The technology of Multimedia blends publishing, entertainment, and computers into a medium for information exchange that expands the potential of all three areas. The MicrosoftÒ WindowsÔ 3.0 graphical environment with Multimedia Extensions 1.0—commonly referred to as Windows with Multimedia—has brought this technology to the desktop personal computer.
This is a guide for developers who want to create multimedia applications (or titles) for Windows with Multimedia. Building a multimedia application involves many people—programmers, writers, artists, musicians, and sound engineers—and therefore requires someone to coordinate the activities of these different professionals into a coherent project team. This role is some-times known as the Multimedia Producer.
This book was written to help multimedia producers and their team members to understand the technologies and issues involved in developing a multimedia application. It contains descriptions of authoring processes along with comments and suggestions about using different hardware and software. Multimedia producers should read the entire book for an overview of the technology involved in building a multimedia application. Team members should read the specific chapters relevant to their area of responsibility (such as Text, Images, or Audio). This book assumes some experience with Microsoft Windows and MS-DOSÒ personal computers.
This chapter introduces the software and hardware involved with building and using a multimedia title.