RFC 2361 (rfc2361) - Page 2 of 71

WAVE and AVI Codec Registries

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