Multimedia

Multimedia refers to content that uses a combination of different content forms. This contrasts with media that use only rudimentary computer displays such as text-only or traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material. Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, or interactivity content forms.

Categories of multimedia:-Multimedia may be broadly divided into
1.Linear and
2.Interactive (Non-linear).

Linear active content progresses often without any navigational control for the viewer such as a cinema presentation. Non-linear uses interactivity to control progress as with a video game or self-paced computer based training. Hypermedia is an example of non-linear content.
Multimedia presentations can be live or recorded. A recorded presentation may allow interactivity via a navigation system. A live multimedia presentation may allow interactivity via an interaction with the presenter or performer.

Components of multimedia:-
1) Computer System: Workstation,MPEG/Video/DSP
2) Communication Networks : Token Ring,FDDI , Ethernet,Intranet,ATM  ,Internet
3) Display Devices :Hi-Rsolution monitors,CD-quality speakers,Colour printers,HDTV,SVGA,etc.
4) Capture devices : -Video Camera,Video Recorder ,Audio Microphone,Keyboards,Mice
5) Storage devices :- Hard disks,CD ROM,DVD,etc.

Major characteristics:-
Multimedia presentations may be viewed by person on stage, projected, transmitted, or played locally with a media player. A broadcast may be a live or recorded multimedia presentation. Broadcasts and recordings can be either analog or digital electronic media technology. Digital online multimedia may be downloaded or streamed. Streaming multimedia may be live or on-demand.

Multimedia games and simulations may be used in a physical environment with special effects, with multiple users in an on-line network, or locally with an offline computer, game system, or simulator.

The various formats of technological or digital multimedia may be intended to enhance the users' experience, for example to make it easier and faster to convey information. Or in entertainment or art, to transcend everyday experience.

Application:-Multimedia finds its application in various areas including, but not limited to, advertisements, art, education, entertainment, engineering, medicine, mathematics, business, scientific research and spatial temporal applications. 

SSD

SSD  :-

• A solid-state driveis a data storage device using integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data persistently.

• SSD technology uses electronic interfaces compatible with traditional block input/output (I/O) hard disk drives, thus permitting simple replacement in common applications.

• SSDs have no moving (mechanical) components. This distinguishes them from traditional electromechanical magnetic disks such as hard disk drives (HDDs) or floppy disks, which contain spinning disks and movable read/write heads.

• SSDs are still roughly seven to eight times more expensive per unit of storage than HDDs.

• SSDs use NAND-based flash memory, which retains data without power.

• SSD includes a controller that incorporates the electronics that bridge the NAND memory components to the host computer.

• SSDs have no moving parts and therefore are basically silent, although electric noise from the circuits may occur.

• Susceptibility to environmental factors-No moving parts, very resistant to shock and vibration.

• Storage capacity-In 2013, SSDs were available in sizes up to 2 TB, but less costly 128 to 512 GB drives were more common.

• Power consumption-High performance flash-based SSDs generally require half to a third of the power of HDDs. High-performance DRAM SSDs generally require as much power as HDDs, and must be connected to power even when the rest of the system is shut down.

•  SSDs were mainly used in those aspects of mission critical applications where the speed of the storage system needed to be as high as possible. Since flash memory has become a common component of SSDs, the falling prices and increased densities have made it more cost-effective for many other applications. 
• Advantage :-Speed: This is where SSDs shine. An SSD-equipped PC will boot in seconds, certainly under a minute. A hard drive requires time to speed up to operating specs, and will continue to be slower than an SSD during normal operation. A PC or Mac with an SSD boots faster, launches apps faster, and has higher overall performance. 
• SSD technology has been developing rapidly.
• Typically the same file systems used on hard disk drives can also be used on solid state disks.
• While not a file system feature, operating systems must also align partitions correctly to avoid excessive read-modify-write cycles.
• A typical practice for personal computers is to have each partition aligned to start at a 1 MB mark, which covers all common SSD page and block size scenarios, as it is divisible by 1 MB, 512 KB, 128 KB, 4 KB and 512 bytes. Modern operating system installation software and disk tools handle this automatically.
• Other features designed for hard disk drives, most notably defragmentation, are disabled in SSD installations 
• HDDs win on price, capacity, and availability. SSDs work best if speed, ruggedness, form factor, noise, or fragmentation (technically part of speed) are important factors to you. If it weren't for the price and capacity issues, SSDs would be the winner hands down.
• Last but not least, an SSD and an HDD can be combined (like Voltron) on systems with technologies like Intel's Smart Response Technology. SRT uses the SSD invisibly to help the system boot faster and launch apps faster.