Abstract: A multimedia search system that uses new meta tags specifically designed to identify, locate, and retrieve multimedia data, including streaming multimedia data, which is downloaded from a remote site and/or uses the meta tag data to link to remote web sites. The system provides search results which may be in the form of multimedia files which are displayed on the search results screen without requiring linking to a remote web site. The user can step from one multimedia search result to another by clicking on control buttons on the search results display screen. The system also provides a number of other search capabilities to deliver search results having multiple data types, including text, icon, audio, video, and/or multimedia. The system displays a selection of views which allow the searcher to choose the format of the search results. The format may be multimedia, multimedia and text, icons, icons and text, icons and multimedia, text, or combinations of the foregoing.