEG standards and

emerging web service architectures such as UDDI and SOAP. – Evaluate past E-Commerce successes and failures in order to

predict future trends, focusing on music and e-learning.

• Develop a broader understanding of the potential of e-commerce and e-business

• Track the typical development cycle of XML “ontologies”• Examine emerging application areas

15 weeks: 4 main parts. #1

• Weeks 1-3– To ensure you understand the

requirements of a multimedia professional.

– To “level up” everyone’s knowledge of, and skills in tools and standards

– To ensure that you can effectively and efficiently produce online multimedia.

– Contrasting proprietary and open standards for online graphics

– Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash

5 Feb

12 Feb

19 Feb

26 Feb

5 Mar

12 Mar

19 Mar

26 Mar

Reading Week

Vacation (2 Weeks)

23 Apr

30 Apr

7 May

14 May

Exams (2 weeks)

15 weeks: 4 main parts. #2

• Weeks 4-7– To ensure that everyone completes

an adequate coursework– Learning about VRML/Web3D (wk 4)

and Director 3D (wk5) how to use each

– Standards, tools for educational multimedia

– Coursework integration, testing and evaluation (wk 6-8)

5 Feb

12 Feb

19 Feb

26 Feb

5 Mar

12 Mar

19 Mar

26 Mar

Reading Week

Vacation (2 Weeks)

23 Apr

30 Apr

7 May

14 May

Exams (2 weeks)

15 weeks: 4 main parts. #3

• Weeks 8-12• Preparing you for an honours-

level exam.– 8: XML theory and practice– 9: MPEG Standards– 10: Mock Exam. Theories– 11: Digital Media Asset Management

& Exploitation– 12: e-Commerce Case Studies

5 Feb

12 Feb

19 Feb

26 Feb

5 Mar

12 Mar

19 Mar

26 Mar

Reading Week

Vacation (2 Weeks)

23 Apr

30 Apr

7 May

14 May

Exams (2 weeks)

15 weeks: 4 main parts. #4

• Weeks 13-15• Consolidation and demonstration

– Summary– Revision– Exam– Post-exam generic feedback in

webct

5 Feb

12 Feb

19 Feb

26 Feb

5 Mar

12 Mar

19 Mar

26 Mar

Reading Week

Vacation (2 Weeks)

23 Apr

30 Apr

7 May

14 May

Exams (2 weeks)

Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategy

• WebCT is at the heart of this module – it is an example of the kind of multimedia technology we are examining

• You need to use the materials and contribute to the discussions

• Classes– 50 min tutorials - start at 5 past the hour– 2 x 50 min lecture – start at 5 past the hour

• May avoid break, and finish early

– No classes in week 9 (Reading Week)

• 50% coursework (due week 8)• 50% exam,• Every week aim for 10-15 hours on this module

Planning your time• From next week think carefully about your time. You

have to balance up with other modules and your project• Aim for

– 50 hours contact time – lectures, tutorials and webct– 50 hours practice – refreshing your technical skills and using

them– 50 hours reflection – reading about your discipline, thinking

about developments, planning your future

• For example this week– 1 hr Tutorial, 2 hr lecture, 30m WebCT discussions– 3 hr refreshing and advancing your Dreamweaver skills– 3.5 hrs reading the weblinks from these notes and thinking about

the issues

Assessment

• Coursework will require ~25-30 hours– Reserve your time in weeks 4-7 now!

• Exam preparation will involve creating a study journal during tutorials weeks 8-12, to prepare very detailed revision materials– Last year choose 5 from 10 x 10-mark questions.– Those who failed, didn’t answer 5

• You must review book chapters, teaching notes, before each week’s tutorial

References• Text books – 4 copies of each in library, one requested

for short loan.– Poole, C. & Bradley, J. (2003) Developer’s Digital Media

Reference: New Tools, New Methods, Focal Press 0-240-80501-1

– England, E. & Finney, A. (2002) Managing Multimedia Book 2 Technical Issues, Addison Wesley 0-201-72899-0

– Vaughan, T. Multimedia: Making it Work 4th or 5th or 6th edn– Lazar, J. (2005), Web Usability. Addison Wesley 0-321-32135-9

• Keep up to date with your field:– PCPro, .Net, Computer Shopper, Guardian (Thursday), BBC

Technology pages, usabilitynews.com– Journals, conferences, workshops, research seminars

Websites

• http://www.w3.org/• http://www.MPEG.org/ • http://www.chiariglione.org/mpeg/ • www.Macromedia.com

• www.UsabilityNews.com • http://www.soc.napier.ac.uk/~tommc/modules/co42002

Checklist• What is your personal “context”

– You have to balance your taught modules with progressing/finishing off your honours project

– When will you do the work for this module?• Do it all in the Easter holidays?• Catch up at the weekends and evenings once spring is here, the

sun is shining…• Set aside times each week to do the directed study?

• Afterwards discuss with each other how you will:– Plan your time for this and other modules– Track and manage changes to your coursework files– Manage risks – make tasks fit the time available

Break

• Back in ten minutes please

Contentious Introduction: “Free Multimedia”

• A short discussion:• What do you want to do when you graduate?• On what will your future multimedia careers depend?

– Companies able to afford to employ you …– Your ability to create new media solutions at a cost-effective

price profitably?– Your ability to create digital media components that generate

revenue?– Your ability to add value in embedding digital media in ICT

solutions?– Any others?

Really Free!•“Information wants to be free….•… information wants to be expensive”

– Stewart Brand (1984, 1987)– Substitute “digital media” – music, video, photos – or MP3, DVD,

JPEG– http://comment.zdnet.co.uk/rupertgoodwins/0,39020691,2123653,00.htm – http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/IWtbF.html

•“Free as in speech, not as in beer”– Richard Stallman – GNU– Freedom of expression– Freedom of the individual

Current Example – Music and DRM• Steve Jobs (Apple)

– “Apple, Microsoft and Sony all compete with proprietary systems.

• Music purchased from Microsoft’s Zune store will only play on Zune players; • Music purchased from Sony’s Connect store will only play on Sony’s players; • Music purchased from Apple’s iTunes store will only play on iPods.”

– “[Apple allow] users to play their DRM protected music on up to 5 computers and on an unlimited number of iPods”

– “Through the end of 2006, customers purchased […] 22 songs […] from the iTunes store for each iPod ever sold.

– […] under 3% of the music on the average iPod, is purchased from the iTunes store and protected with a DRM.”

– “those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies towards persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free”

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/ (6/2/2007)

Conclusion: Creative Tension• The multimedia professional’s objective:

– To derive personal satisfaction and individual gain from the exploitation of digital media?

• Much of new media depends on freely available resources, supported by a global community, with a variety of agenda.– Some want to encourage “freedom”– Some want to take from the rich and give to the poor– Some want to be well-paid experts

• But you also want to make a living!• How do you square this circle?

– Look at traditional business models and adapt them

Convergence• Print, TV, Computers (1993)• Telecomms, Broadcast, Computers (2000)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• New media technology lets companies – maintain multiple channels of communication with us (phone,

email, web, SMS, print) – maintain a single record of our history/needs (transactions,

tastes, profile, susceptibility)

• This leads to sense of ownership of “our” – Technology (Personalised MP3 player/mobile phone) – communications channels (Mobile, IM, MySpace)– digital assets (My Videos)

• Which leads to our own concepts of usability

Convergence

• We, as users, converge with the products themselves. We are what we eat!!

• Branding “manages” us, makes us have positive feelings towards the product

• Overexposure leads to desire for cultural jamming and also to a sense of ownership of our own space. (Klein, N., No Logo)

• Does that make it legitimate to steal? Are burger chains and coffee shops “legitimate targets”? Is it permissible to blaspheme?

Activity

• In pairs discuss:– Should companies sacrifice their patent rights to allow cheaper

drugs for Aids to be available in Africa?– Should the companies in India that can make these cheap

drugs, be able to make a profit for their owners?– Should people from UK/USA be free to travel to African

countries to buy these cheap drugs?– Should businesses be free to export these cheap drugs from

Africa to UK/USA to make the drugs available to those who can’t afford to travel to Africa?

– How would you police any of this?

New versions of development tools

• New functionality and new interfaces– To compete/gain market advantage– To enhance usability/productivity

• Risks– Ignore it and lose competitive advantage?– But new versions can introduce bugs– And new versions have learning curves– Costs of upgrade – for all staff members?– Incompatibility with old versions and other tools

Questions to ask• How much does it cost to upgrade? • How much does it cost to buy new? • How much business is needed to afford this? • Why would you buy a full new license rather than an

upgrade? • What justification would win expenditure approval?

– from your boss (if you worked for a company), – your bank manager (if you were a small partnership) – or your spouse (if you were self-employed)

The rest of this week

• Contribute to discussion in WebCT about what employers want from multimedia graduates

• Scour the media for stories about multimedia technology. Think about how they got there and what they tell us.

• Work through the Dreamweaver Help/Tutorials section, making sure that your web authoring skills are up to date, in particular using CSS, templates and snippets.

Next week

• Architecture for websites and browsers• Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning

(WebDAV) and your own content management• Bitmap and Vector Graphics• Bandwidth implications for human-centred web

design