announcing the elective course

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                             CSC467
                     Multimedia Technology
                          Spring 2010
                      MWF 11:45am-12:35pm
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    Digital technology has revolutionized audio, images, and video.
    Because it is so easy and cheap to create, store, and experience
    each of these, we are awash in a sea of media.

    Hardware has gotten dramatically smaller and cheaper over the
    last 25 years, and network bandwidths have increased by at least
    as much.  Once something is in digital form, however, the key
    component is always the same: the algorithms and software that
    provide functionality.

    If you are curious about the technology behind digital media,
    this course is for you.  We'll look at the processing techniques
    appropriate for audio, images, and video, using Matlab to
    implement algorithms and experiment on each type of media.
    We'll study in depth several standard compression techniques,
    and talk a bit about digital rights management.  We'll
    investigate protocols for streaming media, mechanisms for
    achieving smooth playback, and API's for media playback and
    capture.  Along the way, you should have a chance to experiment
    with the creative processes these techniques make possible.

    Prerequisites:
    Students should be competent programmers in one or more
    high-level languages, have taken an undergraduate course in
    operating systems (CSC246), have some knowledge of Internet
    protocols, and the standard mathematical background of
    engineering juniors or seniors.  This course is for Computer
    Science or Engineering majors, or others with sufficient
    technical background and interests.  

    Facilities:
    What used to require access to expensive and special-purpose
    software and hardware is now accessible to almost anyone.  We'll
    make use of freely available software that runs on personal
    computers, and we'll use the Virtual Computing Laboratory at
    N.C. State.

    About the instructor:
    Douglas Reeves has taught this course at the undergraduate and
    graduate levels for more than 15 years.  He is a Professor of
    Computer Science at N.C. State.