From: matts@microsoft.com (Matt Saettler)
Subject: Re: RIFF files?
Date: 20 Aug 92 17:01:57 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corporation

In article <17839@acorn.co.uk> pcolmer@acorn.co.uk (Philip Colmer) writes:
>Does anyone know where I can obtain the file format for RIFF files without
>having to buy the Microsoft Multimedia Developers Kit?
>
>--Philip
>
Here is an article I posted almost a year ago.  Updates to RIFF are in the
RIFFNEW.ZIP file

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With this posting, I'm announcing that I have uploaded the
IBM/Miscrosoft RIFF and MCI definition document to usenet.
Microsoft is making this document available for public download 
from Compuserve, the MM Sys BBS, Microsoft Online, 
and through anonymous ftp.

The files are available for anonymous ftp download from
the ~ftp/vendor/microsoft/multimedia directory on the
machine ftp.uu.net on the internet. 

If you don't have anonymous ftp access, try Compu$erve
in the MULTIMEDIA or MSOPSYS forum, or Microsoft Online.

This document describes multimedia interfaces (MCI) and data
formats (RIFF).  IBM has committed to include support for these
in OS/2.  These interfaces are already supported in the Multimedia
Extensions for Windows (MME).  These extensions will be included
in Windows 3.1, and are in the current (final) beta.

Included in the RIFF file format is a waveform (audio) definition;
this format is the system standard for Windows and OS/2 (and, hence
a.b.s.d).

Here's the rmtxt.ztx.readme file:

This document is available in two forms: RTF and Text.

The source (compressed) files are:
Text:	RMTxt.zip(6 character) or RIFFMCIT.ZIP
RTF:	RMRTF.zip(6 character) or RIFFMCIR.ZIP

Documents are distributed to:
ftp.uu.net: 	~ftp/vendor/microsoft/multimedia
MM Sys BBS:	206 936-4082 9600,n,8,1
Compu$erve:	Go WINSDK


The file formats and interfaces discussed here are supported in the
Multimedia Extensions to Windows.  In addition, IBM has stated that
they will support these formats and interfaces in OS/2

----------------------------------------------------------------------------     
     Multimedia Programming Interface
     and Data Specifications 1.0
     
     Issued as a joint design by IBM Corporation and
     Microsoft Corporation
     
     August 1991
     
     This document describes the programming interfaces and
     data specifications for multimedia that are common to
     both OS/2 and Windows environments. These
     specifications may be enhanced to incorporate new
     technologies or modified based on customer feedback
     and, as such, specifications incorporated into any
     final product may vary.
     
     Microsoft is a registered trademark, and Windows is a
     trademark of Microsoft Corp.
     
     IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of International
     Business Machines Corporation.


Overview     
     
     This document describes the file format and control
     interface specifications for multimedia. These
     specifications allow developers to use common file
     format and device control interfaces.


Resource Interchange File Format

     
     The Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF), a tagged
     file structure, is a general specification upon which
     many file formats can be defined. The main advantage of
     RIFF is its extensibility; file formats based on RIFF
     can be future-proofed, as format changes can be ignored
     by existing applications.
     
     The RIFF file format is suitable for the following
     multimedia tasks:
     
     o     Playing back multimedia data
     
     o     Recording multimedia data
     
     o     Exchanging multimedia data between applications
       and across platforms
     
     Chapter 2, Resource Interchange File Format,
     describes the RIFF format.


Multimedia File Formats

     
     A number of RIFF-based and non-RIFF file formats have
     been defined for the storage of multimedia data.
     Chapter 3, Multimedia File Formats, describes the
     following file formats:
     
     o     Bundle File Format
     
     o     Device-Independent Bitmap (DIB) and RIFF DIB file
       formats
     
     o     Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) and
       RIFF MIDI file formats
     
     o     Palette File Format
     
     o     Rich Text File Format
     
     o     Waveform Audio File Format


Media Control Interface

     
     The Media Control Interface (MCI) is a high-level
     control mechanism that provides a device-independent
     interface to multimedia devices and resource files.
     
     The Media Control Interface (MCI) provides a command
     set for playing and recording multimedia devices and
     resource files. Developers creating multimedia
     applications are encouraged to use this high-level
     command interface rather than the low-level functions
     specific to each platform. The MCI command set acts as
     a platform-independent layer that sits between
     multimedia applications and the underlying system
     software.
     
     The MCI command set is extensible in two ways:
     
     o     Developers can incorporate new multimedia devices
       and file formats in the MCI command set by creating
       new MCI drivers to interpret the commands.
     
     o     New commands and command options can be added to
       support special features or functions required by
       new multimedia devices or file formats.
     
     Using MCI, an application can control multimedia
     devices using simple command strings like open, play,
     and close. The MCI command strings provide a generic
     interface to different multimedia devices, reducing the
     number of commands a developer needs to learn. A
     multimedia application might even accept MCI commands
     from an end user and pass them unchanged to the MCI
     driver, which parses the command and performs the
     appropriate action.
     
     Chapter 3, Media Control Interface, describes MCI and
     its command set in detail.


Registering Multimedia Formats

     
     This document discusses several multimedia codes and
     formats that require registration. These multimedia
     elements include the following:
     
     o     Compression techniques
     
     o     RIFF form types, chunk IDs, and list types
     
     o     Compound-file usage codes
     
     o     Waveform audio format codes
     
     To register these multimedia elements, request a
     Multimedia Developer Registration Kit from the
     following group:RIFF forms;registering
     
     Microsoft Corporation
       
       Multimedia Systems Group
       Product Marketing
       One Microsoft Way
       Redmond, WA 98052-6399
     
     The Multimedia Developer Registration Kit also lists
     currently defined multimedia elements.

Any detailed feedback or questions to matts@microsoft.com, please.

Matt Saettler, Microsoft Multimedia Systems Group