multimediaMultimedia refers to combinations of text, graphics, audio and video presentations. Computer multimedia gained initial popularity with sound boards and CD-ROM computer games. Multimedia became an integral part of the Internet with the introduction of graphic-interface Web browsers such as Mosaic and Netscape.
The rise in popularity of multimedia has been fostered by advances in computer hardware: the rapid increase in microprocessor speed, the availability of inexpensive CD-ROM technology, and the development of advanced sound and video boards. The rise has been aided equally by a wealth of new software programs (applications) and a variety of compression techniques that enable the transmission of huge files in a reasonable period of time.
Web browsers achieve multimedia effects through the use of helper applications which process multimedia formats, including:
Multimedia programs on the Internet include RealAudio for real-time radio broadcasts and Internet Phone offering real-time telephone conversations.
While multimedia expands the power of the Web, it increasingly strains the limits of the usable resources, both in terms of hardware capabilities and the carrying capacity of the physical network itself. Delays in accessing and displaying data have become commonplace--even with compressed file formats.