Interactive Multimedia Computer Systems. The merging of various types of media with the computer has presented the field of education with a hybrid technology called Interactive Multimedia. Some equate hypermedia with interactive multimedia, and here the terms will be used synonymously. Hypermedia is the software framework for representing multimedia effects in a non-linear fashion, allowing user annotation, and providing navigational systems.
Interactive multimedia refers to the interactive audiovisual aspect of hypermedia systems.
With the growing ability to reduce the storage space needed for motion and full color still images, and with the decreasing cost of memory, the trend is toward more storage in optical formats. By allowing the compression and decompression of digitized images, it will increase the number of images that can be stored on a compact disc and improve the capacity of that medium to store motion video. The software component consists of generic programs such as Hypercard, ToolBook, Linkway, Quest, Guide, and Notecards. These programs index, provide access to, and allow navigation through the text, visuals, and audio in the multimedia database. This component usually includes video and audio indexing and control software, an index, a map of everything stored, linkages to navigate through the database, and a way to build new links.