[comp.sys.amiga.multimedia] Microsoft Multimedia "Standard" - sim to IFF?

kdarling@hobbes.catt.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) (05/25/91)

> I read recently (last few months?) that Microsoft had a "New" standard
> for Multimedia -- This sounded like a file format standard similar
> to (:-) the IFF standard on the Amiga.
>
> Does anyone remember seeing this, and if so, what it is called?

Quoting from the IBM/Microsoft Introduction:

 "RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) is the tagged file structure
 developed for multimedia resource files.  The structure of a RIFF file
 is very similar to the structure of an Electronic Arts IFF file.  In
 fact, RIFF is not actually a file format itself (since it does not
 represent a specific kind of information), but its name contains the
 words "interchange file format" in recognition of its roots in IFF."

> How similar is it to the IFF standard on the Amiga?

As noted above, it's similar; yet different enough (especially since
it uses Intel byte-ordering) to be incompatible.  One neat thing is
that chunknames in lowercase are defined to be chunk-specific names.

> How/Where can I get a copy of the Microsoft standard??

The quick answer is: from Microsoft!  The exact answer is: I lost their
address from which I got my copy months ago.  It's called "Multimedia
Specifications" and contains info on RIFF and MCI (Multimedia Control
Interface.. a high level language for external device control).

> Please reply by email, since I've been having trouble keeping up

I'll email a copy of this msg.  best - kevin <kdarling@catt.ncsu.edu>

mikeh@touch.touch.com (Mike Haas) (06/01/91)

In article <1991May25.025244.23547@ncsu.edu> kdarling@hobbes.catt.ncsu.edu (Kevin Darling) writes:
>> I read recently (last few months?) that Microsoft had a "New" standard
>> for Multimedia -- This sounded like a file format standard similar
>> to (:-) the IFF standard on the Amiga.
>>
>> Does anyone remember seeing this, and if so, what it is called?
>
>Quoting from the IBM/Microsoft Introduction:
>
> "RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) is the tagged file structure
> developed for multimedia resource files.  The structure of a RIFF file

I read about 9 months ago, in a mac rag, about apple developing a
standard called MIFF (you can guess what the M stands for!).

It specifically said it was based on EA's IFF standard developed for the Amiga.
(guess they were stating right there who the leader in multi-media is!).

Anyway, it was amazing they gave the ami credit.  Maybe this permutated
into RIFF? don't know.  would bve interesting to know.

Maybe C= should advertise that the macs MM technology is based on the amiga's.
Maybe they could nail 'em on LOOK & FEEL issues!!!!!!!!!