Platforms for video in

interactive media

Applications

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a huge platform for video in interactive media and media
in general. With a web browser a user can view web pages that may contain text,
images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them using
hyperlinks.

There are many sites on the internet which are made purposely for the streaming,
viewing, downloading and uploading of videos. Some examples of these websites
are Youtube, Putlocker and Tubidy.

In terms of interactive media the web is very useful because it has the capability
to combine nearly every form of media. Videos can be used as examples for
supporting notes or instructions, as a piece of interactive media in itself where the
user navigates between other related videos using buttons, etc.

DVD & CD-ROM

DVDs (Digital Versatile Disc) and CD ROMs are the two most common form of media storage.
Both discs are in optical disc storage format. DVDs are the same size as CD ROMs but have 6
times as much capacity or more.

Both forms of compact disc can be used to store video, audio and normal data with the only
difference between the two being how they are read and their storage capability. The one
main disadvantage of the two in todays market is that neither can store high definition
picture. Blu-ray and the now discontinued HD-DVD are the only formats which can.

The main advantage of a DVD as a platform for video (other than its capacity) is that they
can be played on DVD players, nearly all PCs and nearly all next generation consoles.

There are two main formats used for data stored on CD-ROMs

Film Trailers

Film trailers are parts of a film cut into a short 2-3 minute clip which is then
used to advertise the upcoming film to build excitement for the release.

Movie trailers have now become extremely popular on the internet. Of the
10-billion videos watched online yearly, movie trailers rank third.

Trailers tell the story of a movie in a highly condensed fashion that must have
maximum appeal. In the decades since movie marketing has become a large
industry, trailers have become highly polished pieces of advertising. Trailers
can even make badly rated movies look interesting.

Mobile Devices

Mobile devices is used to describe a wealth of mobile technology ranging from hand held
communication devices and wireless headsets to hand-held games consoles and mobile
computers.

Nearly all mobile devices make use of video in one way or another, whether as a video screen
for the user to view objects and programs or as video stored on the device.

With the advance of technology mobile devices of all shapes and sizes are being created with
more advanced technology such as touch screens, user-made applications, streaming video,
web access and more. As such many mobile devices are becoming staple platforms for
interactive video and media.

The main advantage of mobile devices over static technology is that they can be used
anywhere, however the drawback for size is processing power as even with more powerful
and smaller microchips being created desktop computers are still more powerful than any
mobile devices.

Video Games

Most games are a combination of various kinds of media.

However, video has been used for many years in cut scenes, which tell a
story, or give an instruction to the game player.

These can vary greatly in length, and are generally rendered in a higher
quality than the game play since it doesnt need to be actively rendered as
the game moves on.

Nowadays the gap in quality between the cut scenes and game play is getting
smaller, due to more powerful games consoles and better graphics.

Technologies

Video Compression

Video Compression is codec based and use algorithms to reduce the file size.
There are plenty of codecs available, but choosing the correct codec can depend
upon many things like, the complexity of the video (i.e whether it is a cartoon or
an action film), how the video will be delivered (i.e on a mobile phone compared
to a large computer screen), the required file size for the video (e.g streaming
video will require smaller file sizes for quicker load times compared to an
embedded video), or it may simply depend upon how available the codec is to the
end user.

Each codec generally has different properties. This can be a variation in the
compression rate, the type of audio file used, the type of video file used, or the
suitability for its purpose. This can vary from web use, to DVD video or video CDs.
Lossy and Lossless video compression is where a video is compressed to make the
file smaller. Lossy is where the quality of the graphics becomes less clear than it
was before whereas lossless means it wont lose any quality.

Video Formats
MPEG:
MPEG video comes in 4 different forms:
Mpeg-1, Mpeg-2, Mpeg-3, Mpeg-4, Mpeg video is generally given the .mpg or .mpeg file extension.

MOV
The QuickTime (.mov) file format is as a multimedia container file that contains one or more tracks, each of which stores
a particular type of data, such as audio, video, effects, or text. Each track either contains a digitally encoded media
stream (using a specific codec) or a data reference to the media stream located elsewhere in another file. These Tracks
are layered in a hierarchical data structure consisting of objects called atoms. An atom can be a parent to other atoms or
it can contain media or edit data, but it cannot do both.

The ability to contain abstract data references for the media data, and the separation of the media data from the media
offsets and the track edit lists means that QuickTime is particularly suited for editing, as it is capable of importing and
editing in place, without requiring data copying. Other, later developed media container formats such as Microsoft's
Advanced Systems Format, or the open source Ogg and Matroska containers lack this ability, and require all media data to
be rewritten after editing.

Video Formats
AVI:
Audio Video Interleave (AVI) is a multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft in November
1992. AVI files can support both audio and video data in a file container that allows combined audiowith-video playback.
AVI is a derivative of the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF), which divides a file's data into blocks,
or "chunks." Each "chunk" is identified by what is known as a FourCC tag. An AVI file takes the form of a
single chunk in a RIFF formatted file, which is then subdivided into two mandatory "chunks" and one
optional "chunk".
The first sub-chunk is identified by the "hdrl" tag. This sub-chunk is the file header and contains meta
data about the video, such as its width, height and frame rate. The second sub-chunk is identified by the
"movi" tag. This chunk contains the actual audio/visual data that makes up the AVI movie. The third
optional sub-chunk is identified by the "idx1" tag which indexes the offsets of the data chunks within the
file.
In the RIFF format, the audio/visual data contained in the "movi" chunk can be encoded or decoded by
software called a codec. Upon creation of the file, the codec translates between raw data and the
compressed data format used inside the chunk. An AVI file may carry audio/visual data inside the chunks
in virtually any compression scheme, including Full Frame (Uncompressed), Intel Real Time (Indeo),
Cinepak, Motion JPEG, Editable MPEG, VDOWave, ClearVideo / RealVideo, QPEG, and MPEG-4 Video.

Video Formats
FLV:
Flash-compatible video file exported by the Flash Video Exporter plug-in
(included with Adobe Flash) or other program with FLV file support; consists of a
short header, interleaved audio, video, and metadata packets; audio and video
data is stored in a similar format used by standard Flash files. The FLV format is
an open format that is also supported by non-Adobe/Macromedia programs. FLV
files may be exported from QuickTime Pro or other applications that can export
to the QuickTime file format. Macromedia was acquired by Adobe in 2005, so
Macromedia Flash Player is now Adobe Flash Player.

Streaming
Streaming videos are videos that are constantly received by a computer, and
directly viewed by the end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.
The name Streaming Video refers to the delivery method of the video rather
than the video itself. This should not get mixed up with media that is distributed
over telecommunications networks, such as radio or television.
Internet television is a commonly streamed media, such as BBCs Iplayer software
which allows you to watch television shows over the internet.

Youtube is a popular streaming video site, which allows users to upload their own
content.

Video Formats
Progressive Downloading:
A progressive download is the transfer of digital media files from a server to a
client, typically using the HTTP protocol when initiated from a computer. The
consumer may begin playback of the media before the download is complete.
The key difference between streaming media and progressive download is in how
the digital media data is received and stored by the end user device that is
accessing the digital media.
A media player that is capable of progressive download playback relies on meta
data located in the header of the file to be intact and a local buffer of the digital
media file as it is downloaded from a web server. At the point in which a
specified amount of data becomes available to the local playback device, the
media will begin to play. This specified amount of buffer is embedded into the
file by the producer of the content in the encoder settings and is reinforced by
additional buffer settings imposed by the media player.

Data Transfer Rates and File Sizes

Saving video and audio in a digital format has always been torn
between video quality and file size, and this is affected by the Data transfer
rate (also known as bit rate). Some examples of data transfer rates are as
follows:

128 384 kbit/s business-oriented videoconferencing quality using video compression

1.25 Mbit/s VCD quality

1374 kbit/s VCD (Video CD)

5 Mbit/s typ DVD quality

8 to 15 Mbit/s typ HDTV quality

29.4 Mbit/s max HD DVD

40 Mbit/s max Blu-ray Disc

Therefore it is paramount to make sure whether the quality

of your video is acceptable for the type of delivery embedded or
streaming video.

Frame Rates
A clips frame rate is the rate at which the images change, which is usually
measured in fps (Frames per second).
For flash animations, a frame rate of 12fps is used, so that there is minimal file
size, but the animation appears to run smoothly.
British cinema uses a frame rate of 24fps, which is also known as NTSC.
American cinema uses 25fps, which is known as PAL.

Screen Resolutions and Ratios

Some of the commonly used screen resolutions
and ratios for the internet are:

PAL standard 720x576

Modem NTSC 4:3 (162x120 pixels)

Modem PAL 4:3 (160x120 pixels)

T1/DSL/Cable NTSC 4:3 (648x480 pixels)

T1/DSL/Cable PAL 4:3 (768x576 pixels)

The 4:3 ratio is the general standard for

internet video, as well as Television. However,

nowadays both are beginning to use 16:9
widescreen.

Media Players - DVD

A DVD player is a device that plays DVD discs which are produced under the DVDVideo and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible
standards.

Additionally, most DVD players allow users to play audio and Video CDs. A few
include a home cinema decoder such as Dolby Digital, which allows a 5.1
surround sound system to be used.
Some newer devices also play videos in the MPEG-4 ASP video format (such as
DivX) which is usually used on the Internet. This allows a user to create their own
video CDs to share with their family and friends.
The first DVD players were introduced in Japan in November 1996, and DVD
players were first available in the United States in March 1997. The first
commercially available dvd player in the United States was the Sony DVP-S7000
in 1997, and the cost was $970 USD.

Media Players QuickTime

QuickTime is a multimedia player that was created by Apple inc.

There have been 8 versions of QuickTime (Version 1.x to 7.x, and version X).

QuickTime is combined with Mac OS X, and was an optional component for

earlier versions of Mac OS.

Nowadays, Apple systems ship with QuickTime already installed.

QuickTime for Windows is a downloadable option, either as a stand alone

installation or combined with iTunes.

A pro version of QuickTime is available which includes a host of extra

features.

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is a media player and media library application developed by Microsoft
that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the
Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based
devices. Editions of Windows Media Player were also released for Mac OS, Mac OS X and
Solaris but development of these has since been discontinued.

Plus, Windows Media Player includes the option to rip music from and copy music to compact
discs, create Audio CDs and synchronize content with a digital audio player or other mobile
devices, and enables users to buy or rent music from a large number of online music stores.

Windows Media Player replaced an earlier piece of software called Media Player, adding
features beyond simple video or audio playback.

The latest version of the player is Windows Media Player 12.

Windows Media Player 11 is available for Windows XP and is distributed with Windows Vista
and Windows Server 2008. The default supported file formats for the program are Windows
Media Video (WMV), Windows Media Audio (WMA), and Advanced Systems Format (ASF). Plus,
there is support for its own XML based playlist format called Windows Playlist (WPL).

The player also has a digital rights management service which is called Windows Media DRM.

Media Players - RealPlayer

RealPlayer is a cross-platform media player created by RealNetworks that

plays the following multimedia formats: MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows
Media, RealAudio, RealVideo and various other platforms.
The first version of RealPlayer was released in1995 as RealAudio Player, one
of the first players capable of streaming media over the Internet.
Version 6 of RealPlayer was called RealPlayer G2, and version 9 was called
RealOne Player. Free (Basic) versions have been produced as well as paid
"Plus" versions with additional features to enhance the product experience.
RealPlayer 11 was released for Windows in November 2007, and for Mac OS X
in May 2008.
Versions of Realplayer have also been created for Linux, Unix, Palm OS,
Windows Mobile, and Symbian OS.

Digital Rights Management Systems

Digital rights management (DRM) is a widely used term for a form of access control that can be used
by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to restrict who uses their
products. The term is used to describe any technology or method which inhibits the uses of digital
content that were not desired by the creator. The term generally doesn't refer to other forms of
copy protection which can be bypassed without modifying the file or device, for example serial
numbers. Digital rights management is being used by companies like Sony, Apple, Microsoft and the
BBC.

The use of digital rights management is controversial. Some argue that it is needed by copyright
holders to prevent unauthorized duplication or sharing of their work to maintain artistic integrity, or
to ensure continued revenue income.

Some opponents, such as the Free Software Foundation, believe that the use of the word "rights" is
misleading and suggest that people instead use the term digital restrictions management. Their view
is essentially that copyright holders are attempting to restrict use of copyrighted material in ways
not covered by existing laws and should not be covered by future laws. The Electronic Frontier
Foundation, and other opponents, also consider DRM systems to be anti-competitive practices.