imported>InfiniteNexus: /* top */ redirect hatnote

2024-05-04T23:42:31Z

top: redirect hatnote

New page

{{Short description|Multimedia container file format}}
{{Being merged|spacetype=|Qtch|Talk:QuickTime File Format#Proposed merge of Qtch into QuickTime File Format|section=|inactive=|date=February 2024|nocat=|dir=from}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{redirect|.mov|the top-level domain|.mov (top-level domain)}}
{{Infobox file format
| name = QuickTime Movie
| icon = 
| logo =
| extension = .mov, .movie, .qt
| mime = video/quicktime<ref name="iana">{{cite web |url=https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/video/ |title=Video Media Types |publisher=IANA |date=June 4, 1993 |access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4281#page-3 |title=The Codecs Parameter for "Bucket" Media Types |publisher=IETF |date=November 2005 |doi=10.17487/RFC4281 |access-date=July 20, 2010|last1=Gellens |first1=R. |last2=Singer |first2=D. |last3=Frojdh |first3=P. }}</ref>
| type code = MooV
| uniform type = com.apple.quicktime-movie
| magic =
| owner = [[Apple Inc.]]
| type = [[Container format (digital)|Container format]]
| container for = Audio, video, text
| contained by =
| extended from =
| extended to = [[ISO base media file format|MPEG-4 Part 12]]
| standard =
| open = Yes
| free = No<ref>{{cite tech report |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |series=Sustainability of Digital Formats |type=Full draft |title=QuickTime File Format |date=February 14, 2013 |url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000052.shtml |access-date=December 13, 2019}}</ref>
| released = Proprietary: {{start date and age|1991|12|02}}<br/>Public: {{start date and age|2001|03|01}}<ref>{{cite web |title=QuickTime File Format |url=https://developer.apple.com/standards/qtff-2001.pdf |website=Apple Developer |publisher=Apple |access-date=December 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006062224/https://developer.apple.com/standards/qtff-2001.pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2021 |date=March 1, 2001 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| latest_release_version = {{start date and age|2016|09|13}}<ref name="qtff-revisions">{{cite web |title=QuickTime File Format Specification - Document Revision History |url=https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/QuickTime/QTFF/RevHistory/QTFFrevision_history.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40000939-CH228-SW1 |website=Apple Developer |access-date=December 13, 2021 |date=September 13, 2016}}</ref>
}}

'''QuickTime File Format''' ('''QTFF''') is a computer [[file format]] used natively by the [[QuickTime]] framework.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/QuickTime/QTFF/QTFFPreface/qtffPreface.html |title=QuickTime File Format Specification: Introduction to QuickTime File Format Specification |author=Apple Inc. |access-date=October 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/term.cfm/quicktime |title=QuickTime - AfterDawn.com glossary |author=AfterDawn.com |access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://wiki.multimedia.cx/index.php?title=QuickTime_container |title=QuickTime container |publisher=MultimediaWiki |access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref>

== Design ==
The format specifies a [[container format (digital)|multimedia container file]] that contains one or more tracks, each of which stores a particular type of data: audio, video, or text (e.g. for subtitles). Each track either contains a digitally-encoded media stream (using a specific format) or a data reference to the media stream located in another file. Tracks are maintained in a hierarchical data structure consisting of objects called atoms. An atom can be a parent to other atoms or it can contain media or edit data, but it is not supposed to do both.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/QuickTime/QTFF/QTFFChap2/qtff2.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40000939-CH204-SW1 |title=QuickTime File Format Specification: Movie Atoms |author=Apple Inc. |access-date=October 9, 2018}}</ref>

The ability to contain abstract data references for the media data, and the separation of the media data from the media offsets and the track edit lists means that QuickTime is particularly suited for editing, as it is capable of importing and editing in place (without data copying). Other later-developed media container formats such as Microsoft's [[Advanced Systems Format]] or the [[Matroska]] and [[Ogg]] containers lack this abstraction, and require all media data to be rewritten after editing.

== Relation to MP4 ==
Because both the QuickTime and MP4 container formats can use the same [[MPEG-4]] formats, they are mostly interchangeable in a QuickTime-only environment. MP4, being an international standard, has more support. This is especially true on hardware devices, such as the [[PlayStation Portable]] and various DVD players; on the software side, most [[DirectShow]] and [[Video for Windows]] codec packs<ref>[http://hellninjacommando.com/defilerpak/ DefilerPak – A lightweight codec pack for Windows PCs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815154602/http://hellninjacommando.com/defilerpak/ |date=August 15, 2015 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.k-litecodecpack.com/ K-LiteCodecPack.com: Download Codecs, Videos and MP3s]</ref> include an MP4 parser, but not one for QTFF.

In QuickTime Pro's MPEG-4 Export dialog, an option called "Passthrough" allows a clean export to MP4 without affecting the audio or video streams. One discrepancy ushered in by QuickTime 7 released on April 29, 2005, is that the QuickTime file format supports multichannel audio (used, for example, in the high-definition trailers on Apple's site<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trailers.apple.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213200700/http://www.apple.com//trailers//|url-status=dead|title=iTunes Movie Trailers|archive-date=February 13, 2010|website=trailers.apple.com}}</ref>).

== Extensions ==
{{main|ISO base media file format|MPEG-4 Part 14}}
The [[International Organization for Standardization]] approved the QuickTime file format as the basis of the MPEG-4 file format. The MPEG-4 file format specification was created on the basis of the QuickTime format specification published in 2001.<ref name="quicktime-format-2001">{{cite web
|url= https://developer.apple.com/standards/classicquicktime.html
|title= Classic Version of the QuickTime File Format Specification
|author= Apple Inc.
|year= 2001
|access-date= June 14, 2009
}}</ref> The MP4 ({{mono|.mp4}}) file format was published in 2001 as the revision of the MPEG-4 Part 1: Systems specification published in 1999 (ISO/IEC 14496-1:2001).<ref name="digitalpreservation-ISO-14496-1-2001">{{cite web
|url= http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/fdd/fdd000037.shtml
|title= MPEG-4 File Format, Version 1
|author= Library of Congress
|year= 2001
|access-date= June 14, 2009
}}</ref><ref name="rfc4337">{{cite web
|url= http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4337#page-4
|title= RFC 4337 – MIME Type Registration for MPEG-4
|author= Network Working Group
|year= 2006
|doi= 10.17487/RFC4337
|access-date= June 14, 2009
|doi-access= free
}}</ref><ref name="ISO-14496-1">{{cite web
|url= http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=34903
|title= MPEG-4 Part 1: Systems; ISO/IEC 14496-1:2001
|author= International Organization for Standardization
|year= 2001
|access-date= June 11, 2009
}}</ref> In 2003, the first version of MP4 format was revised and replaced by [[MPEG-4 Part 14]]: MP4 file format (ISO/IEC 14496-14:2003).<ref name="ISO-14496-14">{{cite web
|url= http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=38538
|title= MPEG-4 Part 14: MP4 file format; ISO/IEC 14496-14:2003
|author= International Organization for Standardization
|year= 2003
|access-date= June 11, 2009
}}</ref> The MP4 file format was generalized into the [[ISO base media file format|ISO Base Media File Format]] ISO/IEC 14496-12:2004, which defines a general structure for time-based media files. It in turn is used as the basis for other multimedia file formats (for example [[3GP]], [[JPEG 2000#Motion JPEG 2000|Motion JPEG 2000]]).<ref name="mp4ra-org-references">{{cite web
|url= http://www.mp4ra.org/specs.html
|title= References, MPEG-4 Registration authority
|author= mp4ra.org – MP4 Registration authority
|access-date= June 14, 2009
}}</ref><ref name="mpeg4part12">{{cite web
|author= ISO
|author-link= International Organization for Standardization
|title= ISO Base Media File Format white paper – Proposal
|date= April 2006
|url= http://www.chiariglione.org/mpeg/technologies/mp04-ff/index.htm
|access-date= December 26, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080714101745/http://www.chiariglione.org/mpeg/technologies/mp04-ff/index.htm |archive-date = July 14, 2008}}</ref><ref name="mpeg4part12--new">{{cite web
|author= ISO
|author-link= International Organization for Standardization
|title= ISO Base Media File Format white paper – Proposal
|publisher= chiariglione.org
|date= October 2009
|url= http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies/mpeg-4/mp04-ff/index.htm
|access-date= December 26, 2009}}</ref><ref name="mpeg4part12-mp4">{{cite web
|author= ISO
|author-link= International Organization for Standardization
|title= ISO/IEC 14496-12:2008, Information technology – Coding of audio-visual objects – Part 12: ISO base media file format
|publisher= International Organization for Standardization
|year= 2008
|url= http://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/c051533_ISO_IEC_14496-12_2008.zip
|format= PDF
|pages= 88, 94
|access-date= May 30, 2009}}</ref><ref name="ISO-14496-12">{{cite web
|url= http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=38539
|author= International Organization for Standardization
|title= MPEG-4 Part 12: ISO base media file format; ISO/IEC 14496-12:2004
|year= 2004
|access-date= June 11, 2009}}</ref> A list of all registered extensions for ISO Base Media File Format is published on the official registration authority website [http://www.mp4ra.org/ www.mp4ra.org]. This registration authority for code-points in "MP4 Family" files is Apple Inc. and it is named in Annex D (informative) in MPEG-4 Part 12.<ref name="mpeg4part12-mp4" />

== See also ==
* [[Comparison of video container formats]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Compression formats}}

[[Category:QuickTime|File Format]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1991]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 2001]]
[[Category:Digital container formats]]

QuickTime File Format - Revision history

imported>InfiniteNexus: /* top */ redirect hatnote