| Internet-Draft | Matroska Codec | July 2023 |
| Lhomme, et al. | Expires 3 January 2024 | [Page] |
This document defines the Matroska codec mappings, including the codec ID, layout of data
in a Block Element and in an optional CodecPrivate Element.¶
This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.¶
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet-Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.¶
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."¶
This Internet-Draft will expire on 3 January 2024.¶
Copyright (c) 2023 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.¶
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.¶
Matroska is a multimedia container format. It stores interleaved and timestamped audio/video/subtitle data using various codecs. To interpret the codec data, a mapping between the way the data is stored in Matroska and how it is understood by such a codec is necessary.¶
This document intends to define this mapping for many commonly used codecs in Matroska.¶
This document is a work-in-progress specification defining the Matroska file format as part of the IETF Cellar working group. It uses basic elements and concept already defined in the Matroska specifications defined by this workgroup [Matroska].¶
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.¶
A Codec Mapping is a set of attributes to identify, name, and contextualize the format
and characteristics of encoded data that can be contained within Matroska Clusters.¶
Each TrackEntry used within Matroska MUST reference a defined Codec Mapping using the
Codec ID to identify and describe the format of the encoded data in its associated Clusters.
This Codec ID is a unique registered identifier that represents the encoding stored within
the Track. Certain encodings MAY also require some form of codec initialization
in order to provide its decoder with context and technical metadata.¶
The intention behind this list is not to list all existing audio and video codecs,
but rather to list those codecs that are currently supported in Matroska and therefore
need a well defined Codec ID so that all developers supporting Matroska will use the
same Codec ID. If you feel we missed support for a very important codec, please tell
us on our development mailing list (cellar at ietf.org).¶
Support for a codec is defined in Matroska with the following values.¶
Each codec supported for storage in Matroska MUST have a unique Codec ID.
Each Codec ID MUST be prefixed with the string from the following table according to
the associated type of the codec. All characters of a Codec ID Prefix MUST be
capital letters (A-Z) except for the last character of a Codec ID Prefix which MUST be
an underscore ("_").¶
| Codec Type | Codec ID Prefix |
|---|---|
| Video | "V_" |
| Audio | "A_" |
| Subtitle | "S_" |
| Button | "B_" |
Each Codec ID MUST include a Major Codec ID immediately following the Codec ID Prefix.
A Major Codec ID MAY be followed by an OPTIONAL Codec ID Suffix to communicate a refinement
of the Major Codec ID. If a Codec ID Suffix is used, then the Codec ID MUST include a
forward slash ("/") as a separator between the Major Codec ID and the Codec ID Suffix.
The Major Codec ID MUST be composed of only capital letters (A-Z) and numbers (0-9).
The Codec ID Suffix MUST be composed of only capital letters (A-Z), numbers (0-9),
underscore ("_"), and forward slash ("/").¶
The following table provides examples of valid Codec IDs and their components:¶
| Codec ID Prefix | Major Codec ID | Separator | Codec ID Suffix | Codec ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A_ | AAC | / | MPEG2/LC/SBR | A_AAC/MPEG2/LC/SBR |
| V_ | MPEG4 | / | ISO/ASP | V_MPEG4/ISO/ASP |
| V_ | MPEG1 | V_MPEG1 |
Each encoding supported for storage in Matroska MUST have a Codec Name.
The Codec Name provides a readable label for the encoding.¶
An optional description for the encoding. This value is only intended for human consumption.¶
Each encoding supported for storage in Matroska MUST have a defined Initialization.
The Initialization MUST describe the storage of data necessary to initialize the decoder,
which MUST be stored within the CodecPrivate Element. When the Initialization is updated
within a track, then that updated Initialization data MUST be written into the CodecState Element
of the first Cluster to require it. If the encoding does not require any form of Initialization,
then none MUST be used to define the Initialization and the CodecPrivate Element
SHOULD NOT be written and MUST be ignored. Data that is defined Initialization to be
stored in the CodecPrivate Element is known as Private Data.¶
Additional data that contextualizes or supplements a Block can be stored within
the BlockAdditional Element of a BlockMore Element. This BlockAdditional data MAY
be passed to the associated decoder along with the content of the Block Element.
Each BlockAdditional is coupled with a BlockAddID that identifies the kind of data
it contains. The following table defines the meanings of BlockAddID values.¶
| BlockAddID Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| 0 | Invalid. |
| 1 | Indicates that the context of the BlockAdditional data is defined by the corresponding Codec Mapping. |
| 2 or greater |
BlockAddID values of 2 and greater are mapped to the BlockAddIDValue of the BlockAdditionMapping of the associated Track. |
The values of BlockAddID that are 2 of greater have no semantic meaning, but simply
associate the BlockMore Element with a BlockAdditionMapping of the associated Track.
See Section 6 on Block Additional Mappings for more information.¶
The following XML depicts the nested Elements of a BlockGroup Element with an example of BlockAdditions:¶
<BlockGroup>
<Block>{Binary data of a VP9 video frame in YUV}</Block>
<BlockAdditions>
<BlockMore>
<BlockAddID>1</BlockAddID>
<BlockAdditional>
{alpha channel encoding to supplement the VP9 frame}
</BlockAdditional>
</BlockMore>
</BlockAdditions>
</BlockGroup>
¶
Documentation of the associated normative and informative references for the codec is RECOMMENDED.¶
A timestamp, expressed in [RFC3339] that notes when support for the Codec Mapping
within Matroska was deprecated. If a Codec Mapping is defined with a Deprecation Date,
then it is RECOMMENDED that Matroska writers SHOULD NOT use the Codec Mapping after the Deprecation Date.¶
A Codec Mapping MAY only be defined with a Superseded By value, if it has an
expressed Deprecation Date. If used, the Superseded By value MUST store
the Codec ID of another Codec Mapping that has superseded the Codec Mapping.¶
Creators of new Codec Mappings to be used in the context of Matroska:¶
SHOULD assume that all Codec Mappings they create might become standardized, public,
commonly deployed, or usable across multiple implementations.¶
SHOULD employ meaningful values for Codec ID and Codec Name that they have reason
to believe are currently unused.¶
SHOULD NOT prefix their Codec ID with "X_" or similar constructs.¶
These recommendations are based upon Section 3 of [RFC6648].¶
Codec ID: V_MS/VFW/FOURCC¶
Codec Name: Microsoft (TM) Video Codec Manager (VCM)¶
Description: The private data contains the VCM structure BITMAPINFOHEADER including the extra private bytes, as defined by Microsoft. The data are stored in little-endian format (like on IA32 machines). Where is the Huffman table stored in HuffYUV, not AVISTREAMINFO ??? And the FourCC, not in AVISTREAMINFO.fccHandler ???¶
Initialization: Private Data contains the VCM structure BITMAPINFOHEADER including the extra private bytes,
as defined by Microsoft in https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd183376(v=vs.85).aspx.¶
Citation: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd183376(v=vs.85).aspx¶
Codec ID: V_UNCOMPRESSED¶
Codec Name: Video, raw uncompressed video frames¶
Description: All details about the used color specs and bit depth are to be put/read from the TrackEntry\Video\UncompressedFourCC elements.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_MPEG4/ISO/SP¶
Codec Name: MPEG4 ISO simple profile (DivX4)¶
Description: Stream was created via improved codec API (UCI) or even transmuxed from AVI (no b-frames in Simple Profile), frame order is coding order.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_MPEG4/ISO/ASP¶
Codec Name: MPEG4 ISO advanced simple profile (DivX5, XviD, FFMPEG)¶
Description: Stream was created via improved codec API (UCI) or transmuxed from MP4, not simply transmuxed from AVI.
Note there are differences how b-frames are handled in these original streams,
when being compared to a VfW created stream, as here there are no dummy frames inserted,
the frame order is exactly the same as the coding order, same as in MP4 streams.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_MPEG4/ISO/AP¶
Codec Name: MPEG4 ISO advanced profile¶
Description: Stream was created via improved codec API (UCI) or transmuxed from MP4, not simply transmuxed from AVI.
Note there are differences how b-frames are handled in these original streams,
when being compared to a VfW created stream, as here there are no dummy frames inserted,
the frame order is exactly the same as the coding order, same as in MP4 streams.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_MPEG4/MS/V3¶
Codec Name: Microsoft (TM) MPEG4 V3¶
Description: Microsoft (TM) MPEG4 V3 and derivates, means DivX3, Angelpotion, SMR, etc.; stream was created using VfW codec or transmuxed from AVI; note that V1/V2 are covered in VfW compatibility mode.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_MPEG1¶
Codec Name: MPEG 1¶
Description: The Matroska video stream will contain a demuxed Elementary Stream (ES), where block boundaries are still to be defined. It's RECOMMENDED to use MPEG2MKV.exe for creating those files, and to compare the results with self-made implementations¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_MPEG2¶
Codec Name: MPEG 2¶
Description: The Matroska video stream will contain a demuxed Elementary Stream (ES), where block boundaries are still to be defined. It's RECOMMENDED to use MPEG2MKV.exe for creating those files, and to compare the results with self-made implementations¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC¶
Codec Name: AVC/H.264¶
Description: Individual pictures (which could be a frame, a field, or 2 fields having the same timestamp) of AVC/H.264 stored as described in [ISO.14496-15].¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains a AVCDecoderConfigurationRecord structure, as defined in [ISO.14496-15].
For legacy reasons, because Block Addition Mappings are preferred, see Section 4.7,
the AVCDecoderConfigurationRecord structure MAY be followed by an extension block beginning
with a 4-byte extension block size field in big-endian byte order which is the size of the extension block
minus 4 (excluding the size of the extension block size field) and a 4-byte field corresponding
to a BlockAddIDType of "mvcC" followed by a content corresponding to the content of BlockAddIDExtraData for mvcC; see Section 4.7.8.¶
Codec ID: V_MPEGH/ISO/HEVC¶
Codec Name: HEVC/H.265¶
Description: Individual pictures (which could be a frame, a field, or 2 fields having the same timestamp) of HEVC/H.265 stored as described in [ISO.14496-15].¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains a HEVCDecoderConfigurationRecord structure, as defined in [ISO.14496-15].¶
Codec ID: V_AVS2¶
Codec Name: AVS2-P2/IEEE.1857.4¶
Description: Individual pictures of AVS2-P2 stored as described in the second part of [IEEE.1857-4].¶
Initialization: none.¶
Codec ID: V_AVS3¶
Codec Name: AVS3-P2/IEEE.1857.10¶
Description: Individual pictures of AVS3-P2 stored as described in the second part of [IEEE.1857-10].¶
Initialization: none.¶
Codec ID: V_REAL/RV10¶
Codec Name: RealVideo 1.0 aka RealVideo 5¶
Description: Individual slices from the Real container are combined into a single frame.¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains a real_video_props_t structure in big-endian byte order as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: V_REAL/RV20¶
Codec Name: RealVideo G2 and RealVideo G2+SVT¶
Description: Individual slices from the Real container are combined into a single frame.¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains a real_video_props_t structure in big-endian byte order as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: V_REAL/RV30¶
Codec Name: RealVideo 8¶
Description: Individual slices from the Real container are combined into a single frame.¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains a real_video_props_t structure in big-endian byte order as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: V_REAL/RV40¶
Codec Name: rv40 : RealVideo 9¶
Description: Individual slices from the Real container are combined into a single frame.¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains a real_video_props_t structure in big-endian byte order as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: V_QUICKTIME¶
Codec Name: Video taken from QuickTime(TM) files¶
Description: Several codecs as stored in QuickTime, e.g., Sorenson or Cinepak.¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains all additional data that is stored in the 'stsd' (sample description) atom
in the QuickTime file after the mandatory video descriptor structure
(starting with the size and FourCC fields). For an explanation of the QuickTime file format read QuickTime File Format Specification.¶
Codec ID: V_THEORA¶
Codec Name: Theora¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains the first three Theora packets in order. The lengths of the packets precedes them. The actual layout is:¶
#p minus one inside the CodecPrivate block. This MUST be "2" for current (as of 2016-07-08) Theora headers.¶
#p packets, coded in Xiph-style lacing. The length of the last packet is the length of the CodecPrivate block minus the lengths coded in these bytes minus one.¶
Codec ID: V_PRORES¶
Codec Name: Apple ProRes¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains the FourCC as found in MP4 movies:¶
Codec ID: V_VP8¶
Codec Name: VP8 Codec format¶
Description: VP8 is an open and royalty free video compression format developed by Google and created by On2 Technologies as a successor to VP7. [RFC6386]¶
Codec BlockAdditions: A single-channel encoding of an alpha channel MAY be stored in BlockAdditions. The BlockAddId of the BlockMore containing these data MUST be 1.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_VP9¶
Codec Name: VP9 Codec format¶
Description: VP9 is an open and royalty free video compression format developed by Google as a successor to VP8. Draft VP9 Bitstream and Decoding Process Specification¶
Codec BlockAdditions: A single-channel encoding of an alpha channel MAY be stored in BlockAdditions. The BlockAddId of the BlockMore containing these data MUST be 1.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: V_FFV1¶
Codec Name: FF Video Codec 1¶
Description: FFV1 is a lossless intra-frame video encoding format designed to efficiently compress video data in a variety of pixel formats. Compared to uncompressed video, FFV1 offers storage compression, frame fixity, and self-description, which makes FFV1 useful as a preservation or intermediate video format. Draft FFV1 Specification¶
Initialization: For FFV1 versions 0 or 1, Private Data SHOULD NOT be written. For FFV1 version 3 or greater, the Private Data MUST contain the FFV1 Configuration Record structure, as defined in https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-cellar-ffv1-04#section-4.2, and no other data.¶
Codec ID: A_MPEG/L3¶
Codec Name: MPEG Audio 1, 2, 2.5 Layer III¶
Description: The data contain everything needed for playback in the MPEG Audio header of each frame. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x0055¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_MPEG/L2¶
Codec Name: MPEG Audio 1, 2 Layer II¶
Description: The data contain everything needed for playback in the MPEG Audio header of each frame. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x0050¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_MPEG/L1¶
Codec Name: MPEG Audio 1, 2 Layer I¶
Description: The data contain everything needed for playback in the MPEG Audio header of each frame. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x0050¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_PCM/INT/BIG¶
Codec Name: PCM Integer Big Endian¶
Description: The audio bit depth MUST be read and set from the BitDepth Element. Audio samples MUST be considered as signed values,
except if the audio bit depth is 8 which MUST be interpreted as unsigned values. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : ???¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_PCM/INT/LIT¶
Codec Name: PCM Integer Little Endian¶
Description: The audio bit depth MUST be read and set from the BitDepth Element. Audio samples MUST be considered as signed values,
except if the audio bit depth is 8 which MUST be interpreted as unsigned values. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x0001¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_PCM/FLOAT/IEEE¶
Codec Name: Floating-Point, IEEE compatible¶
Description: The audio bit depth MUST be read and set from the BitDepth Element (32 bit in most cases).
The floats are stored as defined in [IEEE.754] and in little-endian order. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x0003¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_MPC¶
Codec Name: MPC (musepack) SV8¶
Description: The main developer for musepack has requested that we wait until the SV8 framing has been fully defined for musepack before defining how to store it in Matroska.¶
Codec ID: A_AC3¶
Codec Name: (Dolby™ (U+2122)) AC3¶
Description: BSID <= 8 !! The private data is void ??? Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x2000 ; channel number have to be read from the corresponding audio element¶
Codec ID: A_AC3/BSID9¶
Codec Name: (Dolby™ (U+2122)) AC3¶
Description: The ac3 frame header has, similar to the mpeg-audio header a version field. Normal ac3 is defined as bitstream id 8 (5 Bits, numbers are 0-15). Everything below 8 is still compatible with all decoders that handle 8 correctly. Everything higher are additions that break decoder compatibility. For the samplerates 24kHz (00); 22,05kHz (01) and 16kHz (10) the BSID is 9 For the samplerates 12kHz (00); 11,025kHz (01) and 8kHz (10) the BSID is 10¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AC3/BSID10¶
Codec Name: (Dolby™ (U+2122)) AC3¶
Description: The ac3 frame header has, similar to the mpeg-audio header a version field. Normal ac3 is defined as bitstream id 8 (5 Bits, numbers are 0-15). Everything below 8 is still compatible with all decoders that handle 8 correctly. Everything higher are additions that break decoder compatibility. For the samplerates 24kHz (00); 22,05kHz (01) and 16kHz (10) the BSID is 9 For the samplerates 12kHz (00); 11,025kHz (01) and 8kHz (10) the BSID is 10¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_ALAC¶
Codec Name: ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec)¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains ALAC's magic cookie (both the codec specific configuration as well as the optional channel layout information).
Its format is described in ALAC's official source code.¶
Codec ID: A_DTS¶
Codec Name: Digital Theatre System¶
Description: Supports DTS, DTS-ES, DTS-96/26, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio. The private data is void. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x2001¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_DTS/EXPRESS¶
Codec Name: Digital Theatre System Express¶
Description: DTS Express (a.k.a. LBR) audio streams. The private data is void. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x2001¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_DTS/LOSSLESS¶
Codec Name: Digital Theatre System Lossless¶
Description: DTS Lossless audio that does not have a core substream. The private data is void. Corresponding ACM wFormatTag : 0x2001¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_VORBIS¶
Codec Name: Vorbis¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains the first three Vorbis packet in order. The lengths of the packets precedes them. The actual layout is:
- Byte 1: number of distinct packets #p minus one inside the CodecPrivate block.
This MUST be "2" for current (as of 2016-07-08) Vorbis headers.
- Bytes 2..n: lengths of the first #p packets, coded in Xiph-style lacing.
The length of the last packet is the length of the CodecPrivate block minus the lengths coded in these bytes minus one.
- Bytes n+1..: The Vorbis identification header,
followed by the Vorbis comment header
followed by the codec setup header.¶
Codec ID: A_FLAC¶
Codec Name: FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains all the header/metadata packets before the first data packet.
These include the first header packet containing only the word fLaC as well as all metadata packets.¶
Codec ID: A_REAL/14_4¶
Codec Name: Real Audio 1¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains either the "real_audio_v4_props_t" or the "real_audio_v5_props_t" structure
(differentiated by their "version" field; big-endian byte order) as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: A_REAL/28_8¶
Codec Name: Real Audio 2¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains either the "real_audio_v4_props_t" or the "real_audio_v5_props_t" structure
(differentiated by their "version" field; big-endian byte order) as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: A_REAL/COOK¶
Codec Name: Real Audio Cook Codec (codename: Gecko)¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains either the "real_audio_v4_props_t" or the "real_audio_v5_props_t" structure
(differentiated by their "version" field; big-endian byte order) as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: A_REAL/SIPR¶
Codec Name: Sipro Voice Codec¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains either the "real_audio_v4_props_t" or the "real_audio_v5_props_t" structure
(differentiated by their "version" field; big-endian byte order) as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: A_REAL/RALF¶
Codec Name: Real Audio Lossless Format¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains either the "real_audio_v4_props_t" or the "real_audio_v5_props_t" structure
(differentiated by their "version" field; big-endian byte order) as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: A_REAL/ATRC¶
Codec Name: Sony Atrac3 Codec¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains either the "real_audio_v4_props_t" or the "real_audio_v5_props_t" structure
(differentiated by their "version" field; big-endian byte order) as found in librmff.¶
Codec ID: A_MS/ACM¶
Codec Name: Microsoft(TM) Audio Codec Manager (ACM)¶
Description: The data are stored in little-endian format (like on IA32 machines).¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains the [WAVEFORMATEX] structure including the extra format information bytes.
The structure is stored without packing or padding bytes.
A WORD corresponds to a signed 2 octets integer, DWORD corresponds to a signed 4 octets integer.
The extra format information are appended after the WAVEFORMATEX octets.¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG2/MAIN¶
Codec Name: MPEG2 Main Profile¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG2/LC¶
Codec Name: Low Complexity¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG2/LC/SBR¶
Codec Name: Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG2/SSR¶
Codec Name: Scalable Sampling Rate¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG4/MAIN¶
Codec Name: MPEG4 Main Profile¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG4/LC¶
Codec Name: Low Complexity¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG4/LC/SBR¶
Codec Name: Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG4/SSR¶
Codec Name: Scalable Sampling Rate¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_AAC/MPEG4/LTP¶
Codec Name: Long Term Prediction¶
Description: Channel number and sample rate have to be read from the corresponding audio element. Audio stream is stripped from ADTS headers and normal Matroska frame based muxing scheme is applied. AAC audio always uses wFormatTag 0xFF.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_QUICKTIME¶
Codec Name: Audio taken from QuickTime(TM) files¶
Description: Several codecs as stored in QuickTime, e.g., QDesign Music v1 or v2.¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains all additional data that is stored in the 'stsd' (sample description) atom
in the QuickTime file after the mandatory sound descriptor structure (starting with the size and FourCC fields).
For an explanation of the QuickTime file format read QuickTime File Format Specification.¶
Codec ID: A_QUICKTIME/QDMC¶
Codec Name: QDesign Music¶
Description:¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains all additional data that is stored in the 'stsd' (sample description) atom
in the QuickTime file after the mandatory sound descriptor structure (starting with the size and FourCC fields).
For an explanation of the QuickTime file format read QuickTime File Format Specification.¶
Superseded By: A_QUICKTIME¶
Codec ID: A_QUICKTIME/QDM2¶
Codec Name: QDesign Music v2¶
Description:¶
Initialization: The Private Data contains all additional data that is stored in the 'stsd' (sample description) atom
in the QuickTime file after the mandatory sound descriptor structure (starting with the size and FourCC fields).
For an explanation of the QuickTime file format read QuickTime File Format Specification.¶
Superseded By: A_QUICKTIME¶
Codec ID: A_TTA1¶
Codec Name: The True Audio lossless audio compressor¶
Description: TTA format description Each frame is kept intact, including the CRC32. The header and seektable are dropped. SamplingFrequency, Channels and BitDepth are used in the TrackEntry. wFormatTag = 0x77A1¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: A_WAVPACK4¶
Codec Name: WavPack lossless audio compressor¶
Description: The Wavpack packets consist of a stripped header followed by the frame data. For multi-track (> 2 tracks) a frame consists of many packets. For more details, check the WavPack muxing description.¶
Codec BlockAdditions: For hybrid A_WAVPACK4 encodings (that include a lossy encoding with a supplemental correction
to produce a lossless encoding), the correction part is stored in BlockAdditional.
The BlockAddId of the BlockMore containing these data MUST be 1.¶
Initialization: none¶
Codec ID: S_TEXT/UTF8¶
Codec Name: UTF-8 Plain Text¶
Description: Basic text subtitles. For more information, see Section 5 on Subtitles.¶
Codec ID: S_TEXT/SSA¶
Codec Name: Subtitles Format¶
Description: The [Script Info] and [V4 Styles] sections are stored in the codecprivate. Each event is stored in its own Block. For more information, see Section 5.3 on SSA/ASS.¶
Codec ID: S_TEXT/ASS¶
Codec Name: Advanced Subtitles Format¶
Description: The [Script Info] and [V4 Styles] sections are stored in the codecprivate. Each event is stored in its own Block. For more information, see Section 5.3 on SSA/ASS.¶
Codec ID: S_TEXT/WEBVTT¶
Codec Name: Web Video Text Tracks Format (WebVTT)¶
Description: Advanced text subtitles. For more information, see Section 5.4 on WebVTT.¶
Codec ID: S_IMAGE/BMP¶
Codec Name: Bitmap¶
Description: Basic image based subtitle format; The subtitles are stored as images, like in the DVD [DVD-Video]. The timestamp in the block header of Matroska indicates the start display time, the duration is set with the Duration element. The full data for the subtitle bitmap is stored in the Block's data section.¶
Codec ID: S_DVBSUB¶
Codec Name: Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) subtitles¶
Description: This is the graphical subtitle format used in the Digital Video Broadcasting standard. For more information, see Section 5.7 on Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB).¶
Codec ID: S_VOBSUB¶
Codec Name: VobSub subtitles¶
Description: The same subtitle format used on DVDs [DVD-Video]. Supported is only format version 7 and newer.
VobSubs consist of two files, the .idx containing information, and the .sub, containing the actual data.
The .idx file is stripped of all empty lines, of all comments and of lines beginning with alt: or langidx:.
The line beginning with id: SHOULD be transformed into the appropriate Matroska track language element
and is discarded. All remaining lines but the ones containing timestamps and file positions
are put into the CodecPrivate element.¶
For each line containing the timestamp and file position data is read from the appropriate position in the .sub file. This data consists of a MPEG program stream which in turn contains SPU packets. The MPEG program stream data is discarded, and each SPU packet is put into one Matroska frame.¶
Codec ID: S_HDMV/PGS¶
Codec Name: HDMV presentation graphics subtitles (PGS)¶
Description: This is the graphical subtitle format used on Blu-rays. For more information, see Section 5.6 on HDMV text presentation.¶
Codec ID: S_HDMV/TEXTST¶
Codec Name: HDMV text subtitles¶
Description: This is the textual subtitle format used on Blu-rays. For more information, see Section 5.5 on HDMV graphics presentation.¶
Registered BlockAddIDType are:¶
Block type identifier: 0¶
Block type name: Use BlockAddIDValue¶
Description: This value indicates that the actual type is stored in BlockAddIDValue instead.
This value is expected to be used when it is important to have a strong compatibility
with players or derived formats not supporting BlockAdditionMapping but using BlockAdditions
with an unknown BlockAddIDValue, and SHOULD NOT be used if it is possible to use another value.¶
Block type identifier: 1¶
Block type name: Opaque data¶
Description: the BlockAdditional data is interpreted as opaque additional data passed to the codec
with the Block data. BlockAddIDValue MUST be 1.¶
Block type identifier: 4¶
Block type name: ITU T.35 metadata¶
Description: the BlockAdditional data is interpreted as ITU T.35 metadata, as defined by ITU-T T.35
terminal codes. BlockAddIDValue MUST be 4.¶
Block type identifier: 0x61766345¶
Block type name: Dolby Vision enhancement-layer AVC configuration¶
Description: the BlockAddIDExtraData data is interpreted as the Dolby Vision enhancement-layer AVC
configuration box as described in [DolbyVisionWithinIso]. This extension MUST NOT
be used if Codec ID is not V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC.¶
Block type identifier: 0x64766343¶
Block type name: Dolby Vision configuration¶
Description: the BlockAddIDExtraData data is interpreted as DOVIDecoderConfigurationRecord structure, as defined in [DolbyVisionWithinIso],
for Dolby Vision profiles less than and equal to 7.¶
Block type identifier: 0x64767643¶
Block type name: Dolby Vision configuration¶
Description: the BlockAddIDExtraData data is interpreted as DOVIDecoderConfigurationRecord structure, as defined in [DolbyVisionWithinIso],
for Dolby Vision profiles greater than 7.¶
Block type identifier: 0x68766345¶
Block type name: Dolby Vision enhancement-layer HEVC configuration¶
Description: the BlockAddIDExtraData data is interpreted as the Dolby Vision enhancement-layer HEVC configuration as described in [DolbyVisionWithinIso].
This extension MUST NOT be used if Codec ID is not V_MPEGH/ISO/HEVC.¶
Because Matroska is a general container format, we try to avoid specifying the formats to store in it. This type of work is really outside of the scope of a container-only format. However, because the use of subtitles in A/V containers has been so limited (with the exception of DVD) we are taking the time to specify how to store some of the more common subtitle formats in Matroska. This is being done to help facilitate their growth. Otherwise, incompatibilities could prevent the standardization and use of subtitle storage.¶
This page is not meant to be a complete listing of all subtitle formats that will be used in Matroska, it is only meant to be a guide for the more common, current formats. It is possible that we will add future formats to this page as they are created, but it is not likely as any other new subtitle format designer would likely have their own specifications. Any specification listed here SHOULD be strictly adhered to or it SHOULD NOT use the corresponding Codec ID.¶
Here is a list of pointers for storing subtitles in Matroska:¶
The first image format that is a goal to import into Matroska is the VobSub subtitle format. This subtitle type is generated by exporting the subtitles from a DVD [DVD-Video].¶
The requirement for muxing VobSub into Matroska is v7 subtitles (see first line of the .IDX file). If the version is smaller, you must remux them using the SubResync utility from VobSub 2.23 (or MPC) into v7 format. Generally any newly created subs will be in v7 format.¶
The .IFO file will not be used at all.¶
If there is more than one subtitle stream in the VobSub set, each stream will need to be separated into separate tracks for storage in Matroska. E.g. the VobSub file contains streams for both English and German subtitles. Then the resulting Matroska file SHOULD contain two tracks. That way the language information can be dropped and mapped to Matroska's language tags.¶
The .IDX file is reformatted (see below) and placed in the CodecPrivate.¶
Each .BMP will be stored in its own Block. The Timestamp with be stored in the Blocks Timestamp and the duration will be stored in the Default Duration.¶
Here is an example .IDX file:¶
# VobSub index file, v7 (do not modify this line!) # # To repair desynchronization, you can insert gaps this way: # (it usually happens after vob id changes) # # delay: [sign]hh:mm:ss:ms # # Where: # [sign]: +, - (optional) # hh: hours (0 <= hh) # mm/ss: minutes/seconds (0 <= mm/ss <= 59) # ms: milliseconds (0 <= ms <= 999) # # Note: You can't position a sub before the previous with a negative # value. # # You can also modify timestamps or delete a few subs you don't # like. Just make sure they stay in increasing order. # Settings # Original frame size size: 720x480 # Origin, relative to the upper-left corner, can be overloaded by # alignment org: 0, 0 # Image scaling (hor,ver), origin is at the upper-left corner or at # the alignment coord (x, y) scale: 100%, 100% # Alpha blending alpha: 100% # Smoothing for very blocky images (use OLD for no filtering) smooth: OFF # In millisecs fadein/out: 50, 50 # Force subtitle placement relative to (org.x, org.y) align: OFF at LEFT TOP # For correcting non-progressive desync. (in millisecs or # hh:mm:ss:ms) # Note: Not effective in DirectVobSub, use "delay: ... " instead. time offset: 0 # ON: displays only forced subtitles, OFF: shows everything forced subs: OFF # The original palette of the DVD palette: 000000, 7e7e7e, fbff8b, cb86f1, 7f74b8, e23f06, 0a48ea, \ b3d65a, 6b92f1, 87f087, c02081, f8d0f4, e3c411, 382201, e8840b, \ fdfdfd # Custom colors (transp idxs and the four colors) custom colors: OFF, tridx: 0000, colors: 000000, 000000, 000000, \ 000000 # Language index in use langidx: 0 # English id: en, index: 0 # Uncomment next line to activate alternative name in DirectVobSub / # Windows Media Player 6.x # alt: English # Vob/Cell ID: 1, 1 (PTS: 0) timestamp: 00:00:01:101, filepos: 000000000 timestamp: 00:00:08:708, filepos: 000001000¶
First, lines beginning with "#" are removed. These are comments to make text file editing easier, and as this is not a text file, they aren't needed.¶
Next remove the "langidx" and "id" lines. These are used to differentiate the subtitle streams and define the language. As the streams will be stored separately anyway, there is no need to differentiate them here. Also, the language setting will be stored in the Matroska tags, so there is no need to store it here.¶
Finally, the "timestamp" will be used to set the Block's timestamp. Once it is set there, there is no need for it to be stored here. Also, as it may interfere if the file is edited, it SHOULD NOT be stored here.¶
Once all of these items are removed, the data to store in the CodecPrivate SHOULD look like this:¶
size: 720x480 org: 0, 0 scale: 100%, 100% alpha: 100% smooth: OFF fadein/out: 50, 50 align: OFF at LEFT TOP time offset: 0 forced subs: OFF palette: 000000, 7e7e7e, fbff8b, cb86f1, 7f74b8, e23f06, 0a48ea, \ b3d65a, 6b92f1, 87f087, c02081, f8d0f4, e3c411, 382201, e8840b, \ fdfdfd custom colors: OFF, tridx: 0000, colors: 000000, 000000, 000000, \ 000000¶
There SHOULD also be two Blocks containing one image each with the timestamps "00:00:01:101" and "00:00:08:708".¶
SRT is perhaps the most basic of all subtitle formats.¶
It consists of four parts, all in text:¶
1. A number indicating which subtitle it is in the sequence. 2. The time that the subtitle appears on the screen, and then disappears. 3. The subtitle itself. 4. A blank line indicating the start of a new subtitle.¶
When placing SRT in Matroska, part 3 is converted to UTF-8 (S_TEXT/UTF8) and placed in the data portion of the Block. Part 2 is used to set the timestamp of the Block, and BlockDuration element. Nothing else is used.¶
Here is an example SRT file:¶
1 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,375 Senator, we're making our final approach into Coruscant. 2 00:02:20,476 --> 00:02:22,501 Very good, Lieutenant.¶
In this example, the text "Senator, we're making our final approach into Coruscant." would be converted into UTF-8 and placed in the Block. The timestamp of the block would be set to "00:02:17,440". And the BlockDuration element would be set to "00:00:02,935".¶
The same is repeated for the next subtitle.¶
Because there are no general settings for SRT, the CodecPrivate is left blank.¶
SSA stands for Sub Station Alpha. It's the file format used by the popular subtitle editor, SubStation Alpha. This format is widely used by fansubbers.¶
It allows you to do some advanced display features, like positioning, karaoke, style managements...¶
For detailed information on SSA/ASS, see the SSA specs. It includes an SSA specs description and the advanced features added by ASS format (standing for Advanced SSA). Because SSA and ASS are so similar, they are treated the same here.¶
Like SRT, this format is text based with a particular syntax.¶
A file consists of 4 or 5 parts, declared ala INI file (but it's not an INI !)¶
The first, "[Script Info]" contains some information about the subtitle file, such as it's title, who created it, type of script and a very important one: "PlayResY". Be careful of this value, everything in your script (font size, positioning) is scaled by it. Sub Station Alpha uses your desktops Y resolution to write this value, so if a friend with a large monitor and a high screen resolution gives you an edited script, you can mess everything up by saving the script in SSA with your low-cost monitor.¶
The second, "[V4 Styles]", is a list of style definitions. A style describe how will look a text on the screen. It defines font, font size, primary/.../outile colour, position, alignment, etc.¶
For example, this:¶
Format: Name, Fontname, Fontsize, PrimaryColour, SecondaryColour, \ TertiaryColour, BackColour, Bold, Italic, BorderStyle, Outline, \ Shadow, Alignment, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, AlphaLevel, Encoding Style: Wolf main,Wolf_Rain,56,15724527,15724527,15724527,4144959,0,\ 0,1,1,2,2,5,5,30,0,0¶
The third, "[Events]", is the list of text you want to display at the right timing. You can specify some attribute here. Like the style to use for this event (MUSTbe defined in the list), the position of the text (Left, Right, Vertical Margin), an effect. Name is mostly used by translator to know who said this sentence. Timing is in h:mm:ss.cc (centisec).¶
Format: Marked, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, \ Effect, Text Dialogue: Marked=0,0:02:40.65,0:02:41.79,Wolf main,Cher,0000,0000,\ 0000,,Et les enregistrements de ses ondes delta ? Dialogue: Marked=0,0:02:42.42,0:02:44.15,Wolf main,autre,0000,0000,\ 0000,,Toujours rien.¶
"[Pictures]" or "[Fonts]" part can be found in some SSA file, they contains UUE-encoded pictures/font but those features are only used by Sub Station Alpha -- i.e. no filter (Vobsub/Avery Lee Subtiler filter) use them.¶
Now, how are they stored in Matroska?¶
Here is an example of an SSA file.¶
[Script Info] ; This is a Sub Station Alpha v4 script. ; For Sub Station Alpha info and downloads, ; go to \ ; [http://www.eswat.demon.co.uk/](http://www.eswat.demon.co.uk/) ; or email \ ; [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Title: Wolf's rain 2 Original Script: Anime-spirit Ishin-francais Original Translation: Coolman Original Editing: Spikewolfwood Original Timing: Lord_alucard Original Script Checking: Spikewolfwood ScriptType: v4.00 Collisions: Normal PlayResY: 1024 PlayDepth: 0 Wav: 0, 128697,D:\Alex\Anime\- Fansub -\- TAFF -\WR_-_02_Wav.wav Wav: 0, 120692,H:\team truc\WR_-_02.wav Wav: 0, 116504,E:\sub\wolf's_rain\WOLF'S RAIN 02.wav LastWav: 3 Timer: 100,0000 [V4 Styles] Format: Name, Fontname, Fontsize, PrimaryColour, SecondaryColour, \ TertiaryColour, BackColour, Bold, Italic, BorderStyle, Outline, \ Shadow, Alignment, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, AlphaLevel, Encoding Style: Default,Arial,20,65535,65535,65535,-2147483640,-1,0,1,3,0,2,\ 30,30,30,0,0 Style: Titre_episode,Akbar,140,15724527,65535,65535,986895,-1,0,1,1,\ 0,3,30,30,30,0,0 Style: Wolf main,Wolf_Rain,56,15724527,15724527,15724527,4144959,0,\ 0,1,1,2,2,5,5,30,0,0 [Events] Format: Marked, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, \ Effect, Text Dialogue: Marked=0,0:02:40.65,0:02:41.79,Wolf main,Cher,0000,0000,\ 0000,,Et les enregistrements de ses ondes delta ? Dialogue: Marked=0,0:02:42.42,0:02:44.15,Wolf main,autre,0000,0000,\ 0000,,Toujours rien.¶
Here is what would be placed into the CodecPrivate element.¶
[Script Info] ; This is a Sub Station Alpha v4 script. ; For Sub Station Alpha info and downloads, ; go to \ ; [http://www.eswat.demon.co.uk/](http://www.eswat.demon.co.uk/) ; or email \ ; [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Title: Wolf's rain 2 Original Script: Anime-spirit Ishin-francais Original Translation: Coolman Original Editing: Spikewolfwood Original Timing: Lord_alucard Original Script Checking: Spikewolfwood ScriptType: v4.00 Collisions: Normal PlayResY: 1024 PlayDepth: 0 Wav: 0, 128697,D:\Alex\Anime\- Fansub -\- TAFF -\WR_-_02_Wav.wav Wav: 0, 120692,H:\team truc\WR_-_02.wav Wav: 0, 116504,E:\sub\wolf's_rain\WOLF'S RAIN 02.wav LastWav: 3 Timer: 100,0000 [V4 Styles] Format: Name, Fontname, Fontsize, PrimaryColour, SecondaryColour, \ TertiaryColour, BackColour, Bold, Italic, BorderStyle, Outline, \ Shadow, Alignment, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, AlphaLevel, Encoding Style: Default,Arial,20,65535,65535,65535,-2147483640,-1,0,1,3,0,2,\ 30,30,30,0,0 Style: Titre_episode,Akbar,140,15724527,65535,65535,986895,-1,0,1,1,\ 0,3,30,30,30,0,0 Style: Wolf main,Wolf_Rain,56,15724527,15724527,15724527,4144959,0,\ 0,1,1,2,2,5,5,30,0,0¶
And here are the two blocks that would be generated.¶
Block's timestamp: 00:02:40.650 BlockDuration: 00:00:01.140¶
1,,Wolf main,Cher,0000,0000,0000,,Et les enregistrements de ses \ ondes delta ?¶
Block's timestamp: 00:02:42.420 BlockDuration: 00:00:01.730¶
2,,Wolf main,autre,0000,0000,0000,,Toujours rien.¶
The "Web Video Text Tracks Format" (short: WebVTT) is developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Its specifications are freely available.¶
The guiding principles for the storage of WebVTT in Matroska are:¶
The CodecID to use is S_TEXT/WEBVTT.¶
This element contains all global blocks before the first subtitle entry. This starts at the "WEBVTT"
file identification marker but excludes the optional byte order mark.¶
Non-global WebVTT blocks (e.g., "NOTE") before a WebVTT Cue Text are stored in Matroska's BlockAddition element together with the Matroska Block containing the WebVTT Cue Text these blocks precede (see below for the actual format).¶
Each WebVTT Cue Text is stored directly in the Matroska Block.¶
A muxer MUST change all WebVTT Cue Timestamps present within the Cue Text to be relative to the Matroska Block's timestamp.¶
The Cue's start timestamp is used as the Matroska Block's timestamp.¶
The difference between the Cue's end timestamp and its start timestamp is used as the Matroska Block's duration.¶
Each Matroska Block may be accompanied by one BlockAdditions element. Its format is as follows:¶
If there is no Matroska BlockAddition element stored together with the Matroska Block, then all three components (Cue Settings List, Cue Identifier, Cue Comments) MUST be assumed to be absent.¶
Here's an example how a WebVTT is transformed.¶
Let's take the following example file:¶
WEBVTT with text after the signature
STYLE
::cue {
background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, dimgray, lightgray);
color: papayawhip;
}
/* Style blocks cannot use blank lines nor "dash dash greater \
than" */
NOTE comment blocks can be used between style blocks.
STYLE
::cue(b) {
color: peachpuff;
}
REGION
id:bill
width:40%
lines:3
regionanchor:0%,100%
viewportanchor:10%,90%
scroll:up
NOTE
Notes always span a whole block and can cover multiple
lines. Like this one.
An empty line ends the block.
hello
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.000
Example entry 1: Hello <b>world</b>.
NOTE style blocks cannot appear after the first cue.
00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:35.000
Example entry 2: Another entry.
This one has multiple lines.
00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.500 position:90% align:right size:35%
Example entry 3: That stuff to the right of the timestamps are cue \
settings.
00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:20.000
Example entry 4: Entries can even include timestamps.
For example:<00:03:15.000>This becomes visible five seconds
after the first part.
¶
The resulting CodecPrivate element will look like this:¶
WEBVTT with text after the signature
STYLE
::cue {
background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, dimgray, lightgray);
color: papayawhip;
}
/* Style blocks cannot use blank lines nor "dash dash greater \
than" */
NOTE comment blocks can be used between style blocks.
STYLE
::cue(b) {
color: peachpuff;
}
REGION
id:bill
width:40%
lines:3
regionanchor:0%,100%
viewportanchor:10%,90%
scroll:up
NOTE
Notes always span a whole block and can cover multiple
lines. Like this one.
An empty line ends the block.
¶
Example Cue 1: timestamp 00:00:00.000, duration 00:00:10.000, Block's content:¶
Example entry 1: Hello <b>world</b>.¶
BlockAddition's content starts with one empty line as there's no Cue Settings List:¶
hello¶
Example Cue 2: timestamp 00:00:25.000, duration 00:00:10.000, Block's content:¶
Example entry 2: Another entry. This one has multiple lines.¶
BlockAddition's content starts with two empty lines as there's neither a Cue Settings List nor a Cue Identifier:¶
NOTE style blocks cannot appear after the first cue.¶
Example Cue 3: timestamp 00:01:03.000, duration 00:00:03.500, Block's content:¶
Example entry 3: That stuff to the right of the timestamps are cue \ settings.¶
BlockAddition's content ends with an empty line as there's no Cue Identifier and there were no WebVTT Comment blocks:¶
position:90% align:right size:35%¶
Example Cue 4: timestamp 00:03:10.000, duration 00:00:10.000, Block's content:¶
Example entry 4: Entries can even include timestamps. For example:00:00:05.000This becomes visible five seconds after the first part.¶
This Block does not need a BlockAddition as the Cue did not contain an Identifier, nor a Settings List, and it wasn't preceded by Comment blocks.¶
Note: the storage of WebVTT in Matroska is not the same as the design document for storage of WebVTT in WebM. There are several reasons for this including but not limited to: the WebM document is old (from February 2012) and was based on an earlier draft of WebVTT and ignores several parts that were added to WebVTT later; WebM does still not support subtitles at all; the proposal suggests splitting the information across multiple tracks making demuxer's and remuxer's life very difficult.¶
The specifications for the HDMV presentation graphics subtitle format (short: HDMV PGS) can be found in the document "Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Format; Part 3 — (U+2014) Audio Visual Basic Specifications" in section 9.14 "HDMV graphics streams".¶
The CodecID to use is S_HDMV/PGS. A CodecPrivate element is not used.¶
Each HDMV PGS Segment (short: Segment) will be stored in a Matroska Block. A Segment is the data structure described in section 9.14.2.1 "Segment coding structure and parameters" of the Blu-ray specifications.¶
Each Segment contains a presentation timestamp. This timestamp will be used as the timestamp for the Matroska Block.¶
A Segment is normally shown until a subsequent Segment is encountered. Therefore, the Matroska Block MAY have no Duration. In that case, a player MUST display a Segment within a Matroska Block until the next Segment is encountered.¶
A muxer MAY use a Duration, e.g., by calculating the distance between two subsequent Segments. If a Matroska Block has a Duration, a player MUST display that Segment only for the duration of the Block's Duration.¶
The specifications for the HDMV text subtitle format (short: HDMV TextST) can be found in the document "Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Format; Part 3 — (U+2014) Audio Visual Basic Specifications" in section 9.15 "HDMV text subtitle streams".¶
The CodecID to use is S_HDMV/TEXTST.¶
A CodecPrivate Element is required. It MUST contain the stream's Dialog Style Segment as described in section 9.15.4.2 "Dialog Style Segment" of the Blu-ray specifications.¶
Each HDMV Dialog Presentation Segment (short: Segment) will be stored in a Matroska Block. A Segment is the data structure described in section 9.15.4.3 "Dialog presentation segment" of the Blu-ray specifications.¶
Each Segment contains a start and an end presentation timestamp (short: start PTS & end PTS). The start PTS will be used as the timestamp for the Matroska Block. The Matroska Block MUST have a Duration, and that Duration is the difference between the end PTS and the start PTS.¶
A player MUST use the Matroska Block's timestamp and Duration instead of the Segment's start and end PTS for determining when and how long to show the Segment.¶
When TextST subtitles are stored inside Matroska, the only allowed character set is UTF-8.¶
Each HDMV text subtitle stream in a Blu-ray can use one of a handful of character sets. This information is not stored in the MPEG2 Transport Stream itself but in the accompanying Clip Information file.¶
Therefore, a muxer MUST parse the accompanying Clip Information file. If the information indicates a character set other than UTF-8, it MUST re-encode all text Dialog Presentation Segments from the indicated character set to UTF-8 prior to storing them in Matroska.¶
The specifications for the Digital Video Broadcasting subtitle bitstream format (short: DVB subtitles) can be found in the document "ETSI EN 300 743 - Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Subtitling systems". The storage of DVB subtitles in MPEG transport streams is specified in the document "ETSI EN 300 468 - Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Specification for Service Information (SI) in DVB systems".¶
The CodecPrivate element is five bytes long and has the following structure:¶
The semantics of these bytes are the same as the ones described in section 6.2.41 "Subtitling descriptor" of ETSI EN 300 468.¶
Each Matroska Block consists of one or more DVB Subtitle Segments as described in segment 7.2 "Syntax and semantics of the subtitling segment" of ETSI EN 300 743.¶
Each Matroska Block SHOULD have a Duration indicating how long the DVB Subtitle Segments in that Block SHOULD be displayed.¶
The specifications for the ARIB B-24 subtitle bitstream format (short: ARIB subtitles) and its storage in MPEG transport streams can be found in the documents [ARIB.STD-B24], [ARIB.STD-B10], and [ARIB.TR-B14].¶
The CodecPrivate element is three bytes long and has the following structure:¶
The semantics of the component tag are the same as those described in [ARIB.STD-B10], part 2, Annex J. The semantics of the data component ID are the same as those described in [ARIB.TR-B14], fascicle 2, Vol. 3, Section 2, 4.2.8.1.¶
Each Matroska Block consists of a single synchronized PES data structure as described in chapter 5 "Independent PES transmission protocol" of [ARIB.STD-B24], volume 3, with a Synchronized_PES_data_byte block containing one or more ISDB Caption Data Groups as described in chapter 9 "Transmission of caption and superimpose" of [ARIB.STD-B24], volume 1, part 3. All of the Caption Statement Data Groups in a given Matroska Track MUST use the same language index.¶
A Data Group is normally shown until a subsequent Group provides instructions to clear it. Therefore, the Matroska Block SHOULD NOT have a Duration. A player SHOULD display a Data Group within a Matroska Block until its internal duration elapses, or until a subsequent Data Group removes it.¶
Extra data or metadata can be added to each Block using BlockAdditional data.
Each BlockAdditional contains a BlockAddID that identifies the kind of data it contains.
When the BlockAddID is set to "1" the contents of the BlockAdditional Element
are define by the Codec Mappings defines; see Section 4.1.5.
When the BlockAddID is set a value greater than "1", then the contents of the
BlockAdditional Element are defined by the BlockAdditionalMapping Element, within
the associated Track Element, where the BlockAddID Element of BlockAdditional Element
equals the BlockAddIDValue of the associated Track's BlockAdditionalMapping Element.
That BlockAdditionalMapping Element identifies a particular Block Additional Mapping by the BlockAddIDType.¶
The following XML depicts a use of a Block Additional Mapping to associate a timecode value with a Block:¶
<Segment>
<!--Mandatory elements ommitted for readability-->
<Tracks>
<TrackEntry>
<TrackNumber>1</TrackNumber>
<TrackUID>568001708</TrackUID>
<TrackType>1</TrackType>
<BlockAdditionalMapping>
<BlockAddIDValue>2</BlockAddIDValue><!--arbitrary value
used in BlockAddID-->
<BlockAddIDName>timecode</BlockAddIDName>
<BlockAddIDType>12</BlockAddIDType>
</BlockAdditionalMapping>
<CodecID>V_FFV1</CodecID>
<Video>
<PixelWidth>1920</PixelWidth>
<PixelHeight>1080</PixelHeight>
</Video>
</TrackEntry>
</Tracks>
<Cluster>
<Timestamp>3000</Timestamp>
<BlockGroup>
<Block>{binary video frame}</Block>
<BlockAdditions>
<BlockMore>
<BlockAddID>2</BlockAddID><!--arbitrary value from
BlockAdditionalMapping-->
<BlockAdditional>01:00:00:00</BlockAdditional>
</BlockMore>
</BlockAdditions>
</BlockGroup>
</Cluster>
</Segment>
¶
Block Additional Mappings detail how additional data MAY be stored in the BlockMore Element
with a BlockAdditionMapping Element, within the Track Element, which identifies the BlockAdditional content.
Block Additional Mappings define the BlockAddIDType value reserved to identify that
type of data as well as providing an optional label stored within the BlockAddIDName Element.
When the Block Additional Mapping is dependent on additional contextual information,
then the Mapping SHOULD describe how such additional contextual information is stored within the BlockAddIDExtraData Element.¶
The following Block Additional Mappings are defined.¶
For convenience, the following table shows the assigned BlockAddIDType values along with the BlockAddIDName and Citation.¶
| BlockAddIDType | BlockAddIDName | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| 121 | SMPTE ST 12-1 timecode | Section 6.2 |
SMPTE ST 12-1 timecode values can be stored in the BlockMore Element to associate
the content of a Matroska Block with a particular timecode value.
If the Block uses Lacing, the timecode value is associated with the first frame of the Lace.¶
The Block Additional Mapping contains a full binary representation of a 64 bit SMPTE timecode value stored in big-endian format and expressed exactly as defined in Section 8 and 9 of SMPTE 12M [ST12]. For convenience, here are the bit assignments for a SMPTE ST 12-1 binary representation as described in Section 6.2 of [RFC5484]:¶
| Bit Positions | Label |
|---|---|
| 0--3 | Units of frames |
| 4--7 | First binary group |
| 8--9 | Tens of frames |
| 10 | Drop frame flag |
| 11 | Color frame flag |
| 12--15 | Second binary group |
| 16--19 | Units of seconds |
| 20--23 | Third binary group |
| 24--26 | Tens of seconds |
| 27 | Polarity correction |
| 28--31 | Fourth binary group |
| 32--35 | Units of minutes |
| 36--39 | Fifth binary group |
| 40--42 | Tens of minutes |
| 43 | Binary group flag BGF0 |
| 44--47 | Sixth binary group |
| 48--51 | Units of hours |
| 52--55 | Seventh binary group |
| 56--57 | Tens of hours |
| 58 | Binary group flag BGF1 |
| 59 | Binary group flag BGF2 |
| 60--63 | Eighth binary group |
For example, a timecode value of "07:32:54;18" can be expressed as a 64 bit SMPTE 12M value as:¶
10000000 01100000 01100000 01010000 00100000 00110000 01110000 00000000¶
The BlockAddIDType value reserved for timecode is "121".¶
The BlockAddIDName value reserved for timecode is "SMPTE ST 12-1 timecode".¶
BlockAddIDExtraData is unused within this block additional mapping.¶
This document inherits security considerations from the EBML and Matroska documents.¶
To be determined.¶