Media Handlers: Fundamentals (Introduction, Video and Sound)

This chapter introduces the idea of media handlers, and provides details of the video and sound media handlers.

The Movie Toolbox does not contain direct support for manipulating specific media types. This work is performed by media handler components. Media handlers are components that are responsible for interpreting and manipulating a media's sample data.

Each media type has its own media handler, which deals with the specific characterisics of that media type. Apple provides media handlers for video, sound, text, sprites, timecodes, tweens, QuickDraw 3D, and QuickTime music. Because media handlers are implemented as components, new media handlers can be created to support new media types, or to add new features to the handling of existing media.

Applications do not normally interact with media handlers directly; applications make calls to the Movie Toolbox, which calls media handlers as needed.

Media Handler Components

Inside Macintosh provides an overview of what media handlers are. A diagram is provided, showing the interaction between applications, the Movie Toolbox, and media handler components.

Selecting Media Handlers

Inside Macintosh describes the functions provided by the Movie Toolbox that allow you to select media handlers and media data handlers.

Media Property Functions

QuickTime 3 Reference describes the functions for setting and retrieving the property atom container of a media handler. This allows you to get and set the properties of a track associated with the specified media handler.

Video Media Handler Functions

Inside Macintosh describes two functions that can be used specifically with video media handler components.

Sound Media Handler Functions

Inside Macintosh describes two functions that can be used with sound media handler components.