Balancing the differences between analog and digital networks, keeping them accessible and scalable and documented is an art. Sometimes just keeping them up and running is a formidable task. When rich media is the data being created, stored, transported and distributed special care must be given to certain functions being performed on or by the network. Mixing media, i.e. still graphics of various sizes and resolutions, full motion video in a cornucopia of formats, on time multi channel full fidelity audio (also available in more formats than you can imagine) and raw data (guess what...raw data is not universally uniform in structure nor content) requires embracing all the similarities and differences in their analog and digital components that require varied treatment and handling and sorting on any network. Integrating systems or combining networks in the same or mixed domains can be a challenge if you are unaware of the nuances. Trying to incorporate rich media into an existing network already overburdened with data may be the ultimate can of worms. Packet management and network topology/architecture play a big roll. Streaming technologies are still in their childhood. Desktop computing is just over a quarter century old, solid state electronics is just turning 60, broadcast television is barely old enough to "retire," radio is in its late 80's and the telegraph reaching for the century and a half mark .... but you would be misinformed if you thought multimedia projects and systems are anything new. The concept of a multimedia system can be traced to Paul Nipkow, a German, who in 1884 at age 24 developed the first video disc. Nipkow combined his video disc with Guglielmo Marconi's radio components yielding the Nipkow system, which endured well into the 1920's as the standard for multimedia research.

Designing and planning a multimedia project, network or standalone system requires some basic understanding of available technologies, the roles they play in the overall scheme of things and the requirements they bring with them. There is currently, and will always be, a certain amount of misinformation about these technologies brought about by aggressive sales and marketing teams that distort definitions and realities of any specific technology to further their interests. Multimedia Engineering believes that the volume of misinformation about the meaning of digital, bandwidth, broadband, wireless, and baseband technologies is currently at an unprecedented level. However, we also acknowledge how rapidly technology moves. Don't get caught flat eared...let us help.

Authoring and mastering digital multimedia CD-ROM's, DVD's, web sites, kiosk's and content for streaming is, even at it's most fundamental level, a complex endeavour. Multimedia Engineering can help your company formulate a sound business plan inclusive of all the phases of multimedia development. Choosing the right tools and techniques for successfully designing a multimedia project begins with an understanding that the hardware and software are secondary to the project team, their understanding of the planned design, the ability to work together and take advantage of the predominant skills of each member and sensitivity to the timeline and budget. Multimedia Engineering can help you build a team, lead a team, or just be a team member.