Optical videodiscs can store more than 50,000 full-color images or frame pictures in analogue form, as well as analogue sounds on audio tracks and large amounts of text as digital data. Full video motion is achieved by playing 25 or 30 frames a second, depending on the standard used. Interactive videodisc systems are computer-controlled and allow the user to move easily from one segment to another according to the options and instructions programmed in by the instructional designer. Interactive videodisc technology has not become widely used, as a result of the lack of standardization across systems, the paucity of educational material in this form, and the advent of lower-cost multimedia authoring software. CD-ROMs used with personal computers do a similar job for a lower cost. More on interactive videodiscs   Murphy, D. Tsang, E. & Vermeer, R. 1996, "Interactive multimedia development at the Open learning Institute of Hong Kong," Paper presented at the conference on Educational Technology 2000: A Global Vision for Open and Distance Learning, Singapore, August 15-17, 1996.

Print and Recorded Delivery • Technology • Home