Copyright 1993 by Madison PC User's Group, P.O. Box 2598, Madison, WI 53701. All rights reserved. This file was originally printed in the May 1993 Bits & PC's, a publication of the Madison PC User's Group, and may be reprinted only by not-for-profit organizations. Please give proper credit to the author and Bits & PC's. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Multimedia Mania Book Review by Gary W. Wodka, Madison PC User's Group When you hear the word "multimedia" what comes to mind? For some it's a CD-ROM encyclopedia. For some it's a presentation with sound. For some it's an overwhelming flow of information. For still others, it's animation under Windows. According to all the computer magazines, multimedia is the hottest new trend in computing. But it's not easy to understand, and it's harder still to actually do something in multimedia. Abacus has just released a new publication called Multimedia Mania (MM). Written by Harold Frater and Dirk Paulissen, this 500+ page tome does more than simply define multimedia. It takes the reader into the subject, sometimes farther than desired. Beginning with a definition of multimedia (no, it's not just smoke and mirrors!), we learn that multimedia is a combination of interaction and information, presentation and integration, it's virtual reality and mass marketing. It's a combination of speech, sound effects, music, video, graphics and animation. It's whatever you want it to be! It's projected that multimedia will play a pivotal role in communi- cations systems of the future. MM discusses the various configurations needed to run multimedia presentations. The MPC standard is discussed, along with how that standard will evolve over the next several years (I guess if it evolves, it isn't a standard, is it?). The basic theory of CD-ROM, video and image processing, audio technology and printer output are examined, and by page 75 you're ready to start "multimedia-ing." MM is a state-of-the-art reference tool. Rather than talking in generalities about program types, actual programs, with version numbers, are referenced throughout the manual. Programs like Windows 3.1, Excel 4, Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Paintbrush, Kodak Photo CD, Aldus Photostyler, Micrografx Picture Publisher and a host of others are looked at specifically and reviewed with regard to applications of multimedia. This book is more of a user's guide to multimedia applications currently available than strictly a tutorial on multimedia. In addition to discussing the various types of video cameras and video capture programs available, specific brands and programs are examined and "rated" by MM. Autodesk Animation programs are detailed, as is the MIDI interface and its myriad of applications. Sequencers are explained in detail, and even Cyberspace is explored. In addition to "everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask about" multimedia, Abacus includes a CD-ROM with the book. The goodies included here are worth the $49.95 list price, even if the book wasn't included. Of course, there are the requisite advertisements and demo programs that most CDs include. But wait! These are useful tools! There are commercial demos for Tempra from Mathematica, Multimedia Toolbook Runtime Version from Asymmetries, Master Tracks Pro, HSC Interactive Authoring System, Slide Show Demo, and more! Many of them are working demos. You just can't save the files! If you've ever wondered what you could do with multimedia, these demos demonstrate! (I guess that's why they call them demos -- duuuh!) But over and above the demos are a whole slew of useful and practical tools for multimedia, including an Animator driver for Windows media play (which plays Autodesk Animator and Autodesk 3D Studio files), Excel worksheets for playing sound notes and showing slides, ToolBook applications for video frame animation, and new and improved Sound Blaster talking parrot (how ya gonna live without that?), along with the several top-rated shareware graphics tools, like Paint Shop Pro and Graphic Workshop for Windows. And there are a host of WAV and MIDI files that you can use now in your presentations. There are animation sequences, photo quality graphics, and a dyn-o-mite Virtual Reality demonstration. There are over 400 MB of programs on the companion CD-ROM, and most of them are the type that can be used by most non-geeks. Multimedia Mania is arranged in a logical fashion, and hints, notes and reference materials are easily picked out of the text. Throughout the book the enclosed CD-ROM is referenced and the tools explained. If you've ever wondered just what all the hype was about, or if you're up to your eyeballs in multimedia, Multimedia Mania is on my "recommended list." It does more than talk about what might be done. It gives practical applications and walks you through the process. I now understand my Windows Sound Recorder. I even know how to use it! And more importantly, I know when to use it! Multimedia Mania retails for $49.95 and is a product of: ABACUS 5370 52nd Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512 (616) 698-0330 (616) 698-0325 (fax)