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Format

Quicktime

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Summary

Name
Quicktime
Identifiers
  • MIME: video/quicktime
  • PUID: x-fmt/384
Format type
Video
Disclosure
Full
Description
The QuickTime file format is a format for storing multimedia content, principally video, developed by Apple. The basic data unit in a QuickTime file is the atom. Each atom contains size and type information along with its data. The size field indicates the number of bytes in the atom, including the size and type fields. The type field specifies the type of data stored in the atom and, by implication, the format of that data. Atoms are hierarchical in nature. That is, one atom can contain one or more other atoms of varying types. For example, a movie atom contains one track atom for each track in the movie. The track atoms, in turn, contain one or more media atoms each, along with other atoms that define other track and movie characteristics. This hierarchical structure of atoms is referred to as a containment hierarchy. A QuickTime file is simply a collection of atoms. QuickTime does not impose any rules about the order of these atoms. Apple discontinued the support of Windows Media Player in the year 2016. Windows Media Player thus only supports file format versions 2.0, or earlier, of QuickTime Movie files. Newer QuickTime Movie files can be played on Windows with VLC Media Player.
Note
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL837?locale=en_US
File extensions
mov, qtm
Source
Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives
Developed by
Apple Computer, Inc.
Supported by
Apple Computer, Inc.

Relationships

Has lower priority than

Internal signatures

QuickTime variant1

Note
Offset 4: moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)
Endianness
None

QuickTime variant2

Note
Offset 4: mdat*moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra) Variants 2-8 cover the following pattern, which would be desirable to consolidate but is currently not possible due to limitations of the PRONOM signature engine: (mdat|cmov|ftypqt |pnot|skip|free|wide)*moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra) (6D646174|636D6F76|6674797071742020|706E6F74|736B6970|66726565|77696465)*6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
6D646174*6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)
Endianness
None

QuickTime variant3

Note
Offset 4: cmov*moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
636D6F76*6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)
Endianness
None

QuickTime variant4

Note
Offset 4: 'ftypqt ' only - assumption is that format is QuickTime if FTYP define as 'qt ' therefore no need to seek additional MOOV atom.

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
6674797071742020
Endianness
None

QuickTime variant5

Note
Offset 4: pnot*moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
706E6F74*6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)
Endianness
None

QuickTime variant6

Note
Offset 4: skip*moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
736B6970*6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)
Endianness
None

QuickTime variant7

Note
Offset 4: free*moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
66726565*6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)
Endianness
None

QuickTime variant8

Note
Offset 4: wide*moov{0-4096}(mvhd|cmov|rmra)

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
4
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
77696465*6D6F6F76{0-4096}(6D766864|636D6F76|726D7261)
Endianness
None

Changelog

  • Updated in V96

    Release date
    21 January 2020

    Quicktime: Paragraph added to description with regards to support and link added to the notes section. Submitted by Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen.

  • Updated in V93

    Release date
    30 November 2017

    Quicktime: For Quicktime signature variant 4, dropped the requirement to find the 'moov' atom when the value of the 'ftyp' atom appears at offset 4 as 'qt '. Request raised in Siegfried GitHub Issues tracker.

  • Updated in V86

    Release date
    27 July 2016

    Quicktime: Simplified signature.

  • Updated in V74

    Release date
    31 March 2014

    Quicktime: Improved specificity of BOF signature sequence offset.

  • Added in V67

    Release date
    26 February 2013

    Quicktime: Further signature variation developed through PRONOM Research.

  • Updated in V66

    Release date
    18 December 2012

    Quicktime: Improved signature through PRONOM Research.

  • Updated in V62

    Release date
    28 August 2012

    Quicktime: Existing signature refined through PRONOM Research.