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Unit 8.2

Web-Based Multimedia and Future Trends

IT 231: IT and Application

Learning Objectives 🎯

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  • ✅ Define web-based multimedia and its components.
  • ✅ Describe the core concepts of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).
  • ✅ Understand the emerging concept of the metaverse.

What is Web-Based Multimedia?

Web-based multimedia refers to the use of multiple forms of media content on a single website to create a more engaging user experience.

The modern web is fundamentally a multimedia platform.

  • Text
  • Graphics & Images
  • Audio
  • Video & Animation

Future Trends in Multimedia ⚡

The field is rapidly evolving towards more immersive and interactive experiences.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Creating new digital worlds.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Enhancing our real world.

The Metaverse

Building a persistent, shared 3D internet.

🔍 Trend 1: Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive experience that uses a headset to replace a user's real-world view with a completely computer-generated environment.

  • Goal: Create a convincing, interactive virtual world.
  • Key Element: Full immersion, blocking out the physical world.
  • Hardware: Requires a dedicated headset (e.g., Oculus Quest, HTC Vive).

🔍 Trend 2: Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented Reality (AR) overlays computer-generated images and information onto the user's view of the real world. It enhances reality, rather than replacing it.

  • Goal: Add a layer of digital information to the physical world.
  • Key Element: Blends digital and real environments.
  • Hardware: Often accessible via smartphones and tablets.

VR vs. AR: A Core Distinction

Virtual Reality (VR)

Replaces Reality

  • Fully immersive
  • Isolates you from the real world
  • Transports you to a new digital environment

Augmented Reality (AR)

Enhances Reality

  • Overlays digital info
  • Interacts with your real-world surroundings
  • Keeps you present in your physical space

Practical Applications 📊

AR in Action: Pokémon Go

This popular mobile game uses your phone's camera and GPS to make digital creatures appear in the real world, encouraging exploration.

VR in Training: Flight Simulators

Pilots use highly realistic VR simulators to practice emergency procedures in a safe, controlled, and repeatable environment.

Local Context: AR in Nepal

How could AR enhance experiences in Nepal?

Tourism & Heritage

Point your phone at a temple in Patan Durbar Square to see its history, view 3D models of its original structure, or get a guided audio tour.

Trekking & Navigation

An AR app could overlay trail markers, elevation data, and names of mountain peaks directly onto your view through your phone's camera.

🔍 Trend 3: The Metaverse

The Metaverse is an emerging concept for a future version of the internet: a persistent, shared, 3D virtual space where users interact with each other and with digital objects.

Think of it as a 3D internet that combines aspects of VR, AR, and social media.

Key Takeaways

  • Web-based multimedia is the standard for modern websites, combining text, graphics, audio, and video.
  • Virtual Reality (VR) creates fully immersive, separate digital worlds.
  • Augmented Reality (AR) overlays digital information onto our real world.
  • The Metaverse is a future vision for a persistent, shared 3D internet.

Discussion Questions

  1. What are some potential applications of VR beyond gaming and training? (e.g., healthcare, virtual meetings)
  2. How could AR be used to improve classroom learning in a university like ours?
  3. What do you see as the biggest technical or social challenges to making the metaverse a reality?

Thank You

Any questions?

Next Topic: Unit 9.1 - Cloud Computing Fundamentals

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