Introduction to the Internet

The Internet can be defined as an alliance of interconnected data communication networks that allow those connected with the network to communicate with each other.   This communication may be in the form of electronic mail or multimedia images, may be either same-time or different-time, and may be person to person or collaborative. 

Multimedia Entertainment on the Internet

The Internet and its World Wide Web represent a new form of digital media that is still in its infancy and still evolving. It is expected that in the future, this new media generate a new industry that will affect society in the same degree as the film and television industry do today. It is expected that the key feature of this new medial will be Interactivity. Pure video is received best on television, audio is best received on radio, text and photographs are best received in print. The integration of these mediums can only occur using computers, which combined with the Internet communication network will offer instant access to information, allowing end-users to interactively mix and match their desires with customized presentations.

It is expected that a desire for audience participation will create interactive virtual reality type services

Entertainment:
Multimedia on the Internet

This page presents examples of multimedia sites on the Internet focused on entertainment. For a technical discussion of multimedia on the Internet and links to multimedia application programs developers that will add value to your web pages see the Multimedia: Technical page.

This document contains the following sections:

Examples of Interactive Media

The Internet is a new medium of communication. It is suggested that new entertainment forms using the Internet will focus on interactively - the unique strength of digital based media. The ability to provide a virtual reality situation will afford new opportunities for entertainment.

Chatting and Talking

Usually more interactive that e-mail Relationships, Chat Services require special client software that allows the user to assume an identity that has no relation to reality. Users can move into different chat rooms specializing in specific topics of discourse. Some will allow the creation of comic type characters to represent the user and others involved in the chat rooms discourse.

Requiring only special audio software, typically used in interview type environments.

Games

Interactive Stories

Web Magazines

Hybrid CD / Web

Several CD-ROM based programs contain links to the Internet. Games such as Quake use the Internet to provide interactively, and the basic CD ROM to provide the background graphics. Microsoft's Encarta is a CD ROM based encyclopedia that also provides Internet access to find updated information that was not in the latest version of the encyclopedia. ABC Newslinks (by Creative Wonder LLC, a joint venture of Electronic Arts, Inc. and ABC News) provides a CD ROM that contains archival video on current events. The program allows users to access American OnLine for text versions of current news events.

Art

Index of Other Pages and Supplemental Materials on:

Internet & Searching for Information

Additional reference material may be found at other sites: