Definition of an MOV File

A .mov file is a movie file.

A MOV or .mov file is a movie file format sometimes referred to as the Apple QuickTime Movie Format. First introduced in 1991, it was one of the first movie formats available for computers. The format is limited to QuickTime, and the QuickTime player is available for free. The .mov format is also the basis for the MPEG-4 format, which is widely used from YouTube to Blu-Ray.

Technology

Multimedia container formats are a type of file that incorporates different types of media into a single file. For example, a file that contains video, audio and text would be a multimedia container format. This could easily describe a typical movie file containing video, audio and subtitle data. Multimedia container formats are common and include .wmv files, .mpeg files and .mov files.

Function

The .mov multimedia container format was created as an Apple Computer using a proprietary compression algorithm. The .mov file was created specifically for Apple's Quicktime software and is sometimes referred to as the Apple QuickTime Movie Format. QuickTime was introduced in late 1991 as a video player for Apple Macs. Since that time QuickTime has become available on Windows-based machines and remains a popular format.

History

Introduced in 1991 it took less than a year for commercial uses of the QuickTime product to be introduced. Ben & Jerry's interactive factory tour was the first such use of the product. By late 1992 QuickTime was playing files at 320x240 pixel resolution, previously unheard of. The ability to include text tracks, for captions, lyrics, or other purposes was added at the same time. By 1998 QuickTime 3.0 had incorporated MIDI music playback, advanced audio and video compression codecs, and the ability to import graphics formats like GIF, JPEG, and TIFF. By QuickTime 5 in 2001 MP3 audio and Flash playback and export had been incorporated. A year later QuickTime 6 was introduced with support for MPEG-4 video formats and mobile multimedia formats. By 2009 QuickTime X, also known as QuickTime 10 despite the previous version being identified as QuickTime 7, was introduced. QuickTime X supports visual chapters, conversion and sharing for YouTube and MobileMe, video editing, video and audio streaming capture, screen recording, and live streaming.

Limitations

Playing the QuickTime Movie Format, the .mov file format, is limited to the QuickTime application. The QuickTime application is available for Windows PCs and is included in installations of Apple Mac operating systems. It is not available for computers running Linux but alternative video players may be available for those systems. Though limited to the QuickTime application, the QuickTime Movie Format can be played inside web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. This is because QuickTime includes a browser plug-in accessible to these browsers allowing them to load the player in the browser window. Still, without the QuickTime application installed QuickTime movies cannot be played in web browsers.

Legacy

MPEG-4 was originally based on the QuickTime Movie Format. The MPEG-4 format is a popular movie format that is used by websites like YouTube and is on the High-Definition Blu-Ray video discs. Because MPEG-4 is based on a version of the QuickTime Movie Format the two formats can be used within QuickTime software environments almost interchangeably. MPEG-4 differs in being more broadly usable than QuickTime and it can be played in a variety of players and on a broader range of hardware.

References

• OSX Reference Library: QuickTime Overview
• Classic Version of the QuickTime File Format Specification
• Apple.com: QuickTime
• The Unofficial Apple Weblog: Quicktime X Leaps Forward in Snow Leopard