· Current and emerging trends in communication systems, including:
o Blogs
Blog is short for web log, which is essentially a journal that is made public by placing it on the web. Individuals regularly update their blog to express their personal views and opinions or simply to detail their day-to-day activities. Most blogs are arranged in date order with the most recent entry at the top. It is common for people to include a blog on their personal website. For instance, many people maintain a personal MySpace.com webpage. MySpace.com includes software tools that automate the creation of blogs.
o Wikis
A wiki is a website where users are able to freely add new content and edit existing content. Probably the most well-known and largest wiki is Wikipedia; an online encyclopaedia created and edited by members of the public. Because the information within a wiki is produced by the general public it should never be accepted on face value; rather alternative sources should be used to verify the accuracy of the information.
o RSS feeds
RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. Syndication is a process that has been used by journalists and other content creators for many years. When content, such as a news story or TV show, is syndicated it is published in many different places. For instance, a TV show such as Neighbours is produced in Australia but is syndicated and shown in many other countries. RSS feeds implement this syndication process over the Internet. The author offers some content they have created as an RSS feed. Other people can then choose to take up the author’s offer of syndication and subscribe to the feed. With RSS feeds the subscription is usually anonymous. The author has no idea of the identity of the people who have subscribed to their RSS feed. Podcasts are distributed as RSS feeds, however any type of online content can be distributed using this technique, including blogs, wikis, news and even updates to web sites. The feed can contain any combination of audio, video, image and text. In addition, feeds need not contain the complete content; rather a partial feed can be used that includes links to the complete content. To subscribe to RSS feeds requires newsreader software. The newsreader stores details of each RSS feed you subscribe to. The newsreader then checks each subscribed feed at regular intervals and downloads any updates it detects to your computer. This means the content is sitting on your computer waiting to be read. There is no need to download anything at this time; in fact the computer can be offline. RSS feeds have become popular largely as a consequence of the excessive quantity of junk mail people receive. Many people are reluctant to enter their email address into web forms out of fear they may receive masses of unwanted email messages. No identifying information, including email addresses, is required to subscribe to an RSS feed.
o Podcasts
Podcasting puts users in control of what they listen to, when they listen to it, how they listen and where they listen. Essentially a podcast is an audio RSS feed that is automatically downloaded to your computer and copied to your MP3 player. Aggregator software, such as Apple’s iTunes, manages and automates the entire process - from the user’s perspective content simply appears on their MP3 player. The term podcast is a play on the words iPod and broadcast, however any MP3 player can be used, not just Apple iPods. A podcast is simply a collection of MP3 files. Podcasters are the people who create the “radio like” audio content, often on a regular basis or as a series of programs. Typically each podcast is a sequence of MP3 files created over time. Commercial media and other organisations are also embracing podcasting as an alternative to more traditional information delivery systems.
o Online radio, TV and video on demand
Online radio and TV programs are streamed over the Internet and displayed in real time using a streaming media player. Many traditional radio and TV stations now provide their programs online. Some stations provide a live digital feed, however it is the ability to watch past programs that distinguishes online delivery from traditional broadcasts - users can watch the programs they want, when they want. Video on demand (VOD) systems are used to distribute video content directly to users over a communication link - much like an online video/DVD store. The aim of all VOD systems is to provide users with high quality video immediately in real time. Unfortunately current (2007) transmissions speeds and compression technologies are insufficient for this aim to be achieved. As a consequence VOD implementations compromise either quality, range of titles or the immediacy of delivery. Streaming systems compromise quality whilst largely achieving the range of titles and real time aims. Cable and satellite pay TV offer a limited range of high quality titles where each title commences at regular intervals - not quite real time. Online VOD stores deliver a large range of high quality movies. However movies must be downloaded prior to viewing - typical downloads take more than an hour.
o 3G technologies for mobile communication
The term 3G refers to third generation mobile communication networks. Essentially 3G networks provide higher data transfer rates than older GSM and CDMA mobile phone networks. As a consequence, access to much richer content is possible. 3G networks support video calls, web browsing and virtually all other Internet applications. Although 3G mobile phones are the primary device used on 3G networks, it is also common to use 3G networks to connect computers to the Internet. Currently high speed 3G coverage is limited to major cities and surrounding areas.
any help with
• advances in technology which are influencing multimedia development
o increased storage capacity allowing multimedia products to be stored at high resolutions
o improved bandwidth allowing transmission of higher quality multimedia
o improved resolution of capturing devices
o increases in processing power of CPUs
o improved resolution of displays
o new codecs for handling compression media while improving quality
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