Multimedia Vs. Hypermedia

Definition of multimedia and hypermedia

Multimedia means that there are multiple mediums of communications working together to send messages within a given presentation. These include audio, video, and animation in addition to traditional media (e.g. text, graphics drawings, and images). Multimedia as a word resonates with 90's buzzwords associated with the tech and dot-com booms. Media, already in plural form, required no modifier grammatically, but sloganeers found the term to be useful in providing the powerful draw of the "newness" of new media and technology business.

Example :*Windows media center (an entire computer dedicated to multimedia)
*Apple iphone (An all in one multimedia, communication and organization device)
*Xbox360 (not only a game console, but a device that can be used to listen to music, play movies, videos, browse the internet, download many types of files, network with other computers to stream media, and can be paired with many accessories that emphasize multimedia through human interaction)

Hypermedia is a term created by Ted Nelson, and used in his 1965 article Complex information processing: a file structure for the complex, the changing and the indeterminate. “It is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext, in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information. This contrasts with the broader term multimedia, which may be used to describe non-interactive linear presentations as well as hypermedia. The difference should also be noted with hypergraphics or super-writing which is a Lettrist form from the 1950s which systemises creativity across disciplines.”
The World Wide Web is a classic example of hypermedia, whereas a non-interactive cinema presentation is an example of standard multimedia due to the absence of hyperlinks.


shortly, What is the difference between hypermedia & multimedia?
Multimedia means that computer information can be represented through audio, video, and animation in addition to traditional media (e.g. text, graphics drawings, and images).

Hypermedia, a term derived from hypertext, extends the notion of the hypertext link to include links among any set of multimedia objects, including sound, motion video, and virtual reality.


Resources : http://newmedia.wikia.com/