Multimedia Books

Unfortunatly I arrived at Virginia Commonwealth University's graphic design program after Phil Meggs had passed away. His legacy still lives on. Rob Carter on the other hand has been my professor. He is a great man who pushes his students into experimenting and becoming comfortable with their own styles of design. He is by no means a "stuffy" guy. I have some of their books and I don't have one problem with them at all.

By the way, this book is a good one!

The Digital Designer is a quality publication , plus it covers enough ground to be useful in all of the classes we teach, so students going through the program will probably keep it and use it in several classes.

Your text is written in a friendly, accessible tone, and is a relief from some of the stuffy "Design is the Center of the Universe" books out there. As an example stuffy books are anything by Stephen Heller, Phil Meggs, or Rob Carter.

Their books are really good, of course, but frankly too focused on defining design as an official profession. Their books to me always seem like they are stiffly trying to define design as a formal, codified, yet creative event.

You seem to have achieved that friendly informative tone with ease. Kudos to you on your well resolved text. Frankly, this book is more useful to our program than any Rob Carter book, because of its accessibility.

This book covers some new and interesting topics in interactive digital multimedia industry, such as Digital TV, Metadata, Digital Broadcast, Digital Rights Management, Ambient Multimedia, and so on. This book provides you a broad and comprehensive view about the current multimedia application and service industry. It's the first book I have ever seen to cover so many key words and state-of-art technologies in this field. It's really a useful book for both beginners and advanced readers.

Besides the key words above, the book also covers many critical standards, from MPEG-2/4/7/21 to DVB/MHP. However, the author efficiently combined the standards, theories and practical examples, explains these profound things in a extremely simple way, which prevents you from tedious and difficult studying of these standards.

The authors focused on both the technologies and the applications. The vivid examples, and the coherent technology clue, make the reader easily get involved into the scenarios in this book. In addition, so many useful links and references make you easier to go deeper into specific topics. Furthermore, a web site has been create for this book. You can find more interesting information there.

One way to determine the level of growth of a research field is to assess the availability of relevant conferences, journals and books. In particular, the latter is a good measure of the maturity of the field, since they provide an overview of a critical mass of published work. In the interactive TV field, there been more than a few conferences and special issues in journals, but books are still scarce. So, it was a pleasant surprise to discover the book "Digital Interactive TV and Metadata", which was written by a very active team of researchers from the Digital Media Institute at the Tampere University of Technology, in Finland.

The first part of the book (Theory) begins with a short overview of DTV standards and the respective applications types that are enabled by this basic set of industry standards. Next, the book surveys the fields of Web, multimedia, DTV, in order to provide an extensive overview of metadata standards, which is the core focus of this work. Having laid the background theory, the authors present the "Digital Broadcast Item Model", which they have helped define, in the context of the MPEG21 standard. The first part of the book closes with a discussion of the implementation requirements for metadata in DTV systems.

The second part of the book (Application) begins with an interdisciplinary analysis of DTV in the fields of business strategy, consumer behaviour and narrative, all of which are put in a metadata context at the end of the chapter. Next, the authors describe the application of metadata in several DTV fields, such as digital rights management, production, interactive TV content, and personalization. The book closes with a discussion of a few innovative applications and future scenarios for DTV.

Overall, it is a rather accessible technical book for DTV and metadata. It is suitable for researchers and developers of DTV systems. In a field that is in constant growth it would have run the risk of missing recent developments, but the book is coupled with a web site that offers additional and up-to-date information (http://www.digitalbroadcastitem.tv/). Moreover, the website offers complementary slides, handouts and exercises that can be used for teaching a DTV and metadata module in university programs.

Ms. Carlson's book, Digital Media in the Classroom is a breath of fresh air in this world of techno-babble and deliberately dense teaching materials. Taking the students (and their instructor!) on a step by step journey through the world of digital tools and applications, Ms. Carlson has provided the classroom teacher with a clear, concise, and easy to follow map through the maze that has come to be known as Technology Education. Without making the reader feel like a complete techno-idiot, concepts are clarified, techniques demonstrated, and student efforts are validated in a relaxed yet efficent manner. Brava Ms. Carlson! Many Thanks!

Digital Media in the Classroom should be in the hands of every teacher in every subject K-12. We are in the 21st century and to connect with students today it is critical we engage students with digital tools. Technology should not exist in isolation from the core courses and Gigi Carlson clearly outlines how we can bring content "alive" in every subject. The book provides a wealth of examples which can be easily implemented in any classroom. Digital Media in the Classroom will bring a bit of magic into any class by taking any static national or state standard and making it "interactive" for you and your students.

This is simply the best book on digital retouching that I've seen! Some of the other books look slick, but when you get down to it, all they provide are a series of quick tips on how to fix particular problems. This book has those tips, too, but the author goes much deeper into explaining why these techniques are necessary, and exactly how they work. Instead of handing me a fish, Busch has taught me how to fish! When faced with a particular problem not covered in this or the other books, I now know enough to be able to handle it myself. Great approach!

The book looks at all kinds of digital retouching and compositing techniques, written especially from the photographer's viewpoint. Everything works with Photoshop, and all illustrations are in full color so it's easy to see exactly how the steps work as well as the final results.

This is the second book I've purchased from this author, and I find all his books to be both informative and fun (the lesson on how to convert superhero NoCopyright Man's uniform from color to an accurate black and white version is hilarious and worth the price of the book alone!) I learned a lot about photography, Photoshop, retouching, and compositing from this book. I recommend it highly.

Mr. David Busch has written a clear and concise referenceguide and tutorial. Equipped with a photographic background, the author effectively points out the differences between the darkroom and the computer. This is very helpful in understanding the why's as well as the how's in using Photoshop.

This text was written as a companion to an earlier book, Photoshop 7: The Photographers Guide. The author decided to take three chapters from that book and expand on them. This book is the result. You do not need to read his first book in order to follow this one. That is a tribute to the clarity in this book.

As a matter of fact I didn't even use the CD included. I was able to apply all of the chapter tutorials on my own source material! if you already have an over-all guide to Photoshop and you are looking for texts that address specific capabilities than you should consider buying David Busch's Digital Retouching and Compositing. I guarantee your skills will improve.

I had noted this book at a friend of mine and ordered one from Amazon.

Excellent book covers all areas and explained with plain language. I would recommend the book for those beginners who wish to understand more about the subject and would like to move on to more complex stuff.

I read the German translation of this book, also published by Dorling Kindersley. I am relatively new to professional video production and this book has given me all the basic knowledge required. It gave me more confidence in the difficult time when I decided to start out professionally.
This book helped me choose which computer, which video editing programmes, which camera and which audio equipment to buy. Apart from offering an introduction to video techniques and giving ideas for projects, it provides an overview of the latest equipment that amateurs, semi-professionals (this category includes indie filmmakers/ documentary makers) and top professionals use.

Digital Video Handbook is split into 7 chapters:
Introduction to Digital Video
Handling Camera

I feel really lucky to have stumbled across this book. It is not Lingo heavy, but tells you all the little tricks to making Director work for you, including what is the best movie format for your target audience, how to mask movies, how to control sound with simple commands, and much more. The author has a genuine enthusiasm for his subject matter, and he plainly has a lot of experience in designing multimedia interfaces with Director. His advice is straight from the field, and that's invaluable. His generous sharing of experience steers you away from frustrating mistakes that would otherwise drive you crazy. This book tells you all the cool, juicy stuff you need to know to make presentations with Director. You will not become a Lingo God, but if you are a beginner, you will advance to intermeadiate and borderline advanced levels with the knowledge gained from this book. And the author makes it all seem so easy - which it is!

This is a great book for web and multimedia developers. I have been using Flash and Dreamweaver, but saw a demo on what Director can do for the web. Although this book cover more than developing for the web, there's a ton of information to build the coolest interactive Shockwave sites. This book was extremely easy to follow. The section about the games and how to build them quickly was amazing. This book is worth getting.

This book is an indispensible tool for users of Macromedia Director. We found it to be easy to use, clearly written, and a great resource for all those third-party Xtras that extend Director's capabilities. Because this is a 'reference' book, at the office this book is usually hard to find because it makes the rounds so often. (I'd recommend you purchase more than one copy if you are in an office environment.) I think what I like best is that Director users of any experience level can benefit from this book--from novices adding new transitions to experts using the book's extensive Lingo libraries. Good developing!

Far too many computer books on the market are written by so-called "computer book authors" who "play" with the software that is the subject of their books. Rich Shupe is not one of those authors. If you wade through this dense resource you quickly realize that the author not only uses the software products covered but is also intimately familiar with them from the perspective of a hardcore developer who has lived and struggled through the multimedia revolution. The knowledge presented in this book is equally matched by the straightforward and easy to understand presentation from the author. If you need to understand Director...and you need to make it work for your clients and your prjects...this is a treasure trove of information. Let's hope that more of the so-called software oriented books can live up to the standard Rich Shupe has set with his Director Xtras book.

This is a very comprehensive book that covers all the aspects of DivX creation including info that you will find no where else or information that is less understandable else where. As the other reviewer said, all the programs are available free on the internet. I have successfully created DivX projects from the info in this book (before the book I couldn't). The book also contains info on making your computer into a home PVR (video recorder) to record programs like a TiVo. Great Book.

This book surpasses anything out on the subject.The software mentioned is on the web (free). The book is really underpriced.

Check it out yourself.

Also purchased Video CD, Data Becker other book.

Deserving of ongoing mention and recommendation is the second revised, updated edition of a fine handbook for either mobile or club DJs. THE DJ HANDBOOK surveys the entire art of the DJ business, from music selection and mixing to fostering DJ contacts, troubleshooting audio problems, and understanding equipment. While the equipment is the major focus of THE DJ HANDBOOK, it's also notable for its background details on the industry and experience as a whole.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Are you a DJ? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Charles Slaney, has done an outstanding job of writing a second edition of a book that is an essential read for every DJ.

Torres, begins by providing you with an introduction to Mixing and how its done; as well as, an explanation about the mechanical process and the musical or performance side, that is essential to modern DJing. Then, the author covers some specifics that may assist you, assuming of course that you want to get paid for what you do and that you want to get work in the first place. Next, he concentrates on the types and some makes of equipment you'll encounter. The author then covers sound basics in greater depth and what you need to know bout the technical aspects of the controls you'll operate. He continues by taking a quick look at the mix, the different types of mix and the way to achieve them. Then, the author takes a quick look at some things that might help the mobile DJ. Next, he makes you aware of the potential hazards of being a DJ: health and safety, etc. The author then discusses career progression. He continues by explaining the art of Djing: Knowing exactly what to play and when. Next, he covers the real life account of a real DJ: James Camm. The author then discusses copyright and licensing. He continues by covering various DJ products. Finally, he introduces you to a list of sites that he has visited in the course of his own activities and in researching this book.

In this most excellent book, you'll find advice in choosing equipment; as well as, setting it all up and getting the best sound out of it--whatever the venue. More importantly, don't forget that there's more to being a successful DJ than just playing records.

Jon Fauer, who's film-camera books have set a standard in the industry, has written his second video-related book. This one too is full of very practical information, and answers those nagging questions about differences between DV and the DVCAM format. No matter what level of production experience a person has, there's information in this book that will prove helpful in the field.

What I like about this book is how it complements the more general "Shooting DV" book by the same author, focussing on DVCAM specifically - the similarities, differences as well as compatabilities beween mini-DV and DVCAM. There are clear technical explanations that make sense even if you're not a very technically-oriented digital-video user. I also really like the many clear illustrations and photos of the various cameras functions, as well as the tape-formats. Very useful info about important details such as the weight of various tapes, all the way to various digital-editing options. Jon also asks really valid questions through his explanations "does such-and-such a feature justify the price difference". It's nice to have a book that packs in so much practical, technical information in an easy-to-read, and use, book.