Interactive hypervideo editing system and interface

Abstract

An apparatus and method for interfacing with a hypervideo multimedia application when composing and playing same is disclosed. A novel hypervideo control and interface provides for either user-actuated or automatic transitioning between a plurality of video, graphics, textual, animation, and other types of multimedia files. A hypervideo control preferably transitions through distinct lifecycle phases and events as it is presented and removed from an interface display to visually convey to a user the present availability and impending removal of the control from the interface display, thereby providing an intuitive means for navigating a hypervideo application. In one embodiment, a hypervideo editing system includes a wordprocessing system and a separate video playback system. An author of a hypervideo application preferably identifies a particular frame of video displayed by the video playback system and creates an ASCII compliant mark video file that defines the type and functional characteristics of hypervideo controls, marks, and actions using the wordprocessing system. In a preferred embodiment, editing and playing of a hypervideo application is facilitated by a software-implemented hypervideo editing system that provides an intuitive graphical-user-interface (GUI) to facilitate rapid, real-time hypervideo application development, as well as playback capability. Object-oriented design principals are preferably employed to permit efficient linking and embedding of a hypervideo application or interface into an off-the-shelf software application or other parent application.