Multimedia Is Headed Home But Has Miles to Go, Panelists Say
 
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
LAS VEGAS (Microbytes Daily News Service) --- Everyone's heard
the term "multimedia" but not everyone agrees on where it's
going. A few of its strongest backers gathered at Comdex this
week to dispense their opinions on computerized multimedia and
forecast its future condition.
 
Multimedia involves combining text, graphics, animation, and
professional-quality audio and video in a single application.
Most current personal computers don't have the horsepower to
create and run quality multimedia applications. "Computers today
have poor natural image capabilities, no full-motion video, and
the audio is not very good," said Pradeep Singh, Microsoft's
product manager for Multimedia Publishing. Singh said digital
signal processors and improved speakers are enhancements PCs need
for multimedia. As for full-motion video, "it's available today,"
but the technology is too expensive for low-end computers.
 
Another problem is the lack of "information density" on today's
PC screens. Screen resolutions aren't good enough for multimedia.
"Open a map on your desk and look at the information density
you've got there," Singh said. A printed page can display
considerably more information than can a screen, so we'll need to
see higher-resolution monitors at lower prices, which won't
happen "for some time," Singh said.
 
Currently, the Macintosh's graphics and sound capabilities make
it the personal system of choice for multimedia developers. But
what about multimedia on DOS-based machines?  Singh listed what a
DOS computer would need for "entry-level" multimedia
capabilities: 640K RAM, a graphical user interface, a CD-ROM
drive, and VGA resolution.  A low-end "professional" system would
require at least a megabyte of RAM, advanced audio, and
"beyond-VGA" resolution. However, true professional-quality sys-
tems would need full-motion video capabilities. Singh expects to
see these full-motion video features on DOS-machines within three
to five years.
 
Many people in the computer industry aren't giving multimedia the
respect it deserves, complained MacroMind president John Scull.
"Most people don't believe it's an application," Scull said.
"Most don't even believe it's a real market."  Scull named
several niche areas using multimedia: business presentations;
visualizations of scientific theories; and interactive training
videos.
 
And although multimedia is gaining the most attention in business
areas, those behind it see the home market as the key to its
success. "Multimedia is the key to unlocking the PC in the home,"
said Singh. "Essentially it's the merging of the TV and the PC."
But as Apple's Ames Cornish pointed out, the cost of a quality
multimedia system is still too high for the consumer market.
 
                              --- Jeffrey Bertolucci
 
Editor's Note: "Multimedia will be the In Depth discussion in the
February 1990 BYTE.
 
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