With global communications systems rapidly converging into a single, interactive, digital network, the efficient, effective, and perhaps profitable conveyance of multimedia information to and from remote locations is now near of hand. How is this convergence building, who are the major players in it, and how will your own future as an information user or provider be affected? This book answers these questions.

Authors Agnew and Kellerman, through their teaching, and through their work with IBM's Multimedia Business Unit, have been immersed for years in the development and direction of new information systems. Drawing on their first-hand experience, they describe here, for both technical and not-so-technical readers, the technologies that are making distributed multimedia bath possible and affordable.

They describe the principal applications and opportunities that have emerged from a combination of these technologies, as well as the associated challenges yet to be met. Through examples, case studies, and interviews with other experts, they illustrate what is both technically feasible and economically viable - what is likely to succeed, and what well may fail.

1. The authors' emphasis throughout this book is on where you fit in, specifically, what you can expect to see and gain from the emergence of distributed multimedia, and how you can actively participate. Whether your interest in the subject is business-related or personal, you will find here a broad perspective on the current state of the digital information industry and a valuable preparation for what's yet to come.