The Multimedia Personal Computers

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Put at its simplest, a standard is an agreed,repeatable way of doing something. It is a published document that contains a technicalspecification or other precise criteria designed to

be used consistently as a rule, guideline, or definition. Standards help to make life simpler and to increase the reliability and theeffectiveness of many goods and services we

use. Standards are created by bringing together the experience and expertise of all interested parties such as the producers, sellers, buyers,users and regulators of a particular material, product, process or service.



A bbreviation of Multimedia Personal

Computer, a software and hardware standard

developed by an agreement of computer firmsled by Microsoft. There are three MPC

standards, called MPC, MPC2, and MPC3,

respectively. Each specifies a minimumhardware configuration for running

multimedia software.



As the personal computer industry wasAs the personal computer industry wasgrowing during the 1980¶s it became apparentgrowing during the 1980¶s it became apparent

that hardware standards were needed. Thethat hardware standards were needed. The

installed market, however, often thwarted theinstalled market, however, often thwarted theefforts of companies developing applications,efforts of companies developing applications,

including multimedia titles, for personalincluding multimedia titles, for personal

computers. These companies could notcomputers. These companies could not

produce a different version of their application produce a different version of their application

for every possible PC configurationfor every possible PC configuration

(processors speed, memory capacity, monitor (processors speed, memory capacity, monitor

resolution).resolution).



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titlestitles for for thethe A ppleA pple computerscomputers.. ThisThis isis because because thethe

A ppleA pple CorporationCorporation controlledcontrolled thethe specificationsspecifications of of eacheach

of of itsits modelsmodels andand thosethose developingdeveloping applicationsapplications thatthat ranran

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createdcreated aa definitedefinite developmentdevelopment problem problem for for companiescompanies

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In 1990 a group of companies agreed on the Multimedia

Personal Computers (MPC) specifications for Windows-

based machines. These specifications became known asthe MPC level 1specifications. The MPC level 1 focused

on the speed and capacity of the system unit, the

resolution and colors for the display unit (monitor), and

the quality of the CD-ROM drive and sound card. AnMPC logo was developed and those companies that

manufactured hardware that met the specifications or

those companies that developed applications that ran on

the MPC machines were allowed to use the logo. Thelogo was a great advantage to consumers, who could use

the logo to tell at a glance if an application was

compatible with their hardware.



Minimum requirements are a 16 MHz 386SX

of microprocessor with 2 megabytes of R AM,

a 30 MB hard disk drive, and a CD-ROM drive with a sustained data transfer rate

of 150 KB/s at no more than 40% of CPU

bandwidth and reading at least 16 KB blocks.The maximum average seek time is 1 second

and the Mean time between failure 10000

hours. Capability Mode 1.



The computer must have 8-bit digital sound and an

8-note synthesizer with MIDI playback. Sample rates

of 22.05 and 11.025 kHz must be supported by nomore than 10% of CPU bandwidth, preferably 44.1

kHz at no more than 15% of CPU bandwidth. The

synthesizer must support multi-voice, multi-timbral

generation of six simultaneous melody notes and twosimultaneous percussive notes with internal mixing

capabilities to combine input from three sources and

present the output as a stereo, line-level audio signal

at the back panel.The video display must have a resolution of at least

640 x 480 in 16 colors. MIDI, I/O, and joystick ports

must be provided.





In 1991 the Multimedia PC Marketing Council

was formed to promote and revise the standards.This council was affiliated with the Software

Publishers Association, the predominant

industry trade group. The council included

Microsoft, IBM, Philips Consumer Electronics,

Comptons new Media, and NEC Technologies.

Those developing the standards we face that we

trade-off: size of the market versus power of thecomputer system. If the standards were set high,

developers could create more exciting and

compelling titles increasing the market appeal.



On the other hand, the installed market

consisted of computers at the low endcomputing power. Understandably,

consumers were hesitant to purchase

entirely new systems to run applications.The challenge was to create standards

that would allow companies to develop

to the widest possible audience and stilltake advantage of newer computing

technologies.



In 1993, the MPC Level 2 specifications were

published. The MPC Level 2 specificationshad a dramatic effect on the industry. TheMPC Level 2 reduced the risk involved indevelopers creating titles. As a developer,

you knew that if you created a CD title thatmet the MPC specifications, the title wouldrun on MPC machines. In addition, when youput the MPC logo on your product,

consumers knew that your title would run ontheir MPC machines.



Minimum requirements are a 25 MHz 486SX of

microprocessor with 4 MB of R AM and a 160 MB hard disk

drivers. The CD-ROM drive must support a sustained data

transfer rate of 300 KB/s using at most 60%

of CPU bandwidth on 16 KB minimum block read size. Itsaverage seek time must be 400 milliseconds maximum.

Capability Mode 1, Mode 2 form 1, Mode 2 form 2,

Multisession. It must be CD-ROM XA-ready.

The computer must have 16-bit digital sound, an 8-notesynthesizer, and MIDI playback. A sample rate of 44.1 kHz

must be available on stereo channels with more than 15% of

CPU bandwidth.

A video display with a resolution of 640 x 480 in 65,536

colors, and MIDI, I/O, and joystick ports must be provided.



In 1995, the Software Publishers Grouptook responsibility for upgrading the MPCstandards and released the MPC Level 3

specifications. MPC Level 3 specifications

included a requirement for videocompression that allows full screen andfull motion video.



RAM: 8MB

Processor: 75 MHz Pentium

Input: 2-button mouse, 101 key keyboardHard disk : 540MB

CD-ROM: 4x, 250 ms, CD-ROM XAmultisession

Sound: 16-bit, wavetable MIDI playback

Graphics performance: color space conversionand scaling, direct access to frame buffer

Video playback : OM1-compliant MPEG1 in

hardware or software.



The MPC program was never a success and it is rare

today to see software or hardware labeled with the

term "MPC". As the standardized term failed to catch

on, and as the Software Publishers Association

turned away from consumer software in the late

1990s, interest in the MPC standard vanished. The

problem of software labeling continues, especially in

the field of computer games, where a multitude of

3D video cards has been manufactured with an

extremely wide range of display capabilities, and no

common industry labeling standard to let consumers

know whether their card is powerful enough to let

them play a particular game.

The Multimedia Personal Computers

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