Single subject courses - Media Technology

These courses are only open for exchange students. If you as an exchange student have any questions about admission, prerequisites etc, please contact the International Office at internationaloffice@adm.vxu.se.

If you are a free mover, please contact the Admissions Office regarding possibilities to study at Växjö University: admission@vxu.se.

• DVM720 - Intelligent Multimedia Systems
• MEB717 - Introduction to SMIL
• MEB721 - Digital Video
• MEB723 - Interactivity and Game Design
• MEB724 - Advanced Video Production
• MEC703 - Virtual Environments
• MEC704 - Topical Problems
• MEC730 - Bachelor Thesis

Contact Person
Marcelo Milrad
Telephone: +46 470 70 80 00
Telefax: +46 470 840 04
E-mail: marcelo.milrad@vxu.se
School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering

January–March, 2007
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

This course introduces fundamental aspects of XML-related technolo­gies, artificial intelligence and mul­timedia.

Contents
The course consists of:

• W3C technologies – XML, SMIL, SVG, VoiceXML and MPEG-7
• Meta data, RDF and the semantic web
• Knowledge representation with the support of XML: ontologies and XML topic maps
• AI and multimedia
• Adaptive hypermedia/Multimedia information retrieval
• Architecture and design of intelligent multimedia systems

Recommended reading
The literature will be chosen in consul­tation with the teacher.

Teaching methods
Lectures, laboratory lessons and semi­nars. Exercises both individually and in groups.

Prerequisites
DAB723, Database theory, 5 credit points (7.5 ECTS) or IVB742, Introduc­tion to databases, 10 credit points (15 ECTS), or the equivalent.

Assessment methods
Assignments and/or written or oral examination.

Contact Person
Marcelo Milrad
Telephone: +46 470 70 80 00
Telefax: +46 470 840 04
E-mail: marcelo.milrad@vxu.se
School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering

October, 2006–January, 2007
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

This course will introduce SMIL while developing core skills, knowledge and techniques in the creation of interactive materials to be used on the WWW. It introduces fundamental aspects of the SMIL lan­guage, streaming media and content development ideas through lectures and the actual hands-on creation of digital media.

Contents
The Synchronized Multimedia Integra­tion Language (SMIL), an XML-based language, allows designers to synchro­nise and position video, pictures, anima­tions, audio and text to stream presenta­tions via the WWW. The following topics will be discussed and covered:

• Introduction to SMIL
• How XML and SMIL are related
• An overview of streaming media
• The SMIL specification modules
• Authoring and delivery platforms
• Application domains
• Design issues
• Advanced and selected topics within the field of SMIL and streaming media
• Future perspectives: 3G services, mo­bility and SMIL

Recommended reading
The literature will be chosen in consul­tation with the teacher.

Teaching methods
Lectures, laboratory lessons and seminars. Exercises both individually and in groups.

Prerequisites
A basic course in Media Technology, 20 credit points (30 ECTS) or the equivalent.

Assessment methods
Assignments and/or written or oral examination.

Contact Person
Jorge de Sousa Pires
Telephone: +46 470 70 89 33
Telefax: +46 470 840 04
E-mail: jorge.de_sousa_pires@vxu.se
School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering

September–November, 2006
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The importance of video communica­tion has increased enormously, as higher bandwidth becomes available and people want to communicate using a larger spectrum than just plain text. This ranges from chatting with web cameras to the professional use of video on web sites, such as instruc­tion videos or market communication.

This course deals with many of the tools, software and hardware, necessary to create an interesting video TV tableau.

Contents
This course relies heavily on the techniques in our studio and control room, from where students prepare and send TV over the Internet in real time. We deal with professional software and hardware for video capture (HD cam­eras), video editing and compositing. Topics include lighting, camera tech­nique, video editing and broadcasting in real time. On the more theoretical side, compression technologies are discussed as well as economic issues for the actual productions. One or more study visits are usually included in the course schedule. Nowadays, sending to mobile phones has also become a typi­cal assignment. Excitement and great fun under stress, it is!

Recommended reading
The literature will be chosen in consul­tation with the teacher.

Teaching methods
The teaching will always include self studies under guidance but also lectures, seminars and laboratory assignments. Presence in the studio is mandatory and so is every assignment in the course. The course relies heavily on the use of the studio and the well-equipped laboratory.

Prerequisites
20 credit points (30 ECTS) in Media Technology (first year) or the equiva­lent.

Assessment methods
Assignments and/or written examina­tion. Details will be given when the course starts.

Contact Person
Nicholas Pagden
Telephone: +46 470 70 84 70
Telefax: +46 470 840 04
E-mail: nicholas.pagden@vxu.se
School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering

January–March, 2007
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The course will cover a wide range of game-related topics but will primarily focus on interactivity, interaction design, game design and computer game construction. Although students will be able to choose from a range of individual and group assignments, group work is an essential part of the course as a working prototype of a computer game will be created. Previous ex­perience of playing games is helpful but not required.

Contents
The course consists of:

• Interaction theory
• Game theory (ludology)
• Computer game history, taxonomy and canon
• Interaction design
• Analyzing games
• Game design
• Commercial aspects of designing, developing and producing computer games
• Gaming culture, ethics and games in media

Recommended reading
The literature will be chosen in consul­tation with the teacher.

Teaching methods
Lectures, laboratory lessons and semi­nars. Exercises both individually and in groups.

Prerequisites
A basic course in Media Technology, 20 credit points (30 ECTS) or the equivalent.

Assessment methods
Individual and group assignments.

Contact Person
Jorge de Sousa Pires
Telephone: +46 470 70 89 33
Telefax: +46 470 840 04
E-mail: jorge.de_sousa_pires@vxu.se
School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering

April–June, 2007
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)  

This course is a follow-up of the first video course (MEB721), which is a prerequisite. The course deals with the production of video in various settings of Media Technology.

Contents
The first video course very much deals with the tools, software and hardware, to produce an interesting video tableau or sequence.

This course, Advanced Video Pro­duction, as the name implies, deals with the production flow, from the start to the end, in an efficient manner. Some new tools are also introduced for video editing and compositing. Produc­tion tools are studied, such as pipeline productions and Gantt diagrams. Even more excitement and great fun under even more stress, it is!

Recommended reading
The literature will be chosen in consul­tation with the teacher. 

Teaching methods
The teaching will always include self studies under guidance but also lectures, seminars and laboratory assignments. Presence in the studio is mandatory and so is every assignment in the course. The course relies heavily on the use of the studio and the well-equipped laboratory.

Prerequisites
20 credit points (30 ECTS) in Media Technology (first year), as well as the course MEB721, or a well-documented equivalent.

Assessment methods
Assignments and/or written examina­tion. Details will be given when the course starts.

Contact Person
Jorge de Sousa Pires
Telephone: +46 470 70 89 33
Telefax: +46 470 840 04
E-mail: jorge.de_sousa_pires@vxu.se
School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering

January–June, 2007
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

Media Technology is a field with a fast pace of development, as the web evolves and more communication methods become available – a list, in no way comprehensive, nowadays naturally includes mobile devices, blogs, wiki, Java, interaction in gam­ing, ubiquitous computing and the possibilities for learning wherever, whenever. This course explores one or several current challenges in Media Technology.

Contents
The actual contents of this course will vary from year to year in order to ex­plore current topical problems in Media Technology. The contents, always decided upon in consultation with the teacher, may also be dealt with through individual assignments that suit the interests of the student.

This is one of the more exciting courses, because the task at hand is so very up-to-date and as such tough to solve. It’s almost a research project where few people have stepped into before.

Recommended reading
The literature is decided in consultation with the teacher and focuses, naturally, on the problem at hand.

Teaching methods
The teaching methods will be based on the actual current topical problem(s) and the number of attending students. The teaching will always include self studies under guidance but also lectures, seminars and laboratory assignments. Details regarding the course, including information about mandatory sessions, will be given when the course starts.

Prerequisites
40 credit points (60 ECTS) in Media Technology, where 20 credit points (30 ECTS) have to be from second-year Media Technology courses, or the equivalent.

Assessment methods
Assignments and/or written examina­tion. Details will be given when the course starts.

Contact Person
Jorge de Sousa Pires
Telephone: +46 470 70 89 33
Telefax: +46 470 840 04
E-mail: jorge.de_sousa_pires@vxu.se
School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering

September, 2006–January, 2007
10 credit points (15 ECTS)
The course is also offered January–June, 2007
10 credit points (15 ECTS)

Media Technology is a field with a fast pace of development, as the web evolves and more communication methods become available – a list, in no way comprehensive, nowadays naturally includes mobile devices, blogs, wiki, Java, interaction in gam­ing, ubiquitous computing and the possibilities for learning wherever, whenever. This course, being the last course in the progression of Media Technology studies, prepares the stu­dent to think about research issues in the field.

Contents
Research issues not only include pro­totyping some device or technique but also scientific thinking, from the detec­tion of an issue not dealt with before, to an interesting solution. The result is often a prototype of some kind, as well as a report that thoroughly describes the process and the methodology used to arrive at the conclusions presented.

The actual contents of this course will vary according to the problem at hand, the interests of the student and those of the company involved. Lectures and seminars may include Scientific Thinking, Scientific Writing, Search­ing the Electronic Library for research papers and managing references.

Recommended reading
The literature is decided in consultation with the teacher and focuses, naturally, on the problem at hand.

Teaching methods
Teaching will be based on the actual current topical problem(s). The teach­ing will always include self studies under guidance but also lectures and seminars, which are all mandatory. Details regard­ing the course will be given when the course starts.

Prerequisites
40 credit points (60 ECTS) in Media Technology, where 20 credit points (30 ECTS) have to be from second-year Media Technology courses, or the equivalent.

Assessment methods
Presence and active participation in the mandatory seminars and lectures. The report, a quasi-scientific paper, and the eventual prototype naturally weigh the most. Details will be given when the course starts.