That’s the concept behind Multimedia，the newest buzzword.Multimedia，which typically refers to a synthesis of graphics，animation，optical storage，image processing，and sound，is not a single technology，product，or market.Instead，it is a collection of technologies that proponents believe will one day be joined together.So far，most of the activity in Multimedia has taken place on the Macintosh and on the Amiga because of their built-in graphics and sound features but you can expect this technology to spread to other platforms.
这就是多媒体这个最新术语背后的概念。多媒体一般是指图形、动画、光存储、图像处理和声音的合成，不是指单一技术、产品或市场。相反它是多种技术的集合，拥护者认为总有一天这些技术能融合在一起。迄今，多媒体的多数活动发生在Macintosh和Amiga机上，因为它们具有内置的图形和声音功能，但你有希望看到这种技术会扩散到其他平台上。
Today，the various technologies referred to as Multimedia define a number of individual niches.
今天，被当作多媒体的各种技术定义了很多独立的小类别。
One of the most important of these is animation，the capability to have moving images on your screen.Animation is tightly tied in with another concept called desktop video—actually creating and manipulating video images，to produce in-house presentations，rough drafts of commercial videos，or training products.
其中最重要的是动画，其功能是在你的屏幕上移动图像。动画又与另一种叫做台式视频的概念紧密相连，实际是生成和操纵视频图像、生成室内演示片、商业视频录像的草稿或培训产品。
Sound will also play a key role in multimedia presentations.
在多媒体演示中声音也将起关键作用。
Video images also take up a lot of disk space.To handle this，some groups are looking at optical discs for storage，particularly as erasable optical media become more mainstream.
视频图像也占了很多磁盘空间。为了解决这个问题，尤其是随着可擦写光盘成为主流产品，有些团体期待着光盘存储。
Desktop video and animation is all well and good，but what many proponents see is a way of combining all these elements into an interactive system—interactive multimedia or hypermedia.
台式视频图像和动画都不错，但很多支持者看中的是把所有这些单元结合成为一个交互系统（即交互多媒体或称作超级媒体）的方式。
The concept is to let a user select the direction of a multimedia presentation，easily moving from one element to another.Imagine a movie in which you can control what happens next.
此概念是让用户选择多媒体演示的走向，要能很容易地从一个单元移向另一单元。设想一个电影，你能控制下一步要发生什么。
Traditional computer languages are far too difficult for this task；perhaps an object-oriented programming system that includes a hypertext system would work.
传统的计算机语言完成此任务太难了，也许包含超级文本系统的面向对象的编程系统能发挥作用。
Apple，of coures，sees Hypercard as the core element in such a system.This makes a certain amount of sense.Hypercard fits many of the basic criteria：It was designed to be customizable，capable of linking information and incorporating all kinds of information，including text，graphics，and animation.
当然，Apple公司看中的Hypercard作为这种系统的核心。这是有些道理的。Hypercard符合很多基本准则：它被设计成可以定制的，能把各种类型的信息联接和混合在一起，这些信息包括文本、图形和动画。
That’s not to say there aren’t already markets for this technology.Multimedia applications have specific uses all over the spectrum，from professional-quality video production to corporate presentations to engineering visualization to better and easier training and computer-aided instruction products.But you can expect these markets to be more targeted （vertical）than mass marketed，somewhere between CAD and desktop publishing.
这不是说现在不存在此技术的市场了。多媒体应用从专业水准的视频图像制作到公司图片演示、工种视算化，更好更简易的培训和计算机辅助教学产品等所有方面都有具体用途。但你可以看到这些市场将更为专门、而不是大众化的，它介乎于CAD与台式出版之间。
Let’s look at it this way：Using a computer is still more difficult than driving a car or reading a newspaper.In some ideal future，it should be still more powerful，but，with multimedia techniques，much easier to use.
让我们这样来看，使用计算机仍比开车或读报困难。在某种理想化的未来，它应更为强大，但利用多媒体技术，也更易使用。
What Is MPC？
什么是多媒体PC机
What is MPC？MPC stands for “multimedia personal computer”.What it means is that your computing universe has just changed，forever and for the better.You know you have good reason to own a business-strenth PC at home.It helps you complete the work chores that otherwise would keep you burning the midnight oil back at the office.
什么是MPC？它是“多媒体个人计算机”的缩写。它意味着你的计算领域已开始发生永久性变化，并变得越来越好。你知道你有很好的理由在家里拥有一台具有事务处理能力的PC机。它帮助你完成繁重的工作任务，否则这些任务将迫使你留在办公室里开夜车。
But what can you do with your home PC powerhouse when you’re not working？That’s where multimedia comes in.It’s relatively cheap and easy to add stereo sound，a CD-ROM drive，and Windows to today’s work-at-home PC.What you end up with，though，is something far more revolutionary than just a computer that talks，plays compact discs，and displays pretty pictures.但是，当你不工作时，你在这些强大的家用PC机上能干些什么呢？这正好可让多媒体加入。在今天的家用PC机上增加立体声、CD-ROM光盘机和Windows操作系统相对而言是便宜的，而且也较容易。然而，你最终得到的是远比一台能说话、能播放光盘和能显示美丽图像的计算机更为革命性的东西。Your multimedia PC—MPC，for short—is the key to discovering books and encyclopedias that bring ideas to life through images and speech，games that match the quality and fun of the best arcade entertainment，and software that unleashes your personal creativity in music，animation，and video.
你的多媒体PC机（为简单起见，简称为MPC）成了完成以下诸活动的关键：它能发现通过图像和话音将思想带入实际生活的书籍和百科全书；发现与最好的街道娱乐质量和趣味相媲美的游戏；以及发现能的音乐、动画和视频图形方面发挥个人创造力的软件。
The requirements for an MPC are described in detail in Microsoft’s Multimedia PC Specification Version 1.0.Here are the key elements of the spec：
对一台MPC机的要求在Microsoft公司的《多媒体PC机规范第1.0版》一书中有详细的描述。下面是此规范的要点：
BASE SYSTEM：A Windows-capable system with a 10-MHz 286or faster CPU；at least 2MB of RAM；a 30-MB or larger hard disk；a 3.5-inch 1.44-MB floppy drive；a 101-key keyboard；a two-button mouse；and parallel，serial，and joystick ports.
基本系统：一台能运行Windows操作系统的系统，它采用10MHZ时钟的286或速度更快的CPU；至少有2兆字节的RAM；30兆字节或更大容量的硬盘；3.5英寸1.44兆字节的软盘机；101键的键盘；两按钮的鼠标器以及并行、串行的控制杆端口。
VIDEO：Standard VGA is all that’s required；VGA+（8bit color at standard VGA resolution）is strongly recommended.
视频显示：一般总是要求用VGA显示；特别推荐使用VGA+（标准VGA分辨率的8位彩色）。
CD-ROM：A CO-ROM drive that transfers at least 150K of data per second without taking up more than 40percent of the CPU’s attention，plays CD audio，and has an average access time of 1second or less.
CD-ROM：要求CD-ROM光盘机的数据传输率至少为每秒150K，不能占用40%以上的CPU时间，能放出光盘的音频，平均存取时间为一秒或更短。
