Web/DVD-based multimedia architecture simulator

This paper describes a Web/DVD-based multimedia architecture simulator and courseware which the authors have developed for a course module entitled "multimedia architectures". The goal of this module is to study architectural enhancements to microprocessors to support multimedia applications. The courseware provides lecture material including audio/video lecture recordings and slides, references to relevant websites, a search engine, and various Java applets and the multimedia architecture simulator. The simulator is Web/DVD-based and runs on-line. Most existing simulators require the user to go through the steps of downloading, installing, and configuring the software. Their online simulator has the advantage of being able to run directly from the web browser without any such steps. The simulator has the complete functionality of a multimedia-oriented computer system which effectively simulates an SIMD (single instruction multiple data) architecture. The simulator can compile, run, and debug image processing programs. Using program examples and projects, students can experiment with the concepts introduced in the lecture. The integration of the Web-based simulators, lectures, references and search mechanism online creates an effective course environment.