| How Does Digital Media Get Around? |
| We “convert data” every
day. For example, we use words to communicate visual information to
people who cannot see it themselves. But we must use many words to
describe a single photograph. In fact, the more words we use, the
more accurate will be the “picture” created in the mind
of the person who hears or reads them. A similar phenomenon takes
place when we convert images and sound into digital information, called
data or data files: it takes many “words” of computer
language (binary format, meaning 0s and 1s) to describe sounds and
images, also called audio and video. Most digital media involves a
large chunk of data, which, like anything large, is somewhat challenging
to move around. That is why really accurate, detailed digital media
requires specialized equipment, both software and hardware.
Sound and images can be converted to digital format in many ways. For example, most people have used scanners to convert photographs into digital images, and many are now using digital cameras to create digital images directly from real life! Similar processes take sound and video signals and record them in digital format onto CDs and DVDs. Digital media files exist in a variety of digital formats, described by acronyms you’ve probably heard, like GIF, MP3, JPEG, MPEG, and others. While the computer, at the basic level, understands only binary 0’s and 1’s, these formats represent different ways to convert the image into binary form. Just as different writers use different words to describe the same scene, so these formats result in slightly different translations of a sound or image. Converting a file into one of these formats is called “encoding.” Converting back into something you can hear or see is called “decoding.” When techies talk about “codecs,” they are discussing this process. These formats involve “compression,” reduction in the size of the data file. But with compression comes loss: when the digital file arrives at its destination and is “reconstituted” as audio or pictures, they don’t sound or look as good as the original. Usually, the smaller you make the file, the more you compress it, the worse the final image looks. One goal in the digital media industry has been to reduce file size without incurring loss; this is why our WaveTrace technology is so revolutionary. There are many ways to move data, ranging from very slow (carrying a floppy disk to another PC) to very, very fast (fiberoptic network). The speed of digital transmission is described in terms of bandwidth. Just as a multi-lane highway allows more cars to move faster, so wider bandwith allows more information to get through, faster. Very fast digital transmission, usually involving Internet access, is called broadband. Now that many people have access to fast digital networks, digital media is more readily available, and more and more devices include “computers” to accept and use that information, from your car to your television. And since digital information doesn’t depend on mechanical devices to read and record (like audio or video tapes, for example), the information is easier to use. A “Digital Media Delivery Plaform” – like our
Portal Gold MediaLink – is simply a computer designed specifically
to deliver sound and images to you via your television, monitor,
speakers – whatever devices allow you to experience them best
in your environment. |
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OngCorp