RFC 2361 (rfc2361) - Page 2 of 71
WAVE and AVI Codec Registries
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 2361 WAVE and AVI Codec Registries June 1998
be created for Internet protocols (e.g., [1], [3], [4]) to be able to
identify the codecs by which this so-called "traditional" multimedia
content has been encoded.
Unfortunately, several distinct encoding systems exist for
traditional multimedia content. Each system has its own registry to
ensure unique and stable codec identifications within that system.
Perhaps the best known of these registries are Microsoft (for WAVE
and AVI content) and Apple (for QuickTime content).
The purpose of this paper is to establish a mechanism by which codecs
registered within Microsoft's WAVE and AVI Registries may be
referenced within the IANA Namespace by Internet applications.
2 References to Registries within the IANA Vendor Tree
Reference [7] specifies that the IANA Namespace encompasses several
trees. Discussions within the IETF-Types mailing list concluded that
the most appropriate tree in which to reference codecs, which had
already been registered by non-IANA Registries, is the Vendor Tree.
As a result, the non-IANA registry is identified within the IANA
Vendor tree by vnd.RegistryName. A specific codec, which has been
registered within that registry, is identified by a required codec
parameter as specified by Section 2.2.3 of [7].
3 WAVE and AVI Registries
Both the WAVE and AVI Registries are historic databases that have
been maintained by Microsoft as a free service. The Registries sought
to assist developers of WAVE and AVI content and to standardize WAVE
and AVI content by
1) avoiding conflict and/or duplication with current definitions, and
2) providing the registered information in a standard document and
format that is publicly available.
The historic nature of these databases implies that unless the
original registrants informed the registrar of a change of status
(e.g., company acquired, new contact, new location, new phone), the
contact information has generally not been updated from the
originally registered values.
Audio codecs within the WAVE Registry are identified by WAVE Format
IDs. The (audio) WAVE Format ID is officially known as "WAVE form
Registration Number". The WAVE Format ID is a hexadecimal integer
value. These codecs may be referenced within the IANA namespace as
Fleischman Informational