Introduction to Multimedia Systems

Subject description

The course deals with a very broad insight into multimedia systems in various areas with an emphasis on everything from content creation, processing and transmission to the end user, user experience and modern technologies that are just emerging on the markets. The course introduces a brief introduction to the history of multimedia systems from the development of radio and television to the Internet, as well as various areas of multimedia services. This is followed by an introduction to the technical aspects of multimedia with an overview of the basic physical units and their properties, learning about analogue and digital concepts and the principle of digitization. The principle of capturing and processing multimedia content and its distribution via various transmission routes (analogue and digital radio, digital television, transmission over IP networks) is presented. The course also includes an introduction to TV engineering through studio equipment, sound and video capture, lighting and mixing consoles. The principles of designing good user interfaces and user experience, technologies for ensuring accessibility and augmented and virtual reality are also explained.

The subject is taught in programs

Objectives and competences

The aim of the course is to introduce students to basic concepts and technologies in the field of multimedia. The subject deals with the analogue and digital principles, audio-visual content encoding and upgrades them with descriptions of the architecture of modern multimedia systems, which are the basis for the technical implementation of multimedia services. Through the examination of the properties of multimedia elements such as image, sound, and video, students learn about their characteristics and specifics which are important for the processes of production, preparation, and distribution of multimedia content to end users. The subject also deals with the basic characteristics and functioning of audio-video production equipment, which are important for capturing and processing of multimedia content. It also deals with user experience and the basics of user experience design with the aim of understanding the nature of the consumption of multimedia content on different devices as well as accessibility technologies and approaches.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, demonstrations, practical laboratory work.

Expected study results

After successful completion of the course students should be able to:

Describe the properties and specifics of individual multimedia building blocks
Calculate the required bandwidth for transmitting AV signals in standard, high and ultra high resolution
Understand and establish a technology chain from signal capture to signal processing and broadcasting
To assess the advantages and disadvantages of individual ways of broadcasting multimedia content from source to end user

Basic sources and literature

K. Pečnik, Ž. Juvan, in M. Pogačnik, „Multimedijski sistemi: učbenik”, 1. izd. Ljubljana: Založba FE, 2023
S. Mitra, G. Bhatnagar, S. Mehta, „Introduction to multimedia systems”. San Diego: Academic Press, 2002
D. Austerberry, „The technology of video and audio streaming”, 2nd ed. Burlington (MA): Focal Press, 2013
W. Fischer, „Digital Video and Audio Broadcasting Technology“, Springer, 2010