MMProgRef - Multimedia Specification Overview

Reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation, © International Business Machines Corporation

Multimedia Programming Reference
Introduction What's New... MCI Functions High-Level Macro Service Functions Subsystem Messages Notification Messages MCI Command Messages String Commands Memory Playlist Commands Graphic Button Control Secondary Window Functions MMIO Functions MMIO Messages CODEC Messages DIVE Functions Real-Time MIDI Functions SPI Functions Data Stream State Table SMH Messages DDCMD Messages VSD Commands SHD Messages SHC Messages Data Types Types of MIDI Messages Multimedia Specification Overview Resource Interchange File Format Multimedia File Formats RIFF Compound Files and Elements - Sharing and Access Return Codes Notices Glossary

The following sections contain specifications for multimedia file formats. Resource Interchange File Format describes the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) tagged file structure. Multimedia File Formats describes recognized multimedia file formats, most of which are based on the RIFF tagged file structure.

If your application requires a new file format, it is recommended that it be defined using the RIFF tagged file structure described in Resource Interchange File Format.

Notation Conventions

The following table lists some of the notation conventions used to describe RIFF and the multimedia file formats. Further conventions and the notation for documenting RIFF forms are presented later in Notation for Representing Sample RIFF Files.

Notation	Description
<element label>	RIFF file element with the label 'element label'
<element label: TYPE>	RIFF file element with data type 'TYPE'
[<element label>]	Optional RIFF file element
<element label>...	One or more copies of the specified element
[[<element label>]]...	Zero or more copies of the specified element

Registering Multimedia Formats

Several multimedia codes and formats require registration to guarantee their uniqueness. These multimedia elements include the following:

Compression techniques
RIFF form types, chunk identifiers, and list types
Compound file usage codes
Waveform audio format codes.

More information about registration requirements is included with the descriptions of the RIFF tagged file structure. To register multimedia elements, request a Multimedia Developer Registration Kit from the following group:

Microsoft Corporation
Multimedia Systems Group
Product Marketing
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399

The Multimedia Developer Registration Kit also lists currently defined multimedia elements.