A (NOT SO) GENTLE INTRODUCTION TO MULTIMEDIA
Comments:
Our Requirements:
In our school we have two four year undergraduate courses (three year in campus plus a year in industry) directly related to Multimedia, one is on Multimedia Communications, (MMC) and the other Business Communications Systems, (BCS). The courses are thematic and the MMC has Multimedia Development and Communication Systems as vertical themes and e-commerce as horizontal. The BCS course has Business as one of the themes and Communication Systems as the other. The two courses have a common theme, (Communication Systems).
The MMC course in year 1 covers the following core units:
In Year 2 the course leads into
Creative Multimedia
Computer Networks
HCI
Databases
Distributed Multimedia Systems
The BCS course has a number of Business related units and common units with the MMC course on aspects of Communications/Computer Networks, etc, to do with the common Communication Systems Theme.
The textbook falls in the Communications theme of the MMC course and therefore I will comment on the suitability of its contents specifically for the units
Multimedia Computer Architecture
Distributed Multimedia Systems
Computer Networks
Client/Server programming
Database Systems.
Comments on the contents of the book:
General Comments
In spite the title which in my view unnecessarily deters with the ‘not so gentle’, this is a comprehensive textbook, and great for students who are stretched for ever more of late and forced to read from voluminous books. This book is a distillation of information and may be suitable for revision and overview at speed on the specific topics covered. This book could be valuable to first or even second year students for some courses using computer science elements. My suggestion for the title is ‘Introduction to Multimedia Information’.
Starting from the title, I think the title word on introduction on multimedia is so broad and yet this book so narrow that there is something to be said about re-examining how helpful is the title to the reader. The author covers a narrow range of what multimedia is about.
Preface: Very good, very comprehensive.
Chapter 1: It is readable however many can argue that breakthroughs in communications technology such as fibre optics and signal processing are not mentioned. Convergence in communications, entertainment and computing can be explained technically not necessarily using statements from magazines or company directors. In that respect I do not value extracts from reports from magazines and company statesmen which are influenced by non technical variables. I prefer to stick to technology arguments which at least explains the ? (ed.)
Chapter 2: On Hyper spaces: This is a straightforward chapter easy to read. I must admit the lack of any figures explaining the ideas is surprising! Instead there is too much emphasis on quotations on what so and so said and a distinct lack of solid explanation of the mechanics! One can do better here.
Chapter 3: Codecs and Standards:
A good chapter however there is more emphasis on MPEG4 and little on how JPEG works. Little on fundamentals and plenty of lists of numbers which require memory to recall rather than analytical capability of the students to ‘work out’ and reason. This is disappointing in this respect but the positive aspect of this chapter is that it is extensive and easy to read and broad in the mentioning of what it is out there!
Chapter 4: A useful chapter not covered adequately in a short space by many other books. This is something I could make use in our courses.
Chapter 5: Content annotation: This complements chapter 4. It is all to do with multimedia databases, i.e. information annotation and retrieval. A good chapter and serves a good introduction.
Chapter 6: This is a thin chapter. It extends chapters 4 and 5. It is comprehensive enough for a beginner to read.
Chapter 7: This is enjoyable read, illustrative and good introduction to virtual spaces.
Modules where I feel this book could be recommended as ‘core’ for our courses.
None: This is not a book which covers all the technical contents we require in our course units.
The book is an introduction to information storage and retrieval and it does not cover the content of our course units. It is too narrow.
Does the coverage of the material successfully satisfy our module needs?
The short answer here is a definite NO.
This book is not core for us. It does cover some of the unit contents and it could be considered as supplementary.
What topics are most difficult to convey to our students?
All units we cover contain a mix of practical and basic principles (theoretical aspects/principles) and they we take the students from low level to as high as possible and teach them how to excel in those areas. We need good ‘case studies’ appropriate case studies as well as in depth knowledge and develop practical skills in the use of tools.
I do not think this book solves those problems, since it does not cover any fundamental principles. This book is introductory to some aspects of multimedia information.
The writing style of the book:
The book is written in an interesting comprehensive manner, at the expense of fundamental principles. It can be read with little effort and serves a good introduction to ‘multimedia information’.
The CD-ROM is a good selling point as well as the included questions as well as the assistance to the instructors.
As instructor, I prefer textbooks offering me slides, solutions etc.
There is a plethora of books on Multimedia from the US which are excellent in depth but narrow and focused in contents, competing hard for our attention.
Is the rigour of the material appropriate to my students?
I prefer more depth and more on fundamentals than historical facts and quotes from ‘experts’.
Pedagogical Features of the book:
It may appeal to non computer science students (business etc) and no further than level 1 computer science students.
It is easy to read and it does not require prior knowledge.
What are the three most compelling features of the book?
The book is narrow in a sense covering multimedia information. However it is comprehensive and pleasant to read.
It is a book which one can read in a train.
3. The small size of the book is an advantage.
Wish List: