RFC 9559 | Matroska Format | October 2024 |
Lhomme, et al. | Standards Track | [Page] |
This document defines the Matroska audiovisual data container structure,including definitions of its structural elements, terminology,vocabulary, and application.¶
This document updates RFC 8794 to permit the use of a previously reserved Extensible Binary Meta Language (EBML) Element ID.¶
This is an Internet Standards Track document.¶
This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It represents the consensus of the IETF community. It has received public review and has been approved for publication by the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Further information on Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 7841.¶
Information about the current status of this document, any errata, and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained athttps://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9559.¶
Copyright (c) 2024 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 an audiovisual data container format. It was derived from aproject called[MCF] but diverges from itsignificantly because it is based on EBML (Extensible Binary Meta Language)[RFC8794], a binary derivative of XML. EBMLprovides significant advantages in terms of future format extensibility,without breaking file support in parsers reading the previous versions.¶
To avoid any misunderstandings, it is essential to clarify exactlywhat an audio/video container is:¶
It is NOT a video or audio compression format (codec).¶
It is an envelope in which there can be many audio, video, and subtitles streams,allowing the user to store a complete movie or CD in a single file.¶
Matroska is designed with the future in mind. It incorporates features such as:¶
Fast seeking in the file¶
Chapter entries¶
Full metadata (tags) support¶
Selectable subtitle/audio/video streams¶
Modularly expandable¶
Error resilience (can recover playback even when the stream is damaged)¶
Streamable over the Internet and local networks (HTTP[RFC9110], FTP[RFC0959], SMB[SMB-CIFS], etc.)¶
This document covers Matroska versions 1, 2, 3, and 4. Matroska version 4 is the current version.Matroska versions 1 to 3 are no longer maintained. No new elements are expected in files with version numbers 1, 2, or 3.¶
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT","REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT","SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT","RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED","MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document areto be interpreted as described in BCP 14[RFC2119][RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals,as shown here.¶
This document defines the following terms in order todefine the format and application of Matroska:¶
A multimedia container format based on EBML (Extensible Binary Meta Language).¶
Matroska Reader
:A data parser that interprets the semantics of a Matroska document and creates a way for programs to use Matroska.¶
Matroska Player
:AMatroska Reader
with the primary purpose of playing audiovisual files, including Matroska documents.¶
Matroska Writer
:A data writer that creates Matroska documents.¶
Matroska is a Document Type of EBML.This specification is dependent on the EBML specification[RFC8794].For an understanding of Matroska's EBML Schema, see in particular the sections of the EBML specification that coverEBML Element Types (Section7),EBML Schema (Section11.1),and EBML Structure (Section3).¶
Because of an oversight,[RFC8794] reserved EBML ID 0x80, which is used by deployed Matroska implementations.For this reason, this specification updates[RFC8794] to make 0x80 a legal EBML ID. Additionally, this specification makes the following updates:¶
OLD:¶
One-octet Element IDsMUST be between 0x81 and0xFE. These items are valuable because they are short, and they need to beused for commonly repeated elements. Element IDs are to be allocated withinthis range according to the "RFC Required" policy[RFC8126].¶
The following one-octet Element IDs are RESERVED: 0xFF and 0x80.¶
NEW:¶
One-octet Element IDsMUST be between 0x80 and0xFE. These items are valuable because they are short, and they need to beused for commonly repeated elements. Element IDs are to be allocated withinthis range according to the "RFC Required" policy[RFC8126].¶
The following one-octet Element ID is RESERVED: 0xFF.¶
OLD:¶
+=========================+================+=================+ | Element ID Octet Length | Range of Valid | Number of Valid | | | Element IDs | Element IDs | +=========================+================+=================+ | 1 | 0x81 - 0xFE | 126 | +-------------------------+----------------+-----------------+¶
NEW:¶
+=========================+================+=================+ | Element ID Octet Length | Range of Valid | Number of Valid | | | Element IDs | Element IDs | +=========================+================+=================+ | 1 | 0x80 - 0xFE | 127 | +-------------------------+----------------+-----------------+¶
As an EBML Document Type, Matroska adds the following constraints to the EBML specification[RFC8794]:¶
TheRoot Element
and allTop-Level Elements
MUST use 4 octets for their EBML Element ID -- i.e.,Segment
and direct children ofSegment
.¶
Legacy EBML/Matroska parsers did not handle Empty Elements properly; elements were present in the file but had a length of 0.They always assumed the value was 0 for integers/dates or 0x0p+0, the textual expression of floats using the format in[ISO9899], no matter the default value of the element that should have been used instead.Therefore,Matroska Writers
MUST NOT use EBML Empty Elements if the element has a default value that is not 0 for integers/dates and 0x0p+0 for floats.¶
When adding new elements to Matroska, these rules apply:¶
A Matroska fileMUST be composed of at least oneEBML Document
using theMatroska Document Type
.EachEBML Document
MUST start with anEBML Header
andMUST be followed by theEBML Root Element
, defined asSegment
in Matroska. Matroska defines severalTop-Level Elements
that may occur within theSegment
.¶
As an example, a simple Matroska file consisting of a singleEBML Document
could be represented like this:¶
A more complex Matroska file consisting of anEBML Stream
(consisting of twoEBML Documents
) could be represented like this:¶
The following diagram represents a simple Matroska file, comprised of anEBML Document
with anEBML Header
, aSegment
element (theRoot Element
), and all eight MatroskaTop-Level Elements
. In the diagrams in this section, horizontal spacing expressesa parent-child relationship between Matroska elements (e.g., theInfo
element is contained withintheSegment
element), whereas vertical alignment represents the storage order within the file.¶
+-------------+| EBML Header |+---------------------------+| Segment | SeekHead || |-------------|| | Info || |-------------|| | Tracks || |-------------|| | Chapters || |-------------|| | Cluster || |-------------|| | Cues || |-------------|| | Attachments || |-------------|| | Tags |+---------------------------+
The MatroskaEBML Schema
defines eightTop-Level Elements
:¶
SeekHead
(Section 6.3)¶
Info
(Section 6.5)¶
Tracks
(Section 18)¶
Chapters
(Section 20)¶
Cluster
(Section 10)¶
Cues
(Section 22)¶
Attachments
(Section 21)¶
Tags
(Section 6.8)¶
TheSeekHead
element (also known asMetaSeek
) contains anindex ofTop-Level Elements
locations within theSegment
. Use of theSeekHead
element isRECOMMENDED. Without aSeekHead
element, a Matroskaparser would have to search the entire file to find all of the otherTop-Level Elements
. This is due to Matroska's flexible orderingrequirements; for instance, it is acceptable for theChapters
elementto be stored after theCluster
element(s).¶
+--------------------------------+| SeekHead | Seek | SeekID || | |--------------|| | | SeekPosition |+--------------------------------+
SeekHead
ElementTheInfo
element contains vital information for identifying the wholeSegment
.This includes the title for theSegment
, a randomly generated unique identifier (UID),and the UID(s) of any linkedSegment
elements.¶
+-------------------------+| Info | SegmentUUID || |------------------|| | SegmentFilename || |------------------|| | PrevUUID || |------------------|| | PrevFilename || |------------------|| | NextUUID || |------------------|| | NextFilename || |------------------|| | SegmentFamily || |------------------|| | ChapterTranslate || |------------------|| | TimestampScale || |------------------|| | Duration || |------------------|| | DateUTC || |------------------|| | Title || |------------------|| | MuxingApp || |------------------|| | WritingApp ||-------------------------|
Info
Element and ItsChild Elements
TheTracks
element defines the technical details for each track and can store the name,number, UID, language, and type (audio, video, subtitles, etc.) of each track.For example, theTracks
elementMAY store information about the resolution of a video trackor sample rate of an audio track.¶
TheTracks
elementMUST identify all the data needed by the codec to decode the data of thespecified track. However, the data required is contingent on the codec used for the track.For example, aTrack
element for uncompressed audio only requires the audio bit rate to be present.A codec such as AC-3 would require that theCodecID
element be present for all tracks,as it is the primary way to identify which codec to use to decode the track.¶
+------------------------------------+| Tracks | TrackEntry | TrackNumber || | |--------------|| | | TrackUID || | |--------------|| | | TrackType || | |--------------|| | | Name || | |--------------|| | | Language || | |--------------|| | | CodecID || | |--------------|| | | CodecPrivate || | |--------------|| | | CodecName || | |----------------------------------+| | | Video | FlagInterlaced || | | |-------------------|| | | | FieldOrder || | | |-------------------|| | | | StereoMode || | | |-------------------|| | | | AlphaMode || | | |-------------------|| | | | PixelWidth || | | |-------------------|| | | | PixelHeight || | | |-------------------|| | | | DisplayWidth || | | |-------------------|| | | | DisplayHeight || | | |-------------------|| | | | AspectRatioType || | | |-------------------|| | | | Colour || | |----------------------------------|| | | Audio | SamplingFrequency || | | |-------------------|| | | | Channels || | | |-------------------|| | | | BitDepth ||--------------------------------------------------------|
Tracks
Element and a Selection of ItsDescendant
ElementsTheChapters
element lists all of the chapters.Chapters
are a way to set predefinedpoints to jump to in video or audio.¶
+-----------------------------------------+| Chapters | Edition | EditionUID || | Entry |--------------------|| | | EditionFlagDefault || | |--------------------|| | | EditionFlagOrdered || | |---------------------------------+| | | ChapterAtom | ChapterUID || | | |-------------------|| | | | ChapterStringUID || | | |-------------------|| | | | ChapterTimeStart || | | |-------------------|| | | | ChapterTimeEnd || | | |-------------------|| | | | ChapterFlagHidden || | | |-------------------------------+| | | | ChapterDisplay | ChapString || | | | |--------------|| | | | | ChapLanguage |+------------------------------------------------------------------+
Chapters
Element and a Selection of ItsDescendant
ElementsCluster
elements contain the content for each track, e.g., video frames. A Matroska fileSHOULD contain at least oneCluster
element.In the rare case it doesn't, there should be a method forSegments
to linktogether, possibly usingChapters
; seeSection 17.¶
TheCluster
element helps to break upSimpleBlock
orBlockGroup
elements and helps with seeking and error protection.EveryCluster
elementMUST contain aTimestamp
element.ThisSHOULD be theTimestamp
element used to play the firstBlock
in theCluster
element,unless a different value is needed to accommodate for moreBlocks
; seeSection 11.2.¶
Cluster
elements contain one or moreBlock
element, such asBlockGroup
orSimpleBlock
elements.In some situations, aCluster
elementMAY contain noBlock
element, for example, in a live recordingwhen no data has been collected.¶
ABlockGroup
elementMAY contain aBlock
of data and any information relating directly to thatBlock
.¶
+--------------------------+| Cluster | Timestamp || |----------------|| | Position || |----------------|| | PrevSize || |----------------|| | SimpleBlock || |----------------|| | BlockGroup |+--------------------------+
Cluster
Element and Its ImmediateChild Elements
+----------------------------------+| Block | Portion of | Data Type || | a Block | - Bit Flag || |--------------------------+| | Header | TrackNumber || | |-------------|| | | Timestamp || | |-------------|| | | Flags || | | - Gap || | | - Lacing || | | - Reserved || |--------------------------|| | Optional | FrameSize || |--------------------------|| | Data | Frame |+----------------------------------+
Block
Element StructureEachCluster
MUST contain exactly oneTimestamp
element. TheTimestamp
element valueMUSTbe stored once perCluster
. TheTimestamp
element in theCluster
is relative to the entireSegment
.TheTimestamp
elementSHOULD be the first element in theCluster
it belongs to or the second element if thatCluster
contains aCRC-32
element (Section 6.2).¶
Additionally, theBlock
contains an offset that, when added to theCluster
'sTimestamp
element value,yields theBlock
's effective timestamp. Therefore, the timestamp in theBlock
itself is relative totheTimestamp
element in theCluster
. For example, if theTimestamp
element in theCluster
is set to 10 seconds and aBlock
in thatCluster
is supposed to be played 12 seconds into the clip,the timestamp in theBlock
would be set to 2 seconds.¶
TheReferenceBlock
in theBlockGroup
is used instead of the basic "P-frame"/"B-frame" description.Instead of simply saying that thisBlock
depends on theBlock
directly before or directly after,theTimestamp
of the necessaryBlock
is used. Because there can be as manyReferenceBlock
elementsas necessary for aBlock
, it allows for some extremely complex referencing.¶
TheCues
element is used to seek when playing back a file by providing a temporal indexfor some of theTracks
. It is similar to theSeekHead
element but is used for seeking to a specific time when playing back the file. It is possible to seek without this element,but it is much more difficult because aMatroska Reader
would have to "hunt and peck"through the file to look for the correct timestamp.¶
TheCues
elementSHOULD contain at least oneCuePoint
element. EachCuePoint
elementstores the position of theCluster
that contains theBlockGroup
orSimpleBlock
element.The timestamp is stored in theCueTime
element, and the location is stored in theCueTrackPositions
element.¶
TheCues
element is flexible. For instance, theCues
element can be used to index everysingle timestamp of everyBlock
or they can be indexed selectively.¶
+-------------------------------------+| Cues | CuePoint | CueTime || | |-------------------|| | | CueTrackPositions || |------------------------------|| | CuePoint | CueTime || | |-------------------|| | | CueTrackPositions |+-------------------------------------+
Cues
Element and Two Levels of ItsDescendant
ElementsTheAttachments
element is for attaching files to a Matroska file, such as pictures,fonts, web pages, etc.¶
+------------------------------------------------+| Attachments | AttachedFile | FileDescription || | |-------------------|| | | FileName || | |-------------------|| | | FileMediaType || | |-------------------|| | | FileData || | |-------------------|| | | FileUID |+------------------------------------------------+
Attachments
ElementTheTags
element contains metadata that describes theSegment
and potentiallyitsTracks
,Chapters
, andAttachments
. EachTrack
orChapter
that those tagsapplies to has its UID listed in theTags
. TheTags
contain all extra information aboutthe file: scriptwriters, singers, actors, directors, titles, edition, price, dates, genre, comments,etc.Tags
can contain their values in multiple languages.For example, a movie's "TITLE" tag value might contain both the originalEnglish title as well as the German title.¶
+-------------------------------------------+| Tags | Tag | Targets | TargetTypeValue || | | |------------------|| | | | TargetType || | | |------------------|| | | | TagTrackUID || | | |------------------|| | | | TagEditionUID || | | |------------------|| | | | TagChapterUID || | | |------------------|| | | | TagAttachmentUID || | |------------------------------|| | | SimpleTag | TagName || | | |------------------|| | | | TagLanguage || | | |------------------|| | | | TagDefault || | | |------------------|| | | | TagString || | | |------------------|| | | | TagBinary || | | |------------------|| | | | SimpleTag |+-------------------------------------------+
Tags
Element and Three Levels of ItsChildren Elements
This specification includes anEBML Schema
that defines the elements and structureof Matroska using the EBML Schema elements and attributes defined inSection 11.1 of [RFC8794].¶
Attributes using their default value (likeminOccurs
,minver
, etc.) or attributes with undefined values (likelength
,maxver
, etc.) are omitted.¶
The definitions for each Matroska element are provided below.¶
\Segment
¶Root Element
that contains all otherTop-Level Elements
; seeSection 4.5.¶\Segment\SeekHead
¶Top-Level Elements
; seeSection 4.5.¶\Segment\SeekHead\Seek
¶\Segment\SeekHead\Seek\SeekPosition
¶Segment Position
(Section 16) of aTop-Level Element
.¶\Segment\Info
¶Segment
.¶\Segment\Info\SegmentUUID
¶Segment
amongst many others (128 bits). It is equivalent to a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) v4[RFC9562] with all bits randomly (or pseudorandomly) chosen. An actual UUID v4 value, where some bits are not random,MAY also be used.¶Segment
is a part of aLinked Segment
, then this element isREQUIRED.The value of the UIDMUST contain at least one bit set to 1.¶\Segment\Info\PrevUUID
¶Segment
of aLinked Segment
.¶Segment
is a part of aLinked Segment
that usesHard Linking (Section 17.1), then either thePrevUUID
or theNextUUID
element isREQUIRED. If aSegment
contains aPrevUUID
but not aNextUUID
, then itMAY be considered as thelastSegment
of theLinked Segment
. ThePrevUUID
MUST NOT be equal to theSegmentUUID
.¶\Segment\Info\PrevFilename
¶Linked Segment
.¶PrevUUID
SHOULD be considered authoritative for identifying the previousSegment
in aLinked Segment
.¶\Segment\Info\NextUUID
¶Segment
of aLinked Segment
.¶Segment
is a part of aLinked Segment
that uses Hard Linking (Section 17.1),then either thePrevUUID
or theNextUUID
element isREQUIRED. If aSegment
contains aNextUUID
but not aPrevUUID
, then itMAY be considered as the firstSegment
of theLinked Segment
. TheNextUUID
MUST NOT be equal to theSegmentUUID
.¶\Segment\Info\SegmentFamily
¶Segments
of aLinked Segment
MUST share (128 bits). It is equivalent to a UUID v4[RFC9562] with all bits randomly (or pseudorandomly) chosen. An actual UUID v4 value, where some bits are not random,MAY also be used.¶Segment
Info
contains aChapterTranslate
element, this element isREQUIRED.¶\Segment\Info\ChapterTranslate
¶Segment
and asegment value in the given Chapter Codec.¶SegmentUUID
s in Matroska.This allows remuxing a file with Chapter Codec without changing the content of the codec data, just theSegment
mapping.¶\Segment\Info\ChapterTranslate\ChapterTranslateID
¶Segment
in the chapter codec data.The format depends on theChapProcessCodecID
used; seeSection 5.1.7.1.4.15.¶\Segment\Info\ChapterTranslate\ChapterTranslateCodec
¶\Segment\Info\ChapterTranslate\ChapterTranslateEditionUID
¶ChapterTranslate
applies.¶ChapterTranslateEditionUID
is specified in theChapterTranslate
, theChapterTranslate
applies to all chapter editions found in theSegment
using the givenChapterTranslateCodec
.¶\Segment\Info\TimestampScale
¶TimestampScale
value of 1000000 means scaled timestamps in theSegment
are expressed in milliseconds; seeSection 11 on how to interpret timestamps.¶\Segment\Cluster
¶Top-Level Element
containing the (monolithic)Block
structure.¶\Segment\Cluster\Timestamp
¶TimestampScale
; seeSection 11.1.¶Cluster
it belongs toor the second if thatCluster
contains aCRC-32
element (Section 6.2).¶\Segment\Cluster\SimpleBlock
¶Block
(seeSection 10.1) but without all the extra information.Mostly used to reduce overhead when no extra feature is needed; seeSection 10.2 onSimpleBlock
Structure.¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup
¶Block
and information specific to thatBlock
.¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\Block
¶Block
containing the actual data to be rendered and a timestamp relative to theCluster
Timestamp;seeSection 10.1 onBlock
Structure.¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\BlockAdditions
¶Block
element; seeSection 4.1.5 of [MatroskaCodec] for more information.An EBML parser that has no knowledge of theBlock
structure could still see and use/skip these data.¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\BlockAdditions\BlockMore\BlockAddID
¶BlockAdditional
data; seeSection 4.1.5 of [MatroskaCodec] formore information. A value of 1 indicates that theBlockAdditional
data isdefined by the codec. Any other value indicates that theBlockAdditional
datashould be handled according to theBlockAddIDType
that is located in theTrackEntry
.¶BlockAddID
valueMUST be unique between allBlockMore
elements found in aBlockAdditions
element. To keepMaxBlockAdditionID
as low as possible, small valuesSHOULD be used.¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\BlockDuration
¶Block
, expressed in Track Ticks; seeSection 11.1. TheBlockDuration
element can be usefulat the end of aTrack
to define the duration of the last frame (asthere is no subsequentBlock
available) or when there is a break in atrack like for subtitle tracks.¶attribute | note |
---|---|
minOccurs | BlockDuration MUST be set (minOccurs=1) if the associatedTrackEntry stores aDefaultDuration value. |
default | If a value is not present and noDefaultDuration is defined, the value is assumed to be the difference between the timestamp of thisBlock and the timestamp of the nextBlock in "display" order (not coding order). |
\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\ReferencePriority
¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\ReferenceBlock
¶Block
in thisBlockGroup
, expressed in Track Ticks; seeSection 11.1.This is used to reference other frames necessary to decode this frame.The relative valueSHOULD correspond to a validBlock
that thisBlock
depends on.Historically,Matroska Writers
didn't write the actualBlock(s)
that thisBlock
depends on, but they did writesomeBlock(s)
in the past.¶The value "0"MAY also be used to signify that thisBlock
cannot be decoded on its own, but the necessary referenceBlock(s)
is unknown. In this case, otherReferenceBlock
elementsMUST NOT be found in the sameBlockGroup
. If theBlockGroup
doesn't have aReferenceBlock
element, then theBlock
it contains can be decoded without using any otherBlock
data.¶
\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\DiscardPadding
¶Block
, expressed inMatroska Ticks -- i.e., in nanoseconds; seeSection 11.1(padding at the end of theBlock
for positive values and at thebeginning of theBlock
for negative values). The duration ofDiscardPadding
is not calculated in the duration of theTrackEntry
andSHOULD be discarded duringplayback.¶\Segment\Tracks
¶Top-Level Element
of information with many tracks described.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackType
¶TrackType
defines the type of each frame found in theTrack
.The valueSHOULD be stored on 1 octet.¶value | label | contents of each frame |
---|---|---|
1 | video | An image. |
2 | audio | Audio samples. |
3 | complex | A mix of different otherTrackType . The codec needs to define how theMatroska Player should interpret such data. |
16 | logo | An image to be rendered over the video track(s). |
17 | subtitle | Subtitle or closed caption data to be rendered over the video track(s). |
18 | buttons | Interactive button(s) to be rendered over the video track(s). |
32 | control | Metadata used to control the player of theMatroska Player . |
33 | metadata | Timed metadata that can be passed on to theMatroska Player . |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\FlagForced
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\DefaultDuration
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\DefaultDecodedFieldDuration
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackTimestampScale
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\MaxBlockAdditionID
¶BlockAddID
(Section 5.1.3.5.2.3).A value of 0 means there is noBlockAdditions
(Section 5.1.3.5.2) for this track.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\BlockAdditionMapping
¶BlockAddID
(Section 5.1.3.5.2.3), or to the track as a wholewithBlockAddIDExtraData
.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\BlockAdditionMapping\BlockAddIDValue
¶BlockAddID
(Section 5.1.3.5.2.3) value being described.¶MaxBlockAdditionID
as low as possible, small valuesSHOULD be used.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\BlockAdditionMapping\BlockAddIDType
¶Block Additional Mapping
to define how theBlockAdditional
data should be handled.¶BlockAddIDType
is 0, theBlockAddIDValue
and correspondingBlockAddID
valuesMUST be 1.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\BlockAdditionMapping\BlockAddIDExtraData
¶BlockAddIDType
can use to interpret theBlockAdditional
data.The interpretation of the binary data depends on theBlockAddIDType
value and the correspondingBlock Additional Mapping
.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Language
¶LanguageBCP47
element is used in the sameTrackEntry
.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\CodecDelay
¶Cluster
.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\SeekPreRoll
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackTranslate
¶TrackEntry
and a track value in the given Chapter Codec.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackTranslate\TrackTranslateTrackID
¶TrackEntry
in the chapter codec data.The format depends on theChapProcessCodecID
used; seeSection 5.1.7.1.4.15.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackTranslate\TrackTranslateCodec
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackTranslate\TrackTranslateEditionUID
¶TrackTranslate
applies.¶TrackTranslateEditionUID
is specified in theTrackTranslate
, theTrackTranslate
applies to all chapter editions found in theSegment
using the givenTrackTranslateCodec
.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\FlagInterlaced
¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
0 | undetermined | Unknown status. This valueSHOULD be avoided. |
1 | interlaced | Interlaced frames. |
2 | progressive | No interlacing. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\FieldOrder
¶FlagInterlaced
is not set to 1, this elementMUST be ignored.¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
0 | progressive | Interlaced frames. This valueSHOULD be avoided; settingFlagInterlaced to 2 is sufficient. |
1 | tff | Top field displayed first. Top field stored first. |
2 | undetermined | Unknown field order. This valueSHOULD be avoided. |
6 | bff | Bottom field displayed first. Bottom field stored first. |
9 | tff (interleaved) | Top field displayed first. Fields are interleaved in storage with the top line of the top field stored first. |
14 | bff (interleaved) | Bottom field displayed first. Fields are interleaved in storage with the top line of the top field stored first. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\StereoMode
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | mono |
1 | side by side (left eye first) |
2 | top - bottom (right eye is first) |
3 | top - bottom (left eye is first) |
4 | checkboard (right eye is first) |
5 | checkboard (left eye is first) |
6 | row interleaved (right eye is first) |
7 | row interleaved (left eye is first) |
8 | column interleaved (right eye is first) |
9 | column interleaved (left eye is first) |
10 | anaglyph (cyan/red) |
11 | side by side (right eye first) |
12 | anaglyph (green/magenta) |
13 | both eyes laced in one Block (left eye is first) |
14 | both eyes laced in one Block (right eye is first) |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\AlphaMode
¶BlockAdditional
element withBlockAddID
of "1"contains Alpha data as defined by the Codec Mapping for theCodecID
.Undefined values (i.e., values other than 0 or 1)SHOULD NOT be used, as thebehavior of known implementations is different.¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
0 | none | TheBlockAdditional element withBlockAddID of "1" does not exist orSHOULD NOT be considered as containing such data. |
1 | present | TheBlockAdditional element withBlockAddID of "1" contains alpha channel data. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\OldStereoMode
¶StereoMode
value used in old versions of[libmatroska].¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | mono |
1 | right eye |
2 | left eye |
3 | both eyes |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\DisplayWidth
¶attribute | note |
---|---|
default | If the DisplayUnit of the sameTrackEntry is 0, then the default value forDisplayWidth is equal toPixelWidth -PixelCropLeft -PixelCropRight ; else, there is no default value. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\DisplayHeight
¶attribute | note |
---|---|
default | If the DisplayUnit of the sameTrackEntry is 0, then the default value forDisplayHeight is equal toPixelHeight -PixelCropTop -PixelCropBottom ; else, there is no default value. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\DisplayUnit
¶DisplayWidth
andDisplayHeight
are interpreted.¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | pixels |
1 | centimeters |
2 | inches |
3 | display aspect ratio |
4 | unknown |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\UncompressedFourCC
¶Track
's data as a FourCC.This value is similar in scope to the biCompression value of AVI'sBITMAPINFO
[AVIFormat]. There is neither a definitive list of FourCC values nor an official registry. Some common values for YUV pixel formats can be found at[MSYUV8],[MSYUV16], and[FourCC-YUV]. Some common values for uncompressed RGB pixel formats can be found at[MSRGB] and[FourCC-RGB].¶attribute | note |
---|---|
minOccurs | UncompressedFourCCMUST be set (minOccurs=1) inTrackEntry when theCodecID element of theTrackEntry is set to "V_UNCOMPRESSED". |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\MatrixCoefficients
¶MatrixCoefficients
are adopted from Table 4 of[ITU-H.273].¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | Identity |
1 | ITU-R BT.709 |
2 | unspecified |
3 | reserved |
4 | US FCC 73.682 |
5 | ITU-R BT.470BG |
6 | SMPTE 170M |
7 | SMPTE 240M |
8 | YCoCg |
9 | BT2020 Non-constant Luminance |
10 | BT2020 Constant Luminance |
11 | SMPTE ST 2085 |
12 | Chroma-derived Non-constant Luminance |
13 | Chroma-derived Constant Luminance |
14 | ITU-R BT.2100-0 |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\ChromaSubsamplingHorz
¶ChromaSubsamplingHorz
SHOULD be set to 1.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\ChromaSubsamplingVert
¶ChromaSubsamplingVert
SHOULD be set to 1.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\CbSubsamplingHorz
¶ChromaSubsamplingHorz
.Example: For video with 4:2:1 chromasubsampling, theChromaSubsamplingHorz
SHOULD be set to 1, andCbSubsamplingHorz
SHOULD be set to 1.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\ChromaSitingHorz
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | unspecified |
1 | left collocated |
2 | half |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\ChromaSitingVert
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | unspecified |
1 | top collocated |
2 | half |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\Range
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | unspecified |
1 | broadcast range |
2 | full range (no clipping) |
3 | defined by MatrixCoefficients / TransferCharacteristics |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\TransferCharacteristics
¶TransferCharacteristics
are adopted from Table 3 of[ITU-H.273].¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | reserved |
1 | ITU-R BT.709 |
2 | unspecified |
3 | reserved2 |
4 | Gamma 2.2 curve - BT.470M |
5 | Gamma 2.8 curve - BT.470BG |
6 | SMPTE 170M |
7 | SMPTE 240M |
8 | Linear |
9 | Log |
10 | Log Sqrt |
11 | IEC 61966-2-4 |
12 | ITU-R BT.1361 Extended Colour Gamut |
13 | IEC 61966-2-1 |
14 | ITU-R BT.2020 10 bit |
15 | ITU-R BT.2020 12 bit |
16 | ITU-R BT.2100 Perceptual Quantization |
17 | SMPTE ST 428-1 |
18 | ARIB STD-B67 (HLG) |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Colour\Primaries
¶Primaries
are adopted from Table 2 of[ITU-H.273].¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | reserved |
1 | ITU-R BT.709 |
2 | unspecified |
3 | reserved2 |
4 | ITU-R BT.470M |
5 | ITU-R BT.470BG - BT.601 625 |
6 | ITU-R BT.601 525 - SMPTE 170M |
7 | SMPTE 240M |
8 | FILM |
9 | ITU-R BT.2020 |
10 | SMPTE ST 428-1 |
11 | SMPTE RP 432-2 |
12 | SMPTE EG 432-2 |
22 | EBU Tech. 3213-E - JEDEC P22 phosphors |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Projection\ProjectionType
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | rectangular |
1 | equirectangular |
2 | cubemap |
3 | mesh |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Projection\ProjectionPrivate
¶ProjectionType
equals 0 (rectangular), then this elementMUST NOT be present.¶ProjectionType
equals 1 (equirectangular), then this elementMUST be present and contain the same binary data that would be stored inside an ISOBMFF Equirectangular Projection Box ("equi").¶ProjectionType
equals 2 (cubemap), then this elementMUST be present and contain the same binary data that would be stored inside an ISOBMFF Cubemap Projection Box ("cbmp").¶ProjectionType
equals 3 (mesh), then this elementMUST be present and contain the same binary data that would be stored inside an ISOBMFF Mesh Projection Box ("mshp").¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Projection\ProjectionPoseYaw
¶ProjectionPosePitch
orProjectionPoseRoll
rotations.The value of this elementMUST be in the -180 to 180 degree range, both inclusive.¶SettingProjectionPoseYaw
to 180 or -180 degrees withProjectionPoseRoll
andProjectionPosePitch
set to 0 degrees flips the image horizontally.¶
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Projection\ProjectionPosePitch
¶ProjectionPoseYaw
rotation and before theProjectionPoseRoll
rotation.The value of this elementMUST be in the -90 to 90 degree range, both inclusive.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Video\Projection\ProjectionPoseRoll
¶ProjectionPoseYaw
andProjectionPosePitch
rotations. The value of this elementMUST be in the -180 to 180 degree range, both inclusive. SettingProjectionPoseRoll
to 180 or -180 degrees andProjectionPoseYaw
to 180 or -180 degrees withProjectionPosePitch
set to 0 degrees flips the image vertically.SettingProjectionPoseRoll
to 180 or -180 degrees withProjectionPoseYaw
andProjectionPosePitch
set to 0 degreesflips the image horizontally and vertically.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Audio
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\Audio\OutputSamplingFrequency
¶attribute | note |
---|---|
default | The default value forOutputSamplingFrequency of the sameTrackEntry is equal to theSamplingFrequency . |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackOperation
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackOperation\TrackCombinePlanes\TrackPlane\TrackPlaneType
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | left eye |
1 | right eye |
2 | background |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings
¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentEncodingOrder
¶ContentEncoding
of theContentEncodings
.The decoder/demuxerMUST start with theContentEncoding
with the highestContentEncodingOrder
and work its way down to theContentEncoding
with the lowestContentEncodingOrder
.This valueMUST be unique for eachContentEncoding
found in theContentEncodings
of thisTrackEntry
.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentEncodingScope
¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
0x1 | Block | All frame contents, excluding lacing data. |
0x2 | Private | The track'sCodecPrivate data. |
0x4 | Next | The next ContentEncoding (nextContentEncodingOrder ; the data insideContentCompression and/orContentEncryption ). This valueSHOULD NOT be used, as it's not supported by players. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentEncodingType
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | Compression |
1 | Encryption |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentCompression
¶ContentEncodingType
is 0 and absent otherwise.Each blockMUST be decompressable, even if no previous block is available in order to not prevent seeking.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentCompression\ContentCompAlgo
¶Matroska Writer
SHOULD NOT use these compression methods by default. AMatroska Reader
MAY support methods "1" and "2" andSHOULD support other methods.¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
0 | zlib | zlib compression[RFC1950]. |
1 | bzlib | bzip2 compression[BZIP2]SHOULD NOT be used; see usage notes. |
2 | lzo1x | Lempel-Ziv-Oberhumer compression[LZO]SHOULD NOT be used; see usage notes. |
3 | Header Stripping | Octets inContentCompSettings (Section 5.1.4.1.31.7) have been stripped from each frame. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentCompression\ContentCompSettings
¶ContentCompAlgo
=3),the bytes that were removed from the beginning of each frame of the track.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentEncryption
¶ContentEncodingType
is 1 (encryption) andMUST be ignored otherwise.AMatroska Player
MAY support encryption.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentEncryption\ContentEncAlgo
¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
0 | Not encrypted | The data are not encrypted. |
1 | DES | Data Encryption Standard (DES)[FIPS46-3]. This valueSHOULD be avoided. |
2 | 3DES | Triple Data Encryption Algorithm[SP800-67]. This valueSHOULD be avoided. |
3 | Twofish | Twofish Encryption Algorithm[Twofish]. |
4 | Blowfish | Blowfish Encryption Algorithm[Blowfish]. This valueSHOULD be avoided. |
5 | AES | Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)[FIPS197]. |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentEncryption\ContentEncAESSettings
¶attribute | note |
---|---|
maxOccurs | ContentEncAESSettingsMUST NOT be set (maxOccurs=0) if ContentEncAlgo is not AES (5). |
\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\ContentEncodings\ContentEncoding\ContentEncryption\ContentEncAESSettings\AESSettingsCipherMode
¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
1 | AES-CTR | Counter[SP800-38A] |
2 | AES-CBC | Cipher Block Chaining[SP800-38A] |
attribute | note |
---|---|
maxOccurs | AESSettingsCipherModeMUST NOT be set (maxOccurs=0) if ContentEncAlgo is not AES (5). |
\Segment\Cues
¶Top-Level Element
to speed seeking access. All entries arelocal to theSegment
.¶attribute | note |
---|---|
minOccurs | This elementSHOULD be set when theSegment is not transmitted as a live stream; seeSection 23.2. |
\Segment\Cues\CuePoint
¶Segment
.¶\Segment\Cues\CuePoint\CueTime
¶TimestampScale
; seeSection 11.1.¶\Segment\Cues\CuePoint\CueTrackPositions
¶\Segment\Cues\CuePoint\CueTrackPositions\CueClusterPosition
¶Segment Position
(Section 16) of theCluster
containing the associatedBlock
.¶\Segment\Cues\CuePoint\CueTrackPositions\CueDuration
¶TimestampScale
; seeSection 11.1.If missing, the track'sDefaultDuration
does not apply and no duration information is available in terms of the cues.¶\Segment\Attachments
¶\Segment\Chapters
¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry
¶Segment
edition.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom
¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterTimeStart
¶Chapter
, expressed in Matroska Ticks -- i.e., in nanoseconds; seeSection 11.1.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterTimeEnd
¶Chapter
(timestamp excluded), expressed in Matroska Ticks -- i.e., in nanoseconds; seeSection 11.1.The valueMUST be greater than or equal to theChapterTimeStart
of the sameChapterAtom
.¶ChapterTimeEnd
timestamp value being excluded, itMUST take into account the duration ofthe last frame it includes, especially for theChapterAtom
using the last frames of theSegment
.¶attribute | note |
---|---|
minOccurs | ChapterTimeEndMUST be set (minOccurs=1) if theEdition is an ordered edition; seeSection 20.1.3. If it's aParent Chapter , seeSection 20.2.3. |
\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterFlagHidden
¶Chapter
flags).¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterSegmentUUID
¶SegmentUUID
of anotherSegment
to play during this chapter.¶SegmentUUID
value of theSegment
it belongs to.¶attribute | note |
---|---|
minOccurs | ChapterSegmentUUID MUST be set (minOccurs=1) ifChapterSegmentEditionUID is used; seeSection 17.2 on Medium-LinkingSegments . |
\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterSegmentEditionUID
¶EditionUID
to play from theSegment
linked inChapterSegmentUUID
.IfChapterSegmentEditionUID
is undeclared, then noEdition
of theLinked Segment
is used; seeSection 17.2 on Medium-LinkingSegments
.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterPhysicalEquiv
¶ChapterAtom
, e.g., "DVD" (60) or "SIDE" (50);seeSection 20.4 for a complete list of values.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterDisplay\ChapLanguage
¶ChapLanguageBCP47
element is used within the sameChapterDisplay
element.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterDisplay\ChapLanguageBCP47
¶ChapString
,in the form defined in[RFC5646]; seeSection 12 on language codes.If aChapLanguageBCP47
element is used, then anyChapLanguage
andChapCountry
elements used in the sameChapterDisplay
MUST be ignored.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapterDisplay\ChapCountry
¶ChapLanguageBCP47
element is used within the sameChapterDisplay
element.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapProcess\ChapProcessCodecID
¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
0 | Matroska Script | Chapter commands using the Matroska Script codec. |
1 | DVD-menu | Chapter commands using the DVD-like codec. |
\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapProcess\ChapProcessPrivate
¶ChapProcessCodecID
information.ForChapProcessCodecID
= 1, it is the "DVD level" equivalent; seeSection 20.3 on DVD menus.¶\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapProcess\ChapProcessCommand\ChapProcessTime
¶value | label |
---|---|
0 | during the whole chapter |
1 | before starting playback |
2 | after playback of the chapter |
\Segment\Chapters\EditionEntry\+ChapterAtom\ChapProcess\ChapProcessCommand\ChapProcessData
¶ChapProcessCodecID
value. ForChapProcessCodecID
= 1,the data correspond to the binary DVD cell pre/post commands; seeSection 20.3 on DVD menus.¶\Segment\Tags
¶Tracks
,Editions
,Chapters
,Attachments
, or theSegment
as a whole.A list of valid tags can be found in[MatroskaTags].¶\Segment\Tags\Tag
¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\Targets
¶Segment
.¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\Targets\TargetTypeValue
¶TargetTypeValue
values are meant to be compared.Higher valuesMUST correspond to a logical level that contains the lower logical levelTargetTypeValue
values.¶value | label | definition |
---|---|---|
70 | COLLECTION | The highest hierarchical level that tags can describe. |
60 | EDITION / ISSUE / VOLUME / OPUS / SEASON / SEQUEL | A list of lower levels grouped together. |
50 | ALBUM / OPERA / CONCERT / MOVIE / EPISODE | The most common grouping level of music and video (e.g., an episode for TV series). |
40 | PART / SESSION | When an album or episode has different logical parts. |
30 | TRACK / SONG / CHAPTER | The common parts of an album or movie. |
20 | SUBTRACK / MOVEMENT / SCENE | Corresponds to parts of a track for audio, such as a movement or scene in a movie. |
10 | SHOT | The lowest hierarchy found in music or movies. |
\Segment\Tags\Tag\Targets\TargetType
¶value | label |
---|---|
COLLECTION | TargetTypeValue 70 |
EDITION | TargetTypeValue 60 |
ISSUE | TargetTypeValue 60 |
VOLUME | TargetTypeValue 60 |
OPUS | TargetTypeValue 60 |
SEASON | TargetTypeValue 60 |
SEQUEL | TargetTypeValue 60 |
ALBUM | TargetTypeValue 50 |
OPERA | TargetTypeValue 50 |
CONCERT | TargetTypeValue 50 |
MOVIE | TargetTypeValue 50 |
EPISODE | TargetTypeValue 50 |
PART | TargetTypeValue 40 |
SESSION | TargetTypeValue 40 |
TRACK | TargetTypeValue 30 |
SONG | TargetTypeValue 30 |
CHAPTER | TargetTypeValue 30 |
SUBTRACK | TargetTypeValue 20 |
MOVEMENT | TargetTypeValue 20 |
SCENE | TargetTypeValue 20 |
SHOT | TargetTypeValue 10 |
\Segment\Tags\Tag\Targets\TagTrackUID
¶Track(s)
that the tags belong to.¶Segment
.If set to any other value, itMUST match theTrackUID
value of a track found in thisSegment
.¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\Targets\TagEditionUID
¶EditionEntry(s)
that the tags belong to.¶Segment
.If set to any other value, itMUST match theEditionUID
value of an edition found in thisSegment
.¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\Targets\TagChapterUID
¶Chapter(s)
that the tags belong to.¶Segment
.If set to any other value, itMUST match theChapterUID
value of a chapter found in thisSegment
.¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\Targets\TagAttachmentUID
¶Segment
. If set to any other value, itMUST matchtheFileUID
value of an attachment found in thisSegment
.¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\+SimpleTag
¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\+SimpleTag\TagLanguage
¶TagLanguageBCP47
element is used within the sameSimpleTag
element.¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\+SimpleTag\TagLanguageBCP47
¶TagString
,in the form defined in[RFC5646]; seeSection 12 on language codes.If this element is used, then anyTagLanguage
elements used in the sameSimpleTag
MUST be ignored.¶With the exceptions of theEBML Header
and theCRC-32
element, the EBML specification[RFC8794] does not require anyparticular storage order for elements. However, this specification definesmandates and recommendations for ordering certain elements to facilitatebetter playback, seeking, and editing efficiency. This section describes andoffers rationale for ordering requirements and recommendations forMatroska.¶
TheInfo
element is the onlyREQUIREDTop-Level Element
in a Matroska file.To be playable, MatroskaMUST also contain at least oneTracks
element andCluster
element.The firstInfo
element and the firstTracks
element eitherMUST be stored before the firstCluster
element orSHALL both be referenced by aSeekHead
element occurring before the firstCluster
element.¶
AllTop-Level Elements
MUST use a 4-octet EBML Element ID.¶
When using Medium Linking, chapters are used to reference otherSegments
to play in a given order (seeSection 17.2).ASegment
containing theseLinked Chapters
does not require aTracks
element or aCluster
element.¶
It is possible to edit a Matroska file after it has been created. Forexample, chapters, tags, or attachments can be added. When newTop-LevelElements
are added to a Matroska file, theSeekHead
element(s)MUST be updated so that theSeekHead
element(s)itemizes the identity and position of allTop-Level Elements
.¶
Editing, removing, or adding elements to a Matroska file often requiresthat some existing elements be voided or extended. Transforming the existingelements intoVoid
elements as padding can be used as a method toavoid moving large amounts of data around.¶
As noted by the EBML specification[RFC8794], if aCRC-32
element is used, then theCRC-32
elementMUST be the first ordered element within itsParent Element
.¶
In Matroska, allTop-Level Elements
of an EBML DocumentSHOULD include aCRC-32
elementas their firstChild Element
.TheSegment
element, which is theRoot Element
,SHOULD NOT have aCRC-32
element.¶
If used, the firstSeekHead
elementMUST be the first non-CRC-32 Child
elementof theSegment
element. If a secondSeekHead
element is used, then the firstSeekHead
elementMUST reference the identity and position of the secondSeekHead
element.¶
Additionally, the secondSeekHead
elementMUST only referenceCluster
elementsand not any otherTop-Level Element
already contained within the firstSeekHead
element.¶
The secondSeekHead
elementMAY be stored in any order relative to the otherTop-Level Elements
.Whether one or twoSeekHead
elements are used, theSeekHead
element(s)MUSTcollectively reference the identity and position of allTop-Level Elements
exceptfor the firstSeekHead
element.¶
TheCues
element isRECOMMENDED to optimize seeking access in Matroska. It isprogrammatically simpler to add theCues
element after allCluster
elementshave been written because this does not require a prediction of how much space toreserve before writing theCluster
elements. However, storing theCues
elementbefore theCluster
elements can provide some seeking advantages. If theCues
elementis present, then itSHOULD either be stored before the firstCluster
elementor be referenced by aSeekHead
element.¶
The firstInfo
elementSHOULD occur before the firstTracks
element and firstCluster
element except when referenced by aSeekHead
element.¶
TheChapters
elementSHOULD be placed before theCluster
element(s). TheChapters
element can be used during playback even if the user does not need to seek.It immediately gives the user information about what section is being read and whatother sections are available.¶
In the case ofOrdered Chapters
, it isRECOMMENDED to evaluatethe logical linking before playing. TheChapters
elementSHOULD be placed beforethe firstTracks
element and after the firstInfo
element.¶
TheAttachments
element is not intended to be used by default when playing the filebut could contain information relevant to the content, such as cover art or fonts.Cover art is useful even before the file is played, and fonts could be needed before playbackstarts for the initialization of subtitles. TheAttachments
elementMAY be placed beforethe firstCluster
element; however, if theAttachments
element is likely to be edited,then itSHOULD be placed after the lastCluster
element.¶
TheTags
element is most subject to changes after the file was originally created.For easier editing, theTags
element can be placed at the end of theSegment
element,even after theAttachments
element. On the other hand, it is inconvenient to have toseek in theSegment
for tags, especially for network streams; thus, it's better if theTags
element is found early in the stream. When editing theTags
element, the originalTags
element at the beginning can be overwritten with aVoid
element and anewTags
element written at the end of theSegment
element. The file andSegment
sizes will only marginally change.¶
Matroska is based on the principle that a reading application does not have to support100% of the specifications in order to be able to play the file. Therefore, a Matroska file contains version indicators that tell a reading application what to expect.¶
It is possible and valid to have the version fields indicate that the filecontains Matroska elements from a higher specification version number whilesignaling that a reading applicationMUST only support a lowerversion number properly in order to play it back (possibly with a reducedfeature set).¶
TheEBML Header
of each Matroska document informs the readingapplication on what version of Matroska to expect. The elements within theEBML Header
with jurisdiction over this information areDocTypeVersion
andDocTypeReadVersion
.¶
DocTypeVersion
MUST be equal to or greater than the highest Matroska version number ofany element present in the Matroska file. For example, a file using theSimpleBlock
element (Section 5.1.3.4)MUST have aDocTypeVersion
equal to or greater than 2. A file containingCueRelativePosition
elements (Section 5.1.5.1.2.3)MUST have aDocTypeVersion
equal to or greater than 4.¶
TheDocTypeReadVersion
MUST contain the minimumversion number that a reading application can minimally support in order toplay the file back -- optionally with a reduced feature set. For example, if afile contains only elements of version 2 or lower except forCueRelativePosition
(which is a version 4 Matroska element), thenDocTypeReadVersion
SHOULD still be set to 2 and not 4because evaluatingCueRelativePosition
is not necessary for standardplayback -- it makes seeking more precise if used.¶
A reading application supporting Matroska versionV
MUST NOT refuse to read afile withDocReadTypeVersion
equal to or lower thanV
, even ifDocTypeVersion
is greater thanV
.¶
A reading application supporting at least Matroska versionV
andreading a file whoseDocTypeReadVersion
field is equal to or lowerthanV
MUST skip Matroska/EBML elements it encountersbut does not know about if that unknown element fits into the size constraintsset by the currentParent Element
.¶
It is sometimes necessary to create a Matroska file from another Matroska file, for example, to add subtitles in a languageor to edit out a portion of the content.Some values from the original Matroska file need to be kept the same in the destination file.For example, theSamplingFrequency
of an audio track wouldn't change between the two files.Some other values may change between the two files, for example, theTrackNumber
of an audio track when another track has been added.¶
An element is marked with a property "stream copy: True
" when the values of that element need to be kept identical between the source and destination files.If that property is not set, elements may or may not keep the same value between the source and destination files.¶
TheDefaultDecodedFieldDuration
element can signal to thedisplaying application how often fields of a video sequence will be availablefor displaying. It can be used for both interlaced and progressivecontent.¶
If the video sequence is signaled as interlaced (Section 5.1.4.1.28.1), thenDefaultDecodedFieldDuration
equalsthe period between two successive fields at the output of the decoding process.For video sequences signaled as progressive,DefaultDecodedFieldDuration
is half ofthe period between two successive frames at the output of the decoding process.¶
These values are valid at the end of the decoding process before post-processing(such as deinterlacing or inverse telecine) is applied.¶
Examples:¶
Blu-ray movie: 1000000000 ns/(48/1.001) = 20854167 ns¶
PAL broadcast/DVD: 1000000000 ns/(50/1.000) = 20000000 ns¶
N/ATSC broadcast: 1000000000 ns/(60/1.001) = 16683333 ns¶
Hard-telecined DVD: 1000000000 ns/(60/1.001) = 16683333 ns (60 encoded interlaced fields per second)¶
Soft-telecined DVD: 1000000000 ns/(60/1.001) = 16683333 ns (48 encoded interlaced fields per second, with "repeat_first_field = 1")¶
Frames using referencesSHOULD be stored in "coding order" (i.e., the references first and thenthe frames referencing them). A consequence is that timestamps might not be consecutive.However, a frame with a past timestampMUST reference a frame already known; otherwise, it is considered bad/void.¶
Matroska has two similar ways to store frames in a block:¶
TheSimpleBlock
is usually preferred unless some extra elements of theBlockGroup
need to be used.AMatroska Reader
MUST support both types of blocks.¶
Each block contains the same parts in the following order:¶
The block header starts with the number of theTrack
it corresponds to.The valueMUST correspond to theTrackNumber
(Section 5.1.4.1.1) of aTrackEntry
of theSegment
.¶
TheTrackNumber
is coded using the Variable-Size Integer (VINT) mechanism described inSection 4 of [RFC8794].To save space, the shortest VINT formSHOULD be used. The value can be coded using up to 8 octets.This is the only element with a variable size in the block header.¶
The timestamp is expressed in Track Ticks; seeSection 11.1.The value is stored as a signed value on 16 bits.¶
This section describes the binary data contained in theBlock
element (Section 5.1.3.5.1). Bit 0 is the most significant bit.¶
As theTrackNumber
size can vary between 1 and 8 octets, there are 8 different sizes for theBlock
header.The definitions forTrackNumber
sizes of 1 and 2 are provided; the other variants can be deduced by extending the size of theTrackNumber
by multiples of 8 bits.¶
0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | |I|LAC|U| | Track Number | Timestamp | Rsvrd |N|ING|N| | | | |V| |U| +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | Track Number | Timestamp | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | |I|LAC|U| | Rsvrd |N|ING|N| ... | |V| |U| +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
where:¶
2 bits. Uses lacing mode.¶
The remaining data in theBlock
corresponds to the lacing data and frames usage as described in each respective lacing mode (seeSection 10.3).¶
This section describes the binary data contained in theSimpleBlock
element (Section 5.1.3.4). Bit 0 is the most significant bit.¶
TheSimpleBlock
structure is inspired by theBlock
structure; seeSection 10.1.The main differences are the added Keyframe flag and Discardable flag. Otherwise, everything is the same.¶
As theTrackNumber
size can vary between 1 and 8 octets, there are 8 different sizes for theSimpleBlock
header.The definitions forTrackNumber
sizes of 1 and 2 are provided; theother variants can be deduced by extending the size of theTrackNumber
by multiples of 8 bits.¶
0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | |K| |I|LAC|D| | Track Number | Timestamp |E|Rsvrd|N|ING|I| | | |Y| |V| |S| +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | Track Number | Timestamp | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |K| |I|LAC|D| |E|Rsvrd|N|ING|I| ... |Y| |V| |S| +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
where:¶
Block
contains only keyframes.¶2 bits. Uses lacing mode.¶
Block
can be discarded during playing if needed.¶The remaining data in theSimpleBlock
corresponds to the lacing data and frames usage as described in each respective lacing mode (seeSection 10.3).¶
Lacing is a mechanism to save space when storing data. It is typically used for small blocksof data (referred to as frames in Matroska). It packs multiple frames into a singleBlock
orSimpleBlock
.¶
LacingMUST NOT be used to store a single frame in aBlock
orSimpleBlock
.¶
There are three types of lacing:¶
Xiph, which is inspired by what is found in the Ogg container[RFC3533]¶
EBML, which is the same with sizes coded differently¶
Fixed-size, where the size is not coded¶
When lacing is not used, i.e., to store a single frame, the lacing bits (bits 5 and 6) of theBlock
orSimpleBlock
MUST be set to zero.¶
For example, a user wants to store three frames of the same track. The first frame is 800 octets long,the second is 500 octets long, and the third is 1000 octets long.Because these frames are small,they can be stored in a lace to save space.¶
It is possible to not use lacing at all and just store a single frame without any extra data.When theFlagLacing
(Section 5.1.4.1.12) is set to 0, all blocks of that trackMUST NOT use lacing.¶
When no lacing is used, the number of frames in the lace is omitted, and only one frame can be stored in theBlock
. The LACING bits of theBlock
Header flags are set to00b
.¶
TheBlock
for an 800-octet frame is as follows:¶
When aBlock
contains a single frame, itMUST use this "no lacing" mode.¶
The Xiph lacing uses the same coding of size as found in the Ogg container[RFC3533].The LACING bits of theBlock
Header flags are set to01b
.¶
TheBlock
data with laced frames is stored as follows:¶
Lacing Head on 1 Octet: Number of frames in the lace minus 1.¶
Lacing size of each frame except the last one.¶
Binary data of each frame consecutively.¶
The lacing size is split into 255 values, stored as unsigned octets -- for example, 500 is coded 255;245 or [0xFF 0xF5].A frame with a size multiple of 255 is coded with a 0 at the end of the size -- for example, 765 is coded 255;255;255;0 or [0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0x00].¶
The size of the last frame is deduced from the size remaining in theBlock
after the other frames.¶
Because large sizes result in large coding of the sizes, it isRECOMMENDED to use Xiph lacing only with small frames.¶
In our example, the 800-, 500-, and 1000-octet frames are stored with Xiph lacing in aBlock
as follows:¶
Block Octets | Value | Description |
---|---|---|
4 | 0x02 | Number of frames minus 1 |
5-8 | 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0x23 | Size of the first frame (255;255;255;35) |
9-10 | 0xFF 0xF5 | Size of the second frame (255;245) |
11-810 | First frame data | |
811-1310 | Second frame data | |
1311-2310 | Third frame data |
TheBlock
is 2311 octets, and the last frame starts at 1311, so we can deduce that the size of the last frame is 2311 - 1311 = 1000.¶
The EBML lacing encodes the frame size with an EBML-like encoding[RFC8794].The LACING bits of theBlock
Header flags are set to11b
.¶
TheBlock
data with laced frames is stored as follows:¶
Lacing Head on 1 Octet: Number of frames in the lace minus 1.¶
Lacing size of each frame except the last one.¶
Binary data of each frame consecutively.¶
The first frame size is encoded as an EBML VINT value.The remaining frame sizes are encoded as signed values using the difference between the frame size and the previous frame size.These signed values are encoded as VINT, with a mapping from signed to unsigned numbers.Decoding the unsigned number stored in the VINT to a signed number is done by subtracting 2((7*n)-1)-1, wheren
is the octet size of the VINT.¶
Bit Representation of Signed VINT | Possible Value Range |
---|---|
1xxx xxxx | 2^7 values from -(26-1) to 26 |
01xx xxxx xxxx xxxx | 2^14 values from -(213-1) to 213 |
001x xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx | 2^21 values from -(220-1) to 220 |
0001 xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx | 2^28 values from -(227-1) to 227 |
0000 1xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx | 2^35 values from -(234-1) to 234 |
In our example, the 800-, 500-, and 1000-octet frames are stored with EBML lacing in aBlock
as follows:¶
Block Octets | Value | Description |
---|---|---|
4 | 0x02 | Number of frames minus 1 |
5-6 | 0x43 0x20 | Size of the first frame (800 = 0x320 + 0x4000) |
7-8 | 0x5E 0xD3 | Size of the second frame (500 - 800 = -300 = - 0x12C + 0x1FFF + 0x4000) |
8-807 | <frame1> | First frame data |
808-1307 | <frame2> | Second frame data |
1308-2307 | <frame3> | Third frame data |
TheBlock
is 2308 octets, and the last frame starts at 1308, so we can deduce that the size of the last frame is 2308 - 1308 = 1000.¶
Fixed-size lacing doesn't store the frame size; rather, it only stores the number of frames in the lace.Each frameMUST have the same size. The frame size of each frame is deduced from the total size of theBlock
.The LACING bits of theBlock
Header flags are set to10b
.¶
TheBlock
data with laced frames is stored as follows:¶
Lacing Head on 1 Octet: Number of frames in the lace minus 1.¶
Binary data of each frame consecutively.¶
For example, for three frames that are 800 octets each:¶
Block Octets | Value | Description |
---|---|---|
4 | 0x02 | Number of frames minus 1 |
5-804 | <frame1> | First frame data |
805-1604 | <frame2> | Second frame data |
1605-2404 | <frame3> | Third frame data |
This gives aBlock
of 2405 octets. When reading theBlock
, we find that there are three frames (Octet 4). The data start at Octet 5, so the size of each frame is (2405 - 5) / 3 = 800.¶
ABlock
only contains a single timestamp value. But when lacing is used, it contains more than one frame.Each frame originally has its own timestamp, or Presentation Timestamp (PTS). That timestamp applies tothe first frame in the lace.¶
In the lace, each frame after the first one has an underdetermined timestamp.However, each of these framesMUST be contiguous -- i.e., the decoded dataMUST NOT contain any gapbetween them. If there is a gap in the stream, the frames around the gapMUST NOT be in the sameBlock
.¶
Lacing is only useful for small contiguous data to save space. This is usually the case for audio tracksand not the case for video (which use a lot of data) or subtitle tracks (which have long gaps).For audio, there is usually a fixed output sampling frequency for the whole track,so the decoder should be able to recover the timestamp of each sample, knowing eachoutput sample is contiguous with a fixed frequency.For subtitles, this is usually not the case, so lacingSHOULD NOT be used.¶
Random Access Points (RAPs) are positions where the parser can seek to andstart playback without decoding what was before. In Matroska,BlockGroups
andSimpleBlocks
can be RAPs. To seek to theseelements, it is still necessary to seek to theCluster
containingthem, read theCluster
Timestamp, and start playback from theBlockGroup
orSimpleBlock
that is a RAP.¶
Because a Matroska File is usually composed of multiple tracks playing at the same time-- video, audio, and subtitles -- to seek properly to a RAP, each selected track must betaken into account. Usually, all audio and subtitleBlockGroups
orSimpleBlocks
are RAPs.They are independent of each other and can be played randomly.¶
On the other hand, video tracks often use references to previous and futureframes for better coding efficiency. Frames with such referencesMUST either contain one or moreReferenceBlock
elements in theirBlockGroup
orMUST be marked asnon-keyframe in aSimpleBlock
; seeSection 10.2.¶
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <BlockGroup> <!-- References a Block 40 Track Ticks before this one --> <ReferenceBlock>-40</ReferenceBlock> <Block/> </BlockGroup> ...</Cluster>
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <SimpleBlock/> (octet 3 bit 0 not set) ...</Cluster>
Frames that are RAPs (i.e., frames that don't depend on other frames)MUST set the keyframeflag if they are in aSimpleBlock
or their parentBlockGroup
MUST NOT containaReferenceBlock
.¶
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <BlockGroup> <!-- No ReferenceBlock allowed in this BlockGroup --> <Block/> </BlockGroup> ...</Cluster>
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <SimpleBlock/> (octet 3 bit 0 set) ...</Cluster>
There may be cases where the use ofBlockGroup
is necessary, as the frame may need aBlockDuration
,BlockAdditions
,CodecState
, orDiscardPadding
element.For those cases, aSimpleBlock
MUST NOT be used;the reference informationSHOULD be recovered for non-RAP frames.¶
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <SimpleBlock/> (octet 3 bit 0 not set) ...</Cluster>
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <BlockGroup> <!-- ReferenceBlock value recovered based on the codec --> <ReferenceBlock>-40</ReferenceBlock> <BlockDuration>20</BlockDuration> <Block/> </BlockGroup> ...</Cluster>
BlockGroup
to AddBlockDuration
, with the EBML Tree Shown as XMLWhen a frame in aBlockGroup
is not a RAP, theBlockGroup
MUST contain at least aReferenceBlock
.TheReferenceBlock
sMUST be used in one of the following ways:¶
each reference frame listed as aReferenceBlock
,¶
some referenced frames listed as aReferenceBlock
, even if the timestamp value is accurate, or¶
oneReferenceBlock
with the timestamp value "0" corresponding to a self or unknown reference.¶
The lack ofReferenceBlock
would mean such a frame is a RAP, and seeking on thatframe that actually depends on other frames may create a bogus output or even crash.¶
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <BlockGroup> <!-- ReferenceBlock value not recovered from the codec --> <ReferenceBlock>0</ReferenceBlock> <BlockDuration>20</BlockDuration> <Block/> </BlockGroup> ...</Cluster>
BlockGroup
, but the Reference Could Not Be Recovered, with the EBML Tree Shown as XML<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <BlockGroup> <!-- References a Block 80 Track Ticks before this one --> <ReferenceBlock>-80</ReferenceBlock> <!-- References a Block 40 Track Ticks after this one --> <ReferenceBlock>40</ReferenceBlock> <Block/> </BlockGroup> ...</Cluster>
BlockGroup
with a Frame That References Two Other Frames, with the EBML Tree Shown as XMLIntra-only video frames, such as the ones found in AV1 or VP9, can be decoded without any otherframe, but they don't reset the codec state. Thus, seeking to these frames is not possible,as the next frames may need frames that are not known from this seeking point.Such intra-only framesMUST NOT be considered as keyframes, so the keyframe flagMUST NOT be set in theSimpleBlock
or aReferenceBlock
MUST be usedto signify the frame is not a RAP. The timestamp value of theReferenceBlock
MUSTbe "0", meaning it's referencing itself.¶
<Cluster> <Timestamp>123456</Timestamp> <BlockGroup> <!-- References itself to mark it should not be used as RAP --> <ReferenceBlock>0</ReferenceBlock> <Block/> </BlockGroup> ...</Cluster>
Because a videoSimpleBlock
has less information on references than a videoBlockGroup
,it is possible to remux a video track usingBlockGroup
into aSimpleBlock
,as long as it doesn't use any otherBlockGroup
features thanReferenceBlock
.¶
Historically, timestamps in Matroska were mistakenly called timecodes. TheTimestamp
elementwas called Timecode, theTimestampScale
element was called TimecodeScale, theTrackTimestampScale
element was called TrackTimecodeScale, and theReferenceTimestamp
element was called ReferenceTimeCode.¶
All timestamp values in Matroska are expressed in multiples of a tick.They are usually stored as integers.There are three types of ticks possible: Matroska Ticks, Segment Ticks, and Track Ticks.¶
The timestamp value is stored directly in nanoseconds.¶
The elements storing values in Matroska Ticks/nanoseconds are:¶
TrackEntry\DefaultDuration
; defined inSection 5.1.4.1.13¶
TrackEntry\DefaultDecodedFieldDuration
; defined inSection 5.1.4.1.14¶
TrackEntry\SeekPreRoll
; defined inSection 5.1.4.1.26¶
TrackEntry\CodecDelay
; defined inSection 5.1.4.1.25¶
BlockGroup\DiscardPadding
; defined inSection 5.1.3.5.7¶
ChapterAtom\ChapterTimeStart
; defined inSection 5.1.7.1.4.3¶
ChapterAtom\ChapterTimeEnd
; defined inSection 5.1.7.1.4.4¶
Elements in Segment Ticks involve the use of theTimestampScale
element of theSegment
to get the timestamp in nanoseconds of the element, with the following formula:¶
timestamp in nanosecond = element value * TimestampScale¶
This allows for storage of smaller integer values in the elements.¶
When using the default value of "1,000,000" forTimestampScale
, one Segment Tick represents one millisecond.¶
The elements storing values in Segment Ticks are:¶
Cluster\Timestamp
; defined inSection 5.1.3.1¶
Info\Duration
is stored as a floating-point, but the same formula applies; defined inSection 5.1.2.10¶
CuePoint\CueTime
; defined inSection 5.1.5.1.1¶
CuePoint\CueTrackPositions\CueDuration
; defined inSection 5.1.5.1.2.4¶
CueReference\CueRefTime
; defined inSection 5.1.5.1.1¶
Elements in Track Ticks involve the use of theTimestampScale
element of theSegment
and theTrackTimestampScale
elementof theTrack
to get the timestamp in nanoseconds of the element, withthe following formula:¶
timestamp in nanoseconds = element value * TrackTimestampScale * TimestampScale¶
This allows for storage of smaller integer values in the elements.The resulting floating-point values of the timestamps are still expressed in nanoseconds.¶
When using the default values of "1,000,000" forTimestampScale
and "1.0" forTrackTimestampScale
, one Track Tick represents one millisecond.¶
The elements storing values in Track Ticks are:¶
Cluster\BlockGroup\Block
andCluster\SimpleBlock
timestamps; detailed inSection 11.2¶
Cluster\BlockGroup\BlockDuration
; defined inSection 5.1.3.5.3¶
Cluster\BlockGroup\ReferenceBlock
; defined inSection 5.1.3.5.5¶
When theTrackTimestampScale
is interpreted as "1.0", Track Ticks are equivalent to Segment Ticksand give an integer value in nanoseconds. This is the most common case asTrackTimestampScale
is usually omitted.¶
A value ofTrackTimestampScale
other than "1.0"MAYbe used to scale the timestamps more in tune with eachTrack
samplingfrequency. For historical reasons, a lot ofMatroska Readers
don'ttake theTrackTimestampScale
value into account. Thus, using a valueother than "1.0" might not work in many places.¶
ABlock
element andSimpleBlock
element timestamp is thetime when the decoded data of the first frame in theBlock
/SimpleBlock
MUST be presented if thetrack of thatBlock
/SimpleBlock
is selected for playback.This is also known as the Presentation Timestamp (PTS).¶
TheBlock
element andSimpleBlock
element store theirtimestamps as signed integers, relative to theCluster\Timestamp
value of theCluster
they are stored in. To get the timestamp of aBlock
orSimpleBlock
in nanoseconds, the following formulais used:¶
( Cluster\Timestamp + ( block timestamp * TrackTimestampScale ) ) *TimestampScale¶
TheBlock
element andSimpleBlock
element store their timestamps as 16-bit signed integers,allowing a range from "-32768" to "+32767" Track Ticks.Although these values can be negative, when added to theCluster\Timestamp
, the resulting frame timestampSHOULD NOT be negative.¶
When aCodecDelay
element is set, its valueMUST be subtracted from eachBlock
timestamp of that track.To get the timestamp in nanoseconds of the first frame in aBlock
orSimpleBlock
, the formula becomes:¶
( ( Cluster\Timestamp + ( block timestamp * TrackTimestampScale ) ) * TimestampScale ) - CodecDelay¶
The resulting frame timestampSHOULD NOT be negative.¶
During playback, when a frame has a negative timestamp, the contentMUST be decoded by the decoder but not played to the user.¶
The default Track Tick duration is one millisecond.¶
TheTimestampScale
is a floating-point value that is usually"1.0". But when it's not, the multipliedBlock
Timestamp is afloating-point value in nanoseconds. TheMatroska Reader
SHOULD use the nearest rounding value in nanoseconds to get theproper nanosecond timestamp of aBlock
. This allows some cleverTimestampScale
values to have a more refined timestamp precision perframe.¶
Matroska versions 1 through 3 use language codes that can be either the three-letterbibliographic ISO 639-2 form[ISO639-2] (like "fre" for French)or such a language code followed by a dash and a country code for specialities in languages (like "fre-ca" for Canadian French).TheISO 639-2 Language
elements areLanguage
element,TagLanguage
element, andChapLanguage
element.¶
Starting in Matroska version 4, the forms defined in either[ISO639-2] or[RFC5646]MAY be used, although the form in[RFC5646] isRECOMMENDED. TheLanguage
elements in the[RFC5646] formareLanguageBCP47
element,TagLanguageBCP47
element, andChapLanguageBCP47
element. If both an[ISO639-2] Language element and an[RFC5646] Language element are used within the sameParent Element
, then theLanguage
element in the[ISO639-2] formMUSTbe ignored and precedence given to theLanguage
element in the[RFC5646] form.¶
In this document, "BCP47" in element names refers specifically to[RFC5646], which is part of BCP 47.¶
Country codes are the[RFC5646] two-letter region subtags, without the UK exception.¶
This Matroska specification provides no interoperable solution for securingthe data container with any assurances of confidentiality, integrity,authenticity, or authorization. TheContentEncryption
element (Section 5.1.4.1.31.8) and associated sub-fields (Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 toSection 5.1.4.1.31.12) are defined only for the benefit ofimplementers to construct their own proprietary solution or as the basis forfurther standardization activities. How to use these fields to secure aMatroska data container is out of scope, as are any related issues such as keymanagement and distribution.¶
AMatroska Reader
who encounters containers that use the fieldsdefined in this sectionMUST rely on out-of-scope guidance todecode the associated content.¶
Because encryption occurs within theBlock
element, it is possibleto manipulate encrypted streams without decrypting them. The streams couldpotentially be copied, deleted, cut, appended, or any number of other possibleediting techniques without decryption. The data can be used without having toexpose it or go through the decrypting process.¶
Encryption can also be layered within Matroska. This means that two completely differenttypes of encryption can be used, requiring two separate keys to be able to decrypt a stream.¶
Encryption information is stored in theContentEncodings
element under theContentEncryption
element.¶
For encryption systems sharing public/private keys, the creation of the keys and the exchange of keysare not covered by this document. They have to be handled by the system using Matroska.¶
The algorithms described inTable 24 supportdifferent modes of operations and key sizes. The specification of theseparameters is required for a complete solution but is out of scope of thisdocument and left to the proprietary implementations using them or subsequentprofiles of this document.¶
TheContentEncodingScope
element gives an idea of which part ofthe track is encrypted, but eachContentEncAlgo
element and itssub-elements (likeAESSettingsCipherMode
) define exactly how theencrypted track should be interpreted.¶
An example of an extension that builds upon these security-related fields in this specification is[WebM-Enc].It uses AES-CTR,ContentEncAlgo
= 5 (Section 5.1.4.1.31.9), andAESSettingsCipherMode
= 1 (Section 5.1.4.1.31.12).¶
AMatroska Writer
MUST NOT use insecurecryptographic algorithms to create new archives or streams, but aMatroskaReader
MAY support these algorithms to read previouslymade archives or streams.¶
ThePixelCrop
elements (PixelCropTop
,PixelCropBottom
,PixelCropRight
, andPixelCropLeft
)indicate when, and by how much, encoded video framesSHOULD becropped for display. These elements allow edges of the frame that are notintended for display (such as the sprockets of a full-frame film scan or theVideo ANCillary (VANC) area of a digitized analog videotape) to be stored buthidden.PixelCropTop
andPixelCropBottom
store an integerof how many rows of pixelsSHOULD be cropped from the top andbottom of the image, respectively.PixelCropLeft
andPixelCropRight
store an integer of how many columns of pixelsSHOULD be cropped from the left and right of the image,respectively.¶
For example, a pillar-boxed video that stores a 1440x1080 visual imagewithin the center of a padded 1920x1080 encoded image may set bothPixelCropLeft
andPixelCropRight
to "240", so aMatroskaPlayer
should crop off 240 columns of pixels from the left and right ofthe encoded image to present the image with the pillar-boxes hidden.¶
Cropping has to be performed before resizing and the display dimensionsgiven byDisplayWidth
,DisplayHeight
, andDisplayUnit
apply to the already-cropped image.¶
TheProjectionPoseRoll
element (Section 5.1.4.1.28.46) can be used to indicate that the imagefrom the associated video trackSHOULD be rotated forpresentation. For instance, the following example of theProjection
element (Section 5.1.4.1.28.41) and theProjectionPoseRoll
element represents a video track where the imageSHOULD be presented with a 90-degree counter-clockwiserotation, with the EBML tree shown as XML:¶
<Projection> <ProjectionPoseRoll>90</ProjectionPoseRoll></Projection>
TheSegment Position
of an element refers to the position of thefirst octet of theElement ID
of that element, measured in octets,from the beginning of theElement Data
section of the containingSegment
element. In other words, theSegment Position
of anelement is the distance in octets from the beginning of its containingSegment
element minus the size of theElement ID
andElement Data Size
of thatSegment
element. TheSegmentPosition
of the firstChild Element
of theSegment
element is 0. An element that is not stored within aSegment
element, such as the elements of theEBML Header
, do not have aSegment Position
.¶
Elements that are defined to store aSegment Position
MAY define reserved values toindicate a special meaning.¶
This table presents an example ofSegment Position
by showing a hexadecimal representationof a very small Matroska file with labels to show the offsets in octets. The file containsaSegment
element with anElement ID
of "0x18538067" and aMuxingApp
element with anElement ID
of "0x4D80".¶
0 1 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ 0 |1A|45|DF|A3|8B|42|82|88|6D|61|74|72|6F|73|6B|61| ^ EBML Header 0 | |18|53|80|67| ^ Segment ID 20 |93| ^ Segment Data Size 20 | |15|49|A9|66|8E|4D|80|84|69|65|74|66|57|41|84|69|65|74|66| ^ Start of Segment data 20 | |4D|80|84|69|65|74|66|57|41|84|69|65|74|66| ^ MuxingApp start¶
In the above example, theElement ID
of theSegment
element is stored at offset 16,theElement Data Size
of theSegment
element is stored at offset 20, and theElement Data
of theSegment
element is stored at offset 21.¶
TheMuxingApp
element is stored at offset 26. Since theSegment Position
ofan element is calculated by subtracting the position of theElement Data
ofthe containingSegment
element from the position of that element, theSegment Position
of theMuxingApp
element in the above example is "26 - 21" or "5".¶
Matroska provides several methods to link two or moreSegment
elements together to create aLinked Segment
. ALinkedSegment
is a set of multipleSegments
linked together into asingle presentation by using Hard Linking or Medium Linking.¶
AllSegments
within aLinked Segment
MUST have aSegmentUUID
.¶
AllSegments
within aLinked Segment
SHOULD be stored within the same directoryor be quickly accessible based on theirSegmentUUID
in order to have a seamless transition between segments.¶
AllSegments
within aLinked Segment
MAY set aSegmentFamily
with a common value to makeit easier for aMatroska Player
to know whichSegments
are meant to be played together.¶
TheSegmentFilename
,PrevFilename
, andNextFilename
elementsMAY also give hints onthe original filenames that were used when theSegment
links were created, in case someSegmentUUIDs
are damaged.¶
Hard Linking, also called "splitting", is the process of creating aLinked Segment
by linking multipleSegment
elements using theNextUUID
andPrevUUID
elements.¶
AllSegments
within aHard Linked Segment
MUST use the sameTracks
list andTimestampScale
.¶
Within aLinked Segment
, the timestamps ofBlock
andSimpleBlock
MUST consecutively followthe timestamps ofBlock
andSimpleBlock
from the previousSegment
in linking order.¶
With Hard Linking, the chapters of anySegment
within theLinked Segment
MUST only reference the currentSegment
.TheNextUUID
andPrevUUID
reference the respectiveSegmentUUID
values of the next and previousSegments
.¶
The firstSegment
of aLinked Segment
MUST NOT have aPrevUUID
element.The lastSegment
of aLinked Segment
MUST NOT have aNextUUID
element.¶
For each node of the chain ofSegments
of aLinked Segment
, at least oneSegment
MUST reference the otherSegment
within the chain.¶
In a chain ofSegments
of aLinked Segment
, theNextUUID
always takes precedence over thePrevUUID
.Thus, if SegmentA has aNextUUID
to SegmentB and SegmentB has aPrevUUID
to SegmentC,the link to use isNextUUID
between SegmentA and SegmentB, and SegmentC is not part of theLinked Segment
.¶
If SegmentB has aPrevUUID
to SegmentA, but SegmentA has noNextUUID
, then theMatroska Player
MAY consider these twoSegments
linked as SegmentA followed by SegmentB.¶
As an example, threeSegments
can be Hard Linked as aLinked Segment
throughcross-referencing each other withSegmentUUID
,PrevUUID
, andNextUUID
as shown in this table:¶
file name | SegmentUUID | PrevUUID | NextUUID |
---|---|---|---|
start.mkv | 71000c23cd310998 53fbc94dd984a5dd | Invalid | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 |
middle.mkv | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 | 71000c23cd310998 53fbc94dd984a5dd | 6c92285fa6d3e827 b198d120ea3ac674 |
end.mkv | 6c92285fa6d3e827 b198d120ea3ac674 | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 | Invalid |
An example where only theNextUUID
element is used:¶
file name | SegmentUUID | PrevUUID | NextUUID |
---|---|---|---|
start.mkv | 71000c23cd310998 53fbc94dd984a5dd | Invalid | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 |
middle.mkv | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 | n/a | 6c92285fa6d3e827 b198d120ea3ac674 |
end.mkv | 6c92285fa6d3e827 b198d120ea3ac674 | n/a | Invalid |
An example where only thePrevUUID
element is used:¶
file name | SegmentUUID | PrevUUID | NextUUID |
---|---|---|---|
start.mkv | 71000c23cd310998 53fbc94dd984a5dd | Invalid | n/a |
middle.mkv | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 | 71000c23cd310998 53fbc94dd984a5dd | n/a |
end.mkv | 6c92285fa6d3e827 b198d120ea3ac674 | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 | Invalid |
An example where only themiddle.mkv
is using thePrevUUID
andNextUUID
elements:¶
file name | SegmentUUID | PrevUUID | NextUUID |
---|---|---|---|
start.mkv | 71000c23cd310998 53fbc94dd984a5dd | Invalid | n/a |
middle.mkv | a77b3598941cb803 eac0fcdafe44fac9 | 71000c23cd310998 53fbc94dd984a5dd | 6c92285fa6d3e827 b198d120ea3ac674 |
end.mkv | 6c92285fa6d3e827 b198d120ea3ac674 | n/a | Invalid |
Medium Linking creates relationships betweenSegments
usingOrdered Chapters
(Section 20.1.3) and theChapterSegmentUUID
element. AChapter Edition
withOrdered Chapters
MAY containChapters
elements that reference timestamp ranges from otherSegments
. TheSegment
referenced by theOrdered Chapter
via theChapterSegmentUUID
elementSHOULD be played as part ofaLinked Segment
.¶
The timestamps ofSegment
content referenced byOrdered Chapters
MUST be adjusted according to the cumulative duration of the previousOrdered Chapters
.¶
As an example, a file namedintro.mkv
could have aSegmentUUID
of "0xb16a58609fc7e60653a60c984fc11ead". Another filecalledprogram.mkv
could use aChapter Edition
that containstwoOrdered Chapters
. The first chapter references theSegment
ofintro.mkv
with the use of aChapterSegmentUUID
,ChapterSegmentEditionUID
,ChapterTimeStart
, and an optionalChapterTimeEnd
element.The second chapter references content within theSegment
ofprogram.mkv
. AMatroska Player
SHOULDrecognize theLinked Segment
created by the use ofChapterSegmentUUID
in an enabledEdition
and present thereference content of the twoSegments
as a single presentation.¶
TheChapterSegmentUUID
represents theSegment
that holds the content to play in place of theLinked Chapter
.TheChapterSegmentUUID
MUST NOT be theSegmentUUID
of its ownSegment
.¶
There are two ways to use a chapter link:¶
AMatroska Player
MUST play the content of theLinked Segment
from theChapterTimeStart
until theChapterTimeEnd
timestamp in place of theLinked Chapter
.¶
ChapterTimeStart
andChapterTimeEnd
represent timestamps in theLinked Segment
matching the value ofChapterSegmentUUID
.Their valuesMUST be in the range of theLinked Segment
duration.¶
TheChapterTimeEnd
valueMUST be set when using Linked-Duration chapter linking.ChapterSegmentEditionUID
MUST NOT be set.¶
AMatroska Player
MUST play the wholeLinked Edition
of theLinked Segment
in place of theLinked Chapter
.¶
ChapterSegmentEditionUID
represents a validEdition
from theLinked Segment
matching the value ofChapterSegmentUUID
.¶
When using Linked-Edition chapter linking,ChapterTimeEnd
isOPTIONAL.¶
The Default flag is a hint for aMatroska Player
indicating that agiven trackSHOULD be eligible to be automatically selected asthe default track for a given language. If no tracks in a given language havethe Default flag set, then all tracks in that language are eligible forautomatic selection. This can be used to indicate that a track provides"regular service" that is suitable for users with default settings, as opposedto specialized services, such as commentary, captions for users with hearingimpairments, or descriptive audio.¶
TheMatroska Player
MAY override the Default flagfor any reason, including user preferences to prefer tracks providingaccessibility services.¶
The Forced flag tells theMatroska Player
that itSHOULD display this subtitle track, even if user preferencesusually would not call for any subtitles to be displayed alongside the audiotrack that is currently selected. This can be used to indicate that a trackcontains translations of on-screen text or dialogue spoken in a differentlanguage than the track's primary language.¶
The Hearing-Impaired flag tells theMatroska Player
that itSHOULD prefer this track when selecting a default track for auser with a hearing impairment and that itMAY prefer to selecta different track when selecting a default track for a user that is nothearing impaired.¶
The Visual-Impaired flag tells theMatroska Player
that itSHOULD prefer this track when selecting a default track for auser with a visual impairment and that itMAY prefer to selecta different track when selecting a default track for a user that is notvisually impaired.¶
The Descriptions flag tells theMatroska Player
that this track issuitable to play via a text-to-speech system for a user with a visualimpairment and that itSHOULD NOT automatically select thistrack when selecting a default track for a user that is not visuallyimpaired.¶
The Original flag tells theMatroska Player
that this track is inthe original language and that itSHOULD prefer this track ifconfigured to prefer original-language tracks of this track's type.¶
The Commentary flag tells theMatroska Player
that this trackcontains commentary on the content.¶
TrackOperation
allows for the combination of multiple tracks to make a virtual one. It usestwo separate system to combine tracks. One to create a 3D "composition" (left/right/background planes)and one to simplify join two tracks together to make a single track.¶
A track created withTrackOperation
is a proper track with a UID and all its flags.However, the codec ID is meaningless because each "sub" track needs to be decoded by itsown decoder before the "operation" is applied. TheCues
elements corresponding to sucha virtual trackSHOULD be the union of theCues
elements for each of the tracks it's composed of (when theCues
are defined per track).¶
In the case ofTrackJoinBlocks
, theBlock
elements (fromBlockGroup
andSimpleBlock
) of all the tracksSHOULD be used as if they were defined for this new virtualTrack
. When twoBlock
elements have overlapping start orend timestamps, it's up to the underlying system to either drop some of theseframes or render them the way they overlap. This situationSHOULD be avoided when creating such tracks, as you can neverbe sure of the end result on different platforms.¶
An overlay trackSHOULD be rendered in the same channel as the track it's linked to.When content is found in such a track, itSHOULD be played on the rendering channelinstead of the original track.¶
There are two different ways to compress 3D videos: have each eye track in a separate trackand have one track have both eyes combined inside (which is more efficient compression-wise).Matroska supports both ways.¶
For the single-track variant, there is theStereoMode
element,which defines how planes are assembled in the track (mono or left-rightcombined). Odd values ofStereoMode
means the left plane comes firstfor more convenient reading. The pixel count of the track(PixelWidth
/PixelHeight
) is the raw number of pixels (forexample, 3840x1080 for full HD side by side), and theDisplayWidth
/DisplayHeight
in pixels is the number of pixelsfor one plane (1920x1080 for that full HD stream). Old stereo 3D movies weredisplayed using anaglyph (cyan and red colors separated). For compatibilitywith such movies, there is a value of theStereoMode
that correspondsto anaglyph.¶
There is also a "packed" mode (values 13 and 14) that consists of packing two frames togetherin aBlock
that uses lacing. The first frame is the left eye and the other frame is the right eye(or vice versa). The framesSHOULD be decoded in that order and are possibly dependenton each other (P and B frames).¶
For separate tracks, Matroska needs to define exactly which track does what.TrackOperation
withTrackCombinePlanes
does that. For more details, seeSection 18.8 on howTrackOperation
works.¶
The 3D support is still in infancy and may evolve to support more features.¶
TheStereoMode
used to be part of Matroska v2, but it didn't meet therequirement for multiple tracks. There was also a bug in[libmatroska] prior to 0.9.0 that would save/read it as0x53B9
instead of0x53B8
; seeOldStereoMode
(Section 5.1.4.1.28.5).Matroska Readers
MAY support these legacy files by checking Matroska v2 or0x53B9
. The older values ofStereoMode
were 0 (mono), 1 (right eye),2 (left eye), and 3 (both eyes); these are the only values that can be foundinOldStereoMode
. They are not compatible with theStereoMode
values found inMatroska v3 and above.¶
This section provides some example sets ofTracks
and hypotheticaluser settings, along with indications of which ones a similarly configuredMatroska Player
SHOULD automatically select forplayback by default in such a situation. A playerMAY provideadditional settings with more detailed controls for more nuancedscenarios. These examples are provided as guidelines to illustrate theintended usages of the various supportedTrack
flags and theirexpected behaviors.¶
Track
names are shown in English for illustrative purposes; actualfiles may have titles in the language of each track or provide titles inmultiple languages.¶
Example track set:¶
No. | Type | Lang | Layout | Original | Default | Other Flags | Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Video | und | N/A | N/A | N/A | None | |
2 | Audio | eng | 5.1 | 1 | 1 | None | |
3 | Audio | eng | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | None | |
4 | Audio | eng | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | Visual-Impaired | Descriptive audio |
5 | Audio | esp | 5.1 | 0 | 1 | None | |
6 | Audio | esp | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | Visual-Impaired | Descriptive audio |
7 | Audio | eng | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | Commentary | Director's Commentary |
8 | Audio | eng | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | None | Karaoke |
The table above shows a file with seven audio tracks -- five in English and two in Spanish.¶
The English tracks all have the Original flag, indicating that English is the original content language.¶
Generally, the player will first consider the track languages. If the player has an option to preferoriginal-language audio and the user has enabled it, then it should prefer one of the tracks with the Original flag.If the user has configured to specifically prefer audio tracks in English orSpanish, the player should select one of the tracks in the correspondinglanguage. The player may also wish to prefer a track with the Original flag ifno tracks matching any of the user's explicitly preferred languages areavailable.¶
Two of the tracks have the Visual-Impaired flag. If the player has been configured to prefer such tracks,it should select one; otherwise, it should avoid them if possible.¶
If selecting an English track, when other settings have left multiple possible options,it may be useful to exclude the tracks that lack the Default flag. Here, one provides descriptive service forindividuals with visual impairments (which has its own flag and may be automatically selected by user configurationbut is unsuitable for users with default-configured players), one is a commentary track(which has its own flag and the player may or may not have specialized handling for),and the last contains karaoke versions of the music that plays during the film (which is an unusualspecialized audio service that Matroska has no built-in support for indicating, so it's indicatedin the track name instead). By not setting the Default flag on these specialized tracks, the file's authorhints that they should not be automatically selected by a default-configured player.¶
Having narrowed its choices down, the example player now may have to select between tracks 2 and 3.The only difference between these tracks is their channel layouts: 2 is 5.1 surround, while 3 is stereo.If the player is aware that the output device is a pair of headphones or stereo speakers, it may wishto prefer the stereo mix automatically. On the other hand, if it knows that the device is a surround system,it may wish to prefer the surround mix.¶
If the player finishes analyzing all of the available audio tracks and finds that more than one seem equallyand maximally preferable, itSHOULD default to the first of the group.¶
Example track set:¶
No. | Type | Lang | Original | Default | Forced | Other Flags | Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Video | und | N/A | N/A | N/A | None | |
2 | Audio | fra | 1 | 1 | N/A | None | |
3 | Audio | por | 0 | 1 | N/A | None | |
4 | Subtitles | fra | 1 | 1 | 0 | None | |
5 | Subtitles | fra | 1 | 0 | 0 | Hearing-Impaired | Captions for users with hearing impairments |
6 | Subtitles | por | 0 | 1 | 0 | None | |
7 | Subtitles | por | 0 | 0 | 1 | None | Signs |
8 | Subtitles | por | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hearing-Impaired | SDH |
The table above shows two audio tracks and five subtitle tracks. As we can see, French is the original language.¶
We'll start by discussing the case where the user prefers French (or original-language)audio (or has explicitly selected the French audio track) and also prefers French subtitles.¶
In this case, if the player isn't configured to display captions when the audio matches theirpreferred subtitle languages, the player doesn't need to select a subtitle track at all.¶
If the userhas indicated that they want captions to be displayed, the selection simplycomes down to whether hearing-impaired subtitles are preferred.¶
The situation for a user who prefers Portuguese subtitles starts out somewhat analogous.If they select the original French audio (either by explicit audio language preference,preference for original-language tracks, or explicitly selecting that track), then theselection once again comes down to the hearing-impaired preference.¶
However, the case where the Portuguese audio track is selected has an important catch:a Forced track in Portuguese is present. This may contain translations of on-screen textfrom the video track or of portions of the audio that are not translated (music, for instance).This means that even if the user's preferences wouldn't normally call for captions here,the Forced track should be selected nonetheless, rather than selecting no track at all.On the other hand, if the user's preferencesdo call for captions, the non-Forced tracksshould be preferred, as the Forced track will not contain captioning for the dialogue.¶
The MatroskaChapters
system can have multipleEditions
, and eachEdition
can consist ofSimple Chapters
where a chapter start time is used as a marker in the timeline only. AnEdition
can be more complex withOrdered Chapters
where a chapter end timestamp is additionallyused or much more complex withLinked Chapters
. The MatroskaChapters
system can also have a menustructure borrowed from the DVD-menu system[DVD-Video] or have its own built-in Matroska menu structure.¶
TheEditionEntry
is also called anEdition
.AnEdition
contains a set ofEdition
flags andMUST contain at least oneChapterAtom
element.Chapters
are always inside anEdition
(or aChapter
itself is part of anEdition
).MultipleEditions
are allowed. Some of theseEditions
MAY be ordered and others not.¶
Only oneEdition
SHOULD have anEditionFlagDefault
flag set totrue
.¶
TheDefault Edition
is theEdition
that aMatroska Player
SHOULD use for playback by default.¶
The firstEdition
with theEditionFlagDefault
flag set totrue
is theDefault Edition
.¶
When allEditionFlagDefault
flags are set tofalse
, then the firstEdition
is theDefault Edition
.¶
Edition | FlagDefault | Default Edition |
---|---|---|
Edition 1 | true | X |
Edition 2 | true | |
Edition 3 | true |
Edition | FlagDefault | Default Edition |
---|---|---|
Edition 1 | false | X |
Edition 2 | false | |
Edition 3 | false |
Edition | FlagDefault | Default Edition |
---|---|---|
Edition 1 | false | |
Edition 2 | true | X |
Edition 3 | false |
TheEditionFlagOrdered
flag is a significant feature, as itenables anEdition
ofOrdered Chapters
that defines andarranges a virtual timeline rather than simply labeling points within thetimeline. For example, withEditions
ofOrdered Chapters
, asingleMatroska file
can present multiple edits of a film withoutduplicating content. Alternatively, if a videotape is digitized in full, oneOrdered Edition
could present the full content (including colorbars,countdown, slate, a feature presentation, and black frames), while anotherEdition
ofOrdered Chapters
can useChapters
thatonly mark the intended presentation with the colorbars and other ancillaryvisual information excluded. If anEdition
ofOrderedChapters
is enabled, then theMatroska Player
MUST play thoseChapters
in their stored order fromthe timestamp marked in theChapterTimeStart
element to the timestampmarked in toChapterTimeEnd
element.¶
If theEditionFlagOrdered
flag evaluates to "0",SimpleChapters
are used and only theChapterTimeStart
of aChapter
is used as a chapter mark to jump to the predefined point inthe timeline. WithSimple Chapters
, aMatroska Player
MUST ignore certain elements inside aChapters
element. In that case, these elements are informational only.¶
The following list shows the differentChapters
elements only found inOrdered Chapters
.¶
ChapterAtom\ChapterSegmentUUID
¶
ChapterAtom\ChapterSegmentEditionUID
¶
ChapterAtom\ChapProcess
¶
Info\ChapterTranslate
¶
TrackEntry\TrackTranslate
¶
Furthermore, there are other EBML elements that could be used if theEditionFlagOrdered
evaluates to "1".¶
Ordered Chapters
supersede theHard Linking
.¶
Ordered Chapters
are used in a normal way and can be combinedwith theChapterSegmentUUID
element, which establishes a link to anotherSegment
.¶
SeeSection 17 onLinked Segment
s for more informationaboutHard Linking
andMedium Linking
.¶
TheChapterAtom
is also called aChapter
.¶
ChapterTimeStart
is the timestamp of the start ofChapter
with nanosecond accuracy and is not scaled byTimestampScale
.ForSimple Chapters
, this is the position of the chapter markers in the timeline.¶
ChapterTimeEnd
is the timestamp of the end ofChapter
with nanosecond accuracy and is not scaled byTimestampScale
. Thetimestamp defined by theChapterTimeEnd
is not part of theChapter
. AMatroska Player
calculates the duration of thisChapter
using the difference between theChapterTimeEnd
andChapterTimeStart
. The end timestampMUST be greaterthan or equal to the start timestamp.¶
When theChapterTimeEnd
timestamp is equal to theChapterTimeStart
timestamp,the timestamp is included in theChapter
. It can be useful to put markers ina file or add chapter commands with ordered chapter commands without having to play anything;seeSection 5.1.7.1.4.14.¶
Chapter | Start timestamp | End timestamp | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Chapter 1 | 0 | 1000000000 | 1000000000 |
Chapter 2 | 1000000000 | 5000000000 | 4000000000 |
Chapter 3 | 6000000000 | 6000000000 | 0 |
Chapter 4 | 9000000000 | 8000000000 | Invalid (-1000000000) |
AChapterAtom
element can contain otherChapterAtom
elements.That element is aParent Chapter
, and theChapterAtom
elements it contains areNested Chapters
.¶
Nested Chapters
can be useful to tag small parts of aSegment
that already have tags oradd Chapter Codec commands on smaller parts of aSegment
that already have Chapter Codec commands.¶
TheChapterTimeStart
of aNested Chapter
MUST be greater than or equal to theChapterTimeStart
of itsParent Chapter
.¶
If theParent Chapter
of aNested Chapter
has aChapterTimeEnd
, theChapterTimeStart
of thatNested Chapter
MUST be smaller than or equal to theChapterTimeEnd
of theParent Chapter
.¶
TheChapterTimeEnd
of the lowest level ofNested Chapters
MUST be set forOrdered Chapters
.¶
When used withOrdered Chapters
, theChapterTimeEnd
value of aParent Chapter
is useless for playback,as the proper playback sections are described in itsNested Chapters
.TheChapterTimeEnd
SHOULD NOT be set inParent Chapters
andMUST be ignored for playback.¶
EachChapter
'sChapterFlagHidden
flag works independently ofParent Chapters
.ANested Chapter
with aChapterFlagHidden
flag that evaluates to"0" remains visible in the user interface even if theParent Chapter
'sChapterFlagHidden
flag is set to "1".¶
Chapter + Nested Chapter | ChapterFlagHidden | visible |
---|---|---|
Chapter 1 | 0 | yes |
Nested Chapter 1.1 | 0 | yes |
Nested Chapter 1.2 | 1 | no |
Chapter 2 | 1 | no |
Nested Chapter 2.1 | 0 | yes |
Nested Chapter 2.2 | 1 | no |
The menu features are handled like achapter codec
. That means each codec has a type,some private data, and some data in the chapters.¶
The type of the menu system is defined by theChapProcessCodecID
parameter.For now, only two values are supported: 0 (Matroska Script) and 1 (menu borrowed from the DVD[DVD-Video]).The private data stored inChapProcessPrivate
andChapProcessData
depends on theChapProcessCodecID
value.¶
The menu system, as well as Chapter Codecs in general, can perform actions on theMatroska Player
, such as jumping to anotherChapter
orEdition
, selecting different tracks, and possibly more.The scope of all the possibilities of Chapter Codecs is not covered in this document, as itdepends on the Chapter Codec features and its integration in aMatroska Player
.¶
Each level can have different meanings for audio and video. TheORIGINAL_MEDIA_TYPE
tag[MatroskaTags] can be used tospecify a string for ChapterPhysicalEquiv = 60. Here is the list of possible levels for both audio and video:¶
Value | Audio | Video | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
70 | SET / PACKAGE | SET / PACKAGE | the collection of different media |
60 | CD / 12" / 10" / 7" / TAPE / MINIDISC / DAT | DVD / VHS / LASERDISC | the physical medium like a CD or a DVD |
50 | SIDE | SIDE | when the original medium (LP/DVD) has different sides |
40 | - | LAYER | another physical level on DVDs |
30 | SESSION | SESSION | as found on CDs and DVDs |
20 | TRACK | - | as found on audio CDs |
10 | INDEX | - | the first logical level of the side/medium |
In this example, a movie is split in different chapters. It could also just be anaudio file (album) in which each track corresponds to a chapter.¶
This translates to Matroska form, with the EBML tree shown as follows in XML:¶
<Chapters> <EditionEntry> <EditionUID>16603393396715046047</EditionUID> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>1193046</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>0</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>5000000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Intro</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>2311527</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>5000000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>25000000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Before the crime</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Avant le crime</ChapString> <ChapLanguage>fra</ChapLanguage> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>3430008</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>25000000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>27500000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>The crime</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Le crime</ChapString> <ChapLanguage>fra</ChapLanguage> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>4548489</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>27500000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>38000000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>After the crime</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Apres le crime</ChapString> <ChapLanguage>fra</ChapLanguage> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>5666960</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>38000000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>43000000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Credits</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Generique</ChapString> <ChapLanguage>fra</ChapLanguage> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> </EditionEntry></Chapters>
In this example, an (existing) album is split into different chapters, and oneof them contains another splitting.¶
00:00 - 12:28: Baby wants to Bleep/Rock¶
This translates to Matroska form, with the EBML tree shown as follows in XML:¶
<Chapters> <EditionEntry> <EditionUID>1281690858003401414</EditionUID> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>1</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>0</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>748000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Baby wants to Bleep/Rock</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>2</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>0</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>278000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Baby wants to bleep (pt.1)</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>3</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>278000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>432000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Baby wants to rock</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>4</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>432000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>633000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Baby wants to bleep (pt.2)</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>5</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>633000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>748000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Baby wants to bleep (pt.3)</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>6</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>750000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>1178500000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Bleeper_O+2</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>7</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>1180500000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>1340000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Baby wants to bleep (pt.4)</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>8</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>1342000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>1518000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Bleep to bleep</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>9</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>1520000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>2015000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Baby wants to bleep (k)</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> <ChapterAtom> <ChapterUID>10</ChapterUID> <ChapterTimeStart>2017000000</ChapterTimeStart> <ChapterTimeEnd>2668000000</ChapterTimeEnd> <ChapterDisplay> <ChapString>Bleeper</ChapString> </ChapterDisplay> </ChapterAtom> </EditionEntry></Chapters>
Matroska supports storage of related files and data in theAttachments
element (aTop-LevelElement
).Attachments
elements can be used to store relatedcover art, font files, transcripts, reports, error recovery files, pictures,text-based annotations, copies of specifications, or other ancillary filesrelated to theSegment
.¶
Matroska Readers
MUST NOT execute files stored asAttachments
elements.¶
This section defines a set of guidelines for the storage of cover art inMatroska files. AMatroska Reader
MAY use embeddedcover art to display a representational still-image depiction of themultimedia contents of the Matroska file.¶
Only[JPEG] and PNG[RFC2083] image formatsSHOULD be used for cover art pictures.¶
There can be two different covers for a movie/album: a portrait style (e.g., a DVD case)and a landscape style (e.g., a wide banner ad).¶
There can be two versions of the same cover: thenormal cover
andthesmall cover
. The dimension of thenormal cover
SHOULD be 600 pixels on the smallest side (e.g., 960x600 forlandscape, 600x800 for portrait, or 600x600 for square). The dimension of thesmall cover
SHOULD be 120 pixels on the smallest side(e.g., 192x120 or 120x160).¶
Versions of cover art can be differentiated by the filename, which isstored in theFileName
element. The default filename of thenormal cover
in square or portrait mode iscover.(jpg|png)
. When stored, thenormal cover
SHOULD be the firstAttachments
element in storageorder. Thesmall cover
SHOULD be prefixed with"small_", such assmall_cover.(jpg|png)
. The landscape variantSHOULD be suffixed with "_land", such ascover_land.(jpg|png)
. The filenames are case-sensitive.¶
The following table provides examples of file names for cover art inAttachments
.¶
File Name | Image Orientation | Pixel Length of Smallest Side |
---|---|---|
cover.jpg | Portrait or square | 600 |
small_cover.png | Portrait or square | 120 |
cover_land.png | Landscape | 600 |
small_cover_land.jpg | Landscape | 120 |
Font filesMAY be added to a Matroska file as Attachments so that the font file may be usedto display an associated subtitle track. This allows the presentation of a Matroska file to beconsistent in various environments where the needed fonts might not be available on the local system.¶
Depending on the font format in question, each font file can contain multiple font variants.Each font variant has a name that will be referred to as Font Name from now on.This Font Name can be different from the Attachment'sFileName
, even when disregarding the extension.In order to select a font for display, aMatroska Player
SHOULD consider both the Font Nameand the base name of the Attachment'sFileName
, preferring the former when there are multiple matches.¶
Subtitle codecs, such as SubStation Alpha (SSA) and Advanced SubStation Alpha (ASS), usually refer to a font by its Font Name, not by its filename.If none of the Attachments are a match for the Font Name, theMatroska Player
SHOULDattempt to find a system font whose Font Name matches the one used in the subtitle track.¶
Since loading fonts temporarily can take a while, aMatroska Player
usuallyloads or installs all the fonts found in attachments so they are ready to be used during playback.Failure to use the font attachment might result in incorrect rendering of the subtitles.¶
If a selected subtitle track has someAttachmentLink
elements, the playerMAY restrict its font rendering to use only these fonts.¶
AMatroska Player
SHOULD handle the official font media types from[RFC8081] when the system can handle the type:¶
font/sfnt: Generic SFNT Font Type¶
font/ttf: TrueType Font (TTF) Font Type¶
font/otf: OpenType Layout (OTF) Font Type¶
font/collection: Collection Font Type¶
font/woff: WOFF 1.0¶
font/woff2: WOFF 2.0¶
Fonts in Matroska existed long before[RFC8081]. A few unofficial media types for fonts were used in existing files.Therefore, it isRECOMMENDED for aMatroska Player
to support the following legacy media types for font attachments:¶
application/x-truetype-font: TrueType fonts, equivalent tofont/ttf
and sometimesfont/otf
¶
application/x-font-ttf: TrueType fonts, equivalent tofont/ttf
¶
application/vnd.ms-opentype: OpenType Layout fonts, equivalent tofont/otf
¶
application/font-sfnt: Generic SFNT Font Type, equivalent tofont/sfnt
¶
application/font-woff: WOFF 1.0, equivalent tofont/woff
¶
There may also be some font attachments with theapplication/octet-stream
media type.In that case, theMatroska Player
MAY try to guess the font type by checking the file extension of theAttachedFile\FileName
string.Common file extensions for fonts are:¶
.ttf
for TrueType fonts, equivalent tofont/ttf
¶
.otf
for OpenType Layout fonts, equivalent tofont/otf
¶
.ttc
for Collection fonts, equivalent tofont/collection
¶
The file extension checkMUST be case-insensitive.¶
Matroska Writers
SHOULD use a valid font media type from[RFC8081] in theAttachedFile\FileMediaType
of the font attachment.TheyMAY use the media types found in older files when compatibility with older players is necessary.¶
TheCues
element provides an index of certainCluster
elements to allow for optimized seeking to absolute timestamps within theSegment
. TheCues
element contains one or manyCuePoint
elements, each of whichMUST reference anabsolute timestamp (via theCueTime
element), aTrack
(viatheCueTrack
element), and aSegment Position
(via theCueClusterPosition
element). Additional non-mandated elements arepart of theCuePoint
element, such asCueDuration
,CueRelativePosition
,CueCodecState
, and others that provideanyMatroska Reader
with additional information to use in theoptimization of seeking performance.¶
The following recommendations are provided to optimize Matroska performance.¶
Unless Matroska is used as a live stream, itSHOULD contain aCues
element.¶
For each video track, each keyframeSHOULD be referenced by aCuePoint
element.¶
It isRECOMMENDED to not reference non-keyframes of video tracks inCues
unlessit references aCluster
element that contains aCodecState
element but no keyframes.¶
For each subtitle track present, each subtitle frameSHOULD be referenced by aCuePoint
element with aCueDuration
element.¶
References to audio tracksMAY be skipped inCuePoint
elements if a video trackis present. When included, theCuePoint
elementsSHOULD reference audio keyframesonce every 500 milliseconds at most.¶
If the referenced frame is not stored within the firstSimpleBlock
or firstBlockGroup
within itsCluster
element, then theCueRelativePosition
elementSHOULD be written to reference where in theCluster
the reference frame is stored.¶
If aCuePoint
element references aCluster
element that includes aCodecState
element,then thatCuePoint
elementMUST use aCueCodecState
element.¶
CuePoint
elementsSHOULD be numerically sorted in storage order by the value of theCueTime
element.¶
In Matroska, there are two kinds of streaming: file access and livestreaming.¶
File access can simply be reading a file located on your computer, but it also includesaccessing a file from an HTTP (web) server or Common Internet File System (CIFS) (Windows share) server. These protocolsare usually safe from reading errors, and seeking in the stream is possible. However,when a file is stored far away or on a slow server, seeking can be an expensive operationand should be avoided.When followed, the guidelines inSection 25 help reduce the number ofseeking operations for regular playback and also have the playback startquickly without needing to read lot of data first (like aCues
element,Attachments
element, orSeekHead
element).¶
Matroska, having a small overhead, is well suited for storing music/videos on fileservers without a big impact on the bandwidth used. Matroska does not require the indexto be loaded before playing, which allows playback to start very quickly. The index canbe loaded only when seeking is requested the first time.¶
Livestreaming is the equivalent of television broadcasting on the Internet. There are twofamilies of servers for livestreaming: RTP / Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and HTTP. Matroska is not meant to beused over RTP. RTP already has timing and channel mechanisms that would be wasted if doubledin Matroska. Additionally, having the same information at the RTP and Matroska level wouldbe a source of confusion if they do not match.Livestreaming of Matroska over file-like protocols like HTTP, QUIC, etc., is possible.¶
A live Matroska stream is different from a file because it usually has noknown end (only ending when the client disconnects). For this, all bits of the"size" portion of theSegment
elementMUST be set to1. Another option is to concatenateSegment
elements with knownsizes, one after the other. This solution allows a change of codec/resolutionbetween each segment. For example, this allows for a switch between 4:3 and16:9 in a television program.¶
WhenSegment
elements are continuous, certain elements (likeSeekHead
,Cues
,Chapters
, andAttachments
)MUST NOT be used.¶
It is possible for aMatroska Player
to detect that a stream isnot seekable. If the stream has neither aSeekHead
list nor aCues
list at the beginning of the stream, itSHOULD beconsidered non-seekable. Even though it is possible to seek forward in thestream, it isNOT RECOMMENDED.¶
In the context of live radio or web TV, it is possible to "tag" the content while it isplaying. TheTags
element can be placed betweenClusters
each time it is necessary.In that case, the newTags
elementMUST reset the previously encounteredTags
elementsand use the new values instead.¶
Tags allow tagging all kinds of Matroska parts with very detailed metadata in multiple languages.¶
Some Matroska elements also contain their own string value, like the trackName
element (Section 5.1.4.1.18) or theChapString
element (Section 5.1.7.1.4.10).¶
The following Matroska elements can also be defined with tags:¶
The trackName
element (Section 5.1.4.1.18) corresponds to a tag with theTagTrackUID
(Section 5.1.8.1.1.3) set to the given track, aTagName
ofTITLE
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.1), and aTagLanguage
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.2) orTagLanguageBCP47
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.3) of "und".¶
TheChapString
element (Section 5.1.7.1.4.10) corresponds to a tag with theTagChapterUID
(Section 5.1.8.1.1.5) set to the same chapter UID, aTagName
ofTITLE
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.1), and aTagLanguage
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.2) orTagLanguageBCP47
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.3) matching theChapLanguage
(Section 5.1.7.1.4.11) orChapLanguageBCP47
(Section 5.1.7.1.4.12), respectively.¶
TheFileDescription
element (Section 5.1.6.1.1) of an attachment corresponds to a tag with theTagAttachmentUID
(Section 5.1.8.1.1.6) set to the given attachment, aTagName
ofTITLE
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.1), and aTagLanguage
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.2) orTagLanguageBCP47
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.3) of "und".¶
When both values exist in the file, the value found in Tags takes precedence over the value found in the original location of the element.For example, if you have aTrackEntry\Name
element and a tag valueTITLE
for that track in a MatroskaSegment
, the tag value stringSHOULD be used instead of theTrackEntry\Name
string to identify the track.¶
As the Tag element is optional, a lot ofMatroska Readers
do nothandle it and will not use the tags value when it's found. Thus, for maximumcompatibility, it's usually better to put the strings in theTrackEntry
,ChapterAtom
, andAttachments
elementsand keep the tags matching these values if tags are also used.¶
Tag elements allow tagging information on multiple levels, with each level having aTargetTypeValue
(Section 5.1.8.1.1.1).An element for a givenTargetTypeValue
also applies to the lower levels denoted by smallerTargetTypeValue
values. If an upper valuedoesn't apply to a level but the actual value to use is not known,an emptyTagString
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.5) or an emptyTagBinary
(Section 5.1.8.1.2.6)MUST be used as the tag value for this level.¶
See[MatroskaTags] for more details on common tag names, types, and descriptions.¶
It isRECOMMENDED that each individualCluster
element contain no more thanfive seconds or five megabytes of content.¶
It isRECOMMENDED that the firstSeekHead
element be followed by aVoid
element toallow for theSeekHead
element to be expanded to cover newTop-Level Elements
that could be added to the Matroska file, such asTags
,Chapters
, andAttachments
elements.¶
The size of thisVoid
element should be adjusted depending on theTags
,Chapters
, andAttachments
elements in the Matroska file.¶
While there can beTop-Level Elements
in any order, some orderings of elements are better than others.The following subsections detail optimum layouts for different use cases.¶
This is the basic layout muxers should be using for an efficient playback experience:¶
When tags from the previous layout need to be extended, they are moved to the end with the extra information.The location where the old tags were located is voided.¶
Cues
are usually a big chunk of data referencing a lot of locations in the file.Players that want to seek in the file need to seek to the end of the fileto access these locations. It is often better if they are placed early in the file.On the other hand, that means players that don't intend to seek will have to read/skipthese data no matter what.¶
Because theCues
reference locations further in the file, it's often complicated toallocate the proper space for that element before all the locations are known.Therefore, this layout is rarely used:¶
In livestreaming (Section 23.2), only a few elements make sense. For example,SeekHead
andCues
are useless.All elements other than theClusters
MUST be placed before theClusters
.¶
Matroska inherits security considerations from EBML[RFC8794].¶
Attacks on aMatroska Reader
could include:¶
Storage of an arbitrary and potentially executable data within anAttachments
element.Matroska Readers
that extract or use data fromMatroska Attachments
SHOULDcheck that the data adheres to expectations or not use the attachment.¶
AMatroska Attachment
with an inaccurate media type.¶
Damage to the Encryption and Compression fields (Section 14) that would result in bogus binary datainterpreted by the decoder.¶
Chapter Codecs running unwanted commands on the host system.¶
The same error handling done for EBML applies to Matroska files.Particular error handling is not covered in this specification, as this isdepends on the goal of theMatroska Readers
.Matroska Readers
decide how to handle the errors whether or not they arerecoverable in their code.For example, if the checksum of the\Segment\Tracks
is invalid, somecould decide to try to read the data anyway, some will just reject the file,and most will not even check it.¶
Matroska Reader
implementations need to be robust against malicious payloads. Those related to denial of service are outlined inSection 2.1 of [RFC4732].¶
Although rarer, the same may apply to aMatroska Writer
. Malicious stream datamust not cause theMatroska Writer
to misbehave, as this might allow an attacker accessto transcoding gateways.¶
As an audio/video container format, a Matroska file or stream willpotentially encapsulate numerous byte streams created with a variety ofcodecs. Implementers will need to consider the security considerations ofthese encapsulated formats.¶
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Element IDs"registry.¶
To register a new Element ID in this registry, one needs an Element ID, anElement Name, a Change Controller, and anoptional Reference to a document describing the Element ID.¶
Element IDs are encodedusing the VINT mechanism described inSection 4 of [RFC8794] and can be betweenone and five octets long. Five-octet Element IDs are possibleonly if declared in the EBML Header.¶
Element IDs are described inSection 5 of [RFC8794], with the changes in[Err7189] and[Err7191].¶
One-octet Matroska Element IDs (range 0x80-0xFE) are to be allocated according to the "RFC Required" policy[RFC8126].¶
Two-octet Matroska Element IDs (range 0x407F-0x7FFE) are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126].¶
Two-octet Matroska Element IDs between 0x0100 and 0x407E are not valid foruse as an Element ID.¶
Three-octet (range 0x203FFF-0x3FFFFE) and four-octet Matroska Element IDs (range 0x101FFFFF-0x1FFFFFFE) are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126].¶
Three-octet Matroska Element IDs between 0x010000 and 0x203FFE are not valid for use as an Element ID.¶
Four-octet Matroska Element IDs between 0x01000000 and 0x101FFFFE are not valid for use as an Element ID.¶
The allowed values in the "Matroska Element IDs" registry are similar to the ones foundin the "EBML Element IDs" registry defined inSection 17.1 of [RFC8794].¶
EBML Element IDs defined for the EBML Header -- as defined inSection 17.1 of [RFC8794] --MUST NOT be used as Matroska Element IDs.¶
Given the scarcity of one-octet Element IDs, they should only be createdto save space for elements found many times in a file (for example,BlockGroup
orChapters
). The four-octet Element IDs are mostly for synchronization oflarge elements. They should only be used for such high-level elements.Elements that are not expected to be used often should use three-octet ElementIDs.¶
Elements found inAppendix A have an assigned Matroska Element ID for historical reasons.These elements are not in use andSHOULD NOT be reused unless there are no other IDs available with the desired size.Such IDs are marked as "Reclaimed" in the "Matroska Element IDs" registry, as they could be used for other things in the future.¶
Table 53 shows the initial contents of the"Matroska Element IDs" registry. The Change Controller for the initialentries is the IETF.¶
Element ID | Element Name | Reference |
---|---|---|
0x80 | ChapterDisplay | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.9 |
0x83 | TrackType | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
0x85 | ChapString | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.10 |
0x86 | CodecID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.21 |
0x88 | FlagDefault | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.5 |
0x8E | Slices | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.5) |
0x91 | ChapterTimeStart | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.3 |
0x92 | ChapterTimeEnd | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.4 |
0x96 | CueRefTime | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.8 |
0x97 | CueRefCluster | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.37) |
0x98 | ChapterFlagHidden | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.5 |
0x9A | FlagInterlaced | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.1 |
0x9B | BlockDuration | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.3 |
0x9C | FlagLacing | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.12 |
0x9D | FieldOrder | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.2 |
0x9F | Channels | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.29.3 |
0xA0 | BlockGroup | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5 |
0xA1 | Block | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.1 |
0xA2 | BlockVirtual | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.3) |
0xA3 | SimpleBlock | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.4 |
0xA4 | CodecState | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.6 |
0xA5 | BlockAdditional | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.2.2 |
0xA6 | BlockMore | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.2.1 |
0xA7 | Position | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.2 |
0xAA | CodecDecodeAll | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.22) |
0xAB | PrevSize | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.3 |
0xAE | TrackEntry | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1 |
0xAF | EncryptedBlock | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.15) |
0xB0 | PixelWidth | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.6 |
0xB2 | CueDuration | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.4 |
0xB3 | CueTime | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.1 |
0xB5 | SamplingFrequency | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.29.1 |
0xB6 | ChapterAtom | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4 |
0xB7 | CueTrackPositions | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2 |
0xB9 | FlagEnabled | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.4 |
0xBA | PixelHeight | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.7 |
0xBB | CuePoint | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1 |
0xC0 | TrickTrackUID | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.28) |
0xC1 | TrickTrackSegmentUID | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.29) |
0xC4 | TrickMasterTrackSegmentUID | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.32) |
0xC6 | TrickTrackFlag | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.30) |
0xC7 | TrickMasterTrackUID | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.31) |
0xC8 | ReferenceFrame | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.12) |
0xC9 | ReferenceOffset | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.13) |
0xCA | ReferenceTimestamp | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.14) |
0xCB | BlockAdditionID | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.9) |
0xCC | LaceNumber | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.7) |
0xCD | FrameNumber | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.8) |
0xCE | Delay | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.10) |
0xCF | SliceDuration | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.11) |
0xD7 | TrackNumber | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.1 |
0xDB | CueReference | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.7 |
0xE0 | Video | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28 |
0xE1 | Audio | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.29 |
0xE2 | TrackOperation | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30 |
0xE3 | TrackCombinePlanes | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.1 |
0xE4 | TrackPlane | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.2 |
0xE5 | TrackPlaneUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.3 |
0xE6 | TrackPlaneType | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.4 |
0xE7 | Timestamp | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.1 |
0xE8 | TimeSlice | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.6) |
0xE9 | TrackJoinBlocks | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.5 |
0xEA | CueCodecState | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.6 |
0xEB | CueRefCodecState | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.39) |
0xED | TrackJoinUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.6 |
0xEE | BlockAddID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.2.3 |
0xF0 | CueRelativePosition | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.3 |
0xF1 | CueClusterPosition | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.2 |
0xF7 | CueTrack | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.1 |
0xFA | ReferencePriority | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.4 |
0xFB | ReferenceBlock | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.5 |
0xFD | ReferenceVirtual | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.4) |
0xFF | Reserved | RFC 9559 |
0x0100-0x407E | Not valid for use as an Element ID | RFC 9559,Section 27.1 |
0x41A4 | BlockAddIDName | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.17.2 |
0x41E4 | BlockAdditionMapping | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.17 |
0x41E7 | BlockAddIDType | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.17.3 |
0x41ED | BlockAddIDExtraData | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.17.4 |
0x41F0 | BlockAddIDValue | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.17.1 |
0x4254 | ContentCompAlgo | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.6 |
0x4255 | ContentCompSettings | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.7 |
0x437C | ChapLanguage | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.11 |
0x437D | ChapLanguageBCP47 | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.12 |
0x437E | ChapCountry | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.13 |
0x4444 | SegmentFamily | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.7 |
0x4461 | DateUTC | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.11 |
0x447A | TagLanguage | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.2.2 |
0x447B | TagLanguageBCP47 | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.2.3 |
0x4484 | TagDefault | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.2.4 |
0x4485 | TagBinary | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.2.6 |
0x4487 | TagString | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.2.5 |
0x4489 | Duration | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.10 |
0x44B4 | TagDefaultBogus | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.43) |
0x450D | ChapProcessPrivate | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.16 |
0x45A3 | TagName | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.2.1 |
0x45B9 | EditionEntry | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1 |
0x45BC | EditionUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.1 |
0x45DB | EditionFlagDefault | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.2 |
0x45DD | EditionFlagOrdered | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.3 |
0x465C | FileData | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.6.1.4 |
0x4660 | FileMediaType | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.6.1.3 |
0x4661 | FileUsedStartTime | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.41) |
0x4662 | FileUsedEndTime | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.42) |
0x466E | FileName | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.6.1.2 |
0x4675 | FileReferral | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.40) |
0x467E | FileDescription | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.6.1.1 |
0x46AE | FileUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.6.1.5 |
0x47E1 | ContentEncAlgo | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 |
0x47E2 | ContentEncKeyID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.10 |
0x47E3 | ContentSignature | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.33) |
0x47E4 | ContentSigKeyID | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.34) |
0x47E5 | ContentSigAlgo | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.35) |
0x47E6 | ContentSigHashAlgo | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.36) |
0x47E7 | ContentEncAESSettings | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.11 |
0x47E8 | AESSettingsCipherMode | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.12 |
0x4D80 | MuxingApp | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.13 |
0x4DBB | Seek | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.1.1 |
0x5031 | ContentEncodingOrder | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.2 |
0x5032 | ContentEncodingScope | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.3 |
0x5033 | ContentEncodingType | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.4 |
0x5034 | ContentCompression | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.5 |
0x5035 | ContentEncryption | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.8 |
0x535F | CueRefNumber | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.38) |
0x536E | Name | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.18 |
0x5378 | CueBlockNumber | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5.1.2.5 |
0x537F | TrackOffset | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.18) |
0x53AB | SeekID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.1.1.1 |
0x53AC | SeekPosition | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.1.1.2 |
0x53B8 | StereoMode | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
0x53B9 | OldStereoMode | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.5 |
0x53C0 | AlphaMode | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.4 |
0x54AA | PixelCropBottom | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.8 |
0x54B0 | DisplayWidth | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.12 |
0x54B2 | DisplayUnit | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.14 |
0x54B3 | AspectRatioType | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.24) |
0x54BA | DisplayHeight | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.13 |
0x54BB | PixelCropTop | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.9 |
0x54CC | PixelCropLeft | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.10 |
0x54DD | PixelCropRight | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.11 |
0x55AA | FlagForced | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.6 |
0x55AB | FlagHearingImpaired | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.7 |
0x55AC | FlagVisualImpaired | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.8 |
0x55AD | FlagTextDescriptions | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.9 |
0x55AE | FlagOriginal | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.10 |
0x55AF | FlagCommentary | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.11 |
0x55B0 | Colour | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.16 |
0x55B1 | MatrixCoefficients | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.17 |
0x55B2 | BitsPerChannel | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.18 |
0x55B3 | ChromaSubsamplingHorz | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.19 |
0x55B4 | ChromaSubsamplingVert | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.20 |
0x55B5 | CbSubsamplingHorz | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.21 |
0x55B6 | CbSubsamplingVert | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.22 |
0x55B7 | ChromaSitingHorz | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.23 |
0x55B8 | ChromaSitingVert | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.24 |
0x55B9 | Range | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.25 |
0x55BA | TransferCharacteristics | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.26 |
0x55BB | Primaries | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.27 |
0x55BC | MaxCLL | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.28 |
0x55BD | MaxFALL | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.29 |
0x55D0 | MasteringMetadata | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.30 |
0x55D1 | PrimaryRChromaticityX | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.31 |
0x55D2 | PrimaryRChromaticityY | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.32 |
0x55D3 | PrimaryGChromaticityX | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.33 |
0x55D4 | PrimaryGChromaticityY | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.34 |
0x55D5 | PrimaryBChromaticityX | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.35 |
0x55D6 | PrimaryBChromaticityY | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.36 |
0x55D7 | WhitePointChromaticityX | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.37 |
0x55D8 | WhitePointChromaticityY | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.38 |
0x55D9 | LuminanceMax | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.39 |
0x55DA | LuminanceMin | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.40 |
0x55EE | MaxBlockAdditionID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.16 |
0x5654 | ChapterStringUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.2 |
0x56AA | CodecDelay | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.25 |
0x56BB | SeekPreRoll | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.26 |
0x5741 | WritingApp | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.14 |
0x5854 | SilentTracks | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.1) |
0x58D7 | SilentTrackNumber | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.2) |
0x61A7 | AttachedFile | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.6.1 |
0x6240 | ContentEncoding | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.1 |
0x6264 | BitDepth | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.29.4 |
0x63A2 | CodecPrivate | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.22 |
0x63C0 | Targets | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1 |
0x63C3 | ChapterPhysicalEquiv | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.8 |
0x63C4 | TagChapterUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.5 |
0x63C5 | TagTrackUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.3 |
0x63C6 | TagAttachmentUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.6 |
0x63C9 | TagEditionUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.4 |
0x63CA | TargetType | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.2 |
0x6624 | TrackTranslate | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.27 |
0x66A5 | TrackTranslateTrackID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.27.1 |
0x66BF | TrackTranslateCodec | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.27.2 |
0x66FC | TrackTranslateEditionUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.27.3 |
0x67C8 | SimpleTag | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.2 |
0x68CA | TargetTypeValue | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
0x6911 | ChapProcessCommand | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.17 |
0x6922 | ChapProcessTime | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.18 |
0x6924 | ChapterTranslate | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.8 |
0x6933 | ChapProcessData | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.19 |
0x6944 | ChapProcess | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.14 |
0x6955 | ChapProcessCodecID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.15 |
0x69A5 | ChapterTranslateID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.8.1 |
0x69BF | ChapterTranslateCodec | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.8.2 |
0x69FC | ChapterTranslateEditionUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.8.3 |
0x6D80 | ContentEncodings | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31 |
0x6DE7 | MinCache | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.16) |
0x6DF8 | MaxCache | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.17) |
0x6E67 | ChapterSegmentUUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.6 |
0x6EBC | ChapterSegmentEditionUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.7 |
0x6FAB | TrackOverlay | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.23) |
0x7373 | Tag | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1 |
0x7384 | SegmentFilename | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.2 |
0x73A4 | SegmentUUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.1 |
0x73C4 | ChapterUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.1 |
0x73C5 | TrackUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.2 |
0x7446 | AttachmentLink | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.24 |
0x75A1 | BlockAdditions | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.2 |
0x75A2 | DiscardPadding | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3.5.7 |
0x7670 | Projection | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.41 |
0x7671 | ProjectionType | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.42 |
0x7672 | ProjectionPrivate | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.43 |
0x7673 | ProjectionPoseYaw | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.44 |
0x7674 | ProjectionPosePitch | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.45 |
0x7675 | ProjectionPoseRoll | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.46 |
0x78B5 | OutputSamplingFrequency | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.29.2 |
0x7BA9 | Title | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.12 |
0x7D7B | ChannelPositions | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.27) |
0x7FFF | Reserved | RFC 9559 |
0x010000-0x203FFE | Not valid for use as an Element ID | RFC 9559,Section 27.1 |
0x22B59C | Language | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.19 |
0x22B59D | LanguageBCP47 | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.20 |
0x23314F | TrackTimestampScale | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.15 |
0x234E7A | DefaultDecodedFieldDuration | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.14 |
0x2383E3 | FrameRate | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.26) |
0x23E383 | DefaultDuration | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.13 |
0x258688 | CodecName | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.23 |
0x26B240 | CodecDownloadURL | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.21) |
0x2AD7B1 | TimestampScale | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.9 |
0x2EB524 | UncompressedFourCC | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.15 |
0x2FB523 | GammaValue | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.25) |
0x3A9697 | CodecSettings | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.19) |
0x3B4040 | CodecInfoURL | Reclaimed (RFC 9559,Appendix A.20) |
0x3C83AB | PrevFilename | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.4 |
0x3CB923 | PrevUUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.3 |
0x3E83BB | NextFilename | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.6 |
0x3EB923 | NextUUID | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2.5 |
0x3FFFFF | Reserved | RFC 9559 |
0x01000000-0x101FFFFE | Not valid for use as an Element ID | RFC 9559,Section 27.1 |
0x1043A770 | Chapters | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7 |
0x114D9B74 | SeekHead | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.1 |
0x1254C367 | Tags | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8 |
0x1549A966 | Info | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.2 |
0x1654AE6B | Tracks | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4 |
0x18538067 | Segment | RFC 9559,Section 5.1 |
0x1941A469 | Attachments | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.6 |
0x1C53BB6B | Cues | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.5 |
0x1F43B675 | Cluster | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.3 |
0x1FFFFFFF | Reserved | RFC 9559 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Compression Algorithms" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerContentCompAlgo
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.31.6.¶
To register a new Compression Algorithm in this registry, one needs a Compression Algorithm value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Compression Algorithm.¶
The Compression Algorithms are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 4-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 54 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Compression Algorithms" registry.The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Compression Algorithm | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | zlib | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.6 |
1 | bzlib | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.6 |
2 | lzo1x | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.6 |
3 | Header Stripping | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.6 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Encryption Algorithms" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerContentEncAlgo
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.31.9.¶
To register a new Encryption Algorithm in this registry, one needs an Encryption Algorithm value,a description, a Change Controller, andan optional Reference to a document describing the Encryption Algorithm.¶
The Encryption Algorithms are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 6-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 55 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Encryption Algorithms" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Encryption Algorithm | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | Not encrypted | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 |
1 | DES | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 |
2 | 3DES | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 |
3 | Twofish | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 |
4 | Blowfish | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 |
5 | AES | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.9 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska AES Cipher Modes" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerAESSettingsCipherMode
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.31.12.¶
To register a new AES Cipher Mode in this registry, one needs an AES Cipher Mode value,a description, a Change Controller, andan optional Reference to a document describing the AES Cipher Mode.¶
The AES Cipher Modes are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 3-18446744073709551615.¶
The value 0 is not valid for use as an AES Cipher Mode.¶
Table 56 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska AES Cipher Modes" registry.The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
AES Cipher Mode | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | Not valid for use as an AES Cipher Mode | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.12 |
1 | AES-CTR | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.12 |
2 | AES-CBC | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.12 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Content Encoding Scopes" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerContentEncodingScope
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.31.3.¶
To register a new Content Encoding Scope in this registry, one needs a Content Encoding Scope value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Content Encoding Scope.¶
The Content Encoding Scopes are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 0x8-0x8000000000000000.¶
The Content Encoding Scope is a bit-field value, so only power of 2 values can be registered.¶
The value 0 is not valid for use as a Content Encoding Scope.¶
Table 57 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Content Encoding Scopes" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Content Encoding Scope | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0x0 | Not valid for use as a Content Encoding Scope | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.3 |
0x1 | Block | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.3 |
0x2 | Private | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.3 |
0x4 | Next | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.3 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Content Encoding Types" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerContentEncodingType
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.31.4.¶
To register a new Content Encoding Type in this registry, one needs a Content Encoding Type value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Content Encoding Type.¶
The Content Encoding Types are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 2-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 58 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Content Encoding Types" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Content Encoding Type | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | Compression | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.4 |
1 | Encryption | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.31.4 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Stereo Modes" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerStereoMode
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.28.3.¶
To register a new Stereo Mode in this registry, one needs a Stereo Mode value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Stereo Mode.¶
The Stereo Modes are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 15-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 59 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Stereo Modes" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Stereo Mode | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | mono | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
1 | side by side (left eye first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
2 | top - bottom (right eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
3 | top - bottom (left eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
4 | checkboard (right eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
5 | checkboard (left eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
6 | row interleaved (right eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
7 | row interleaved (left eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
8 | column interleaved (right eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
9 | column interleaved (left eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
10 | anaglyph (cyan/red) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
11 | side by side (right eye first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
12 | anaglyph (green/magenta) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
13 | both eyes laced in one Block (left eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
14 | both eyes laced in one Block (right eye is first) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.3 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Alpha Modes" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerAlphaMode
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.28.4.¶
To register a new Alpha Mode in this registry, one needs an Alpha Mode value,a description, a Change Controller, andan optional Reference to a document describing the Alpha Mode.¶
The Alpha Modes are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 2-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 60 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Alpha Modes" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Alpha Mode | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | none | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.4 |
1 | present | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.4 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Display Units" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerDisplayUnit
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.28.14.¶
To register a new Display Unit in this registry, one needs a Display Unit value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Display Unit.¶
The Display Units are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 5-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 61 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Display Units" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Display Unit | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | pixels | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.14 |
1 | centimeters | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.14 |
2 | inches | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.14 |
3 | display aspect ratio | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.14 |
4 | unknown | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.14 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Horizontal Chroma Sitings" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerChromaSitingHorz
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.28.23.¶
To register a new Horizontal Chroma Siting in this registry, one needs a Horizontal Chroma Siting value,a description, a Change Controller, andan optional Reference to a document describing the Horizontal Chroma Siting.¶
The Horizontal Chroma Sitings are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 3-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 62 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Horizontal Chroma Sitings" registry.The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Horizontal Chroma Siting | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | unspecified | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.23 |
1 | left collocated | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.23 |
2 | half | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.23 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Vertical Chroma Sitings" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerChromaSitingVert
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.28.24.¶
To register a new Vertical Chroma Siting in this registry, one needs a Vertical Chroma Siting value,a description, a Change Controller, andan optional Reference to a document describing the Vertical Chroma Siting.¶
The Vertical Chroma Sitings are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 3-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 63 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Vertical Chroma Sitings" registry.The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Vertical Chroma Siting | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | unspecified | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.24 |
1 | top collocated | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.24 |
2 | half | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.24 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Color Ranges" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerRange
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.28.25.¶
To register a new Color Range in this registry, one needs a Color Range value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Color Range.¶
The Color Ranges are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 4-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 64 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Color Ranges" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Color Range | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | unspecified | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.25 |
1 | broadcast range | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.25 |
2 | full range (no clipping) | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.25 |
3 | defined by MatrixCoefficients / TransferCharacteristics | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.25 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Tags Target Types" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerTargetTypeValue
value described inSection 5.1.8.1.1.1.¶
To register a new Tags Target Type in this registry, one needs a Tags Target Type value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Tags Target Type.¶
The Tags Target Types are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 1-9, 11-19, 21-29, 31-39, 41-49, 51-59, 61-69, and 71-18446744073709551615.¶
The value 0 is not valid for use as a Tags Target Type.¶
Table 65 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Tags Target Types" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Tags Target Type | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
70 | COLLECTION | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
60 | EDITION / ISSUE / VOLUME / OPUS / SEASON / SEQUEL | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
50 | ALBUM / OPERA / CONCERT / MOVIE / EPISODE | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
40 | PART / SESSION | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
30 | TRACK / SONG / CHAPTER | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
20 | SUBTRACK / MOVEMENT / SCENE | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
10 | SHOT | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
0 | Not valid for use as a Tags Target Type | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.8.1.1.1 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Chapter Codec IDs" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerChapProcessCodecID
,ChapterTranslateCodec
, andTrackTranslateCodec
values described inSection 5.1.7.1.4.15.¶
To register a new Chapter Codec ID in this registry, one needs a Chapter Codec ID value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Chapter Codec ID.¶
The Chapter Codec IDs are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 2-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 66 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Chapter Codec IDs" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Chapter Codec ID | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | Matroska Script | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.15 |
1 | DVD-menu | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.7.1.4.15 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Projection Types" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerProjectionType
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.28.42.¶
To register a new Projection Type in this registry, one needs a Projection Type value,a description, a Change Controller, andan optional Reference to a document describing the Projection Type.¶
The Projection Types are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 4-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 67 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Projection Types" registry. The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Projection Type | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | rectangular | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.42 |
1 | equirectangular | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.42 |
2 | cubemap | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.42 |
3 | mesh | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.28.42 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Track Types" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerTrackType
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.3.¶
To register a new Track Type in this registry, one needs a Track Type value,a description, a Change Controller, anda Reference to a document describing the Track Type.¶
The Track Types are to be allocated according to the "Specification Required" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 4-15, 19-31, and 34-18446744073709551615.¶
The value 0 is not valid for use as a Track Type.¶
Table 68 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Track Types" registry.The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Track Type | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | Not valid for use as a Track Type | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
1 | video | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
2 | audio | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
3 | complex | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
16 | logo | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
17 | subtitle | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
18 | buttons | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
32 | control | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
33 | metadata | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.3 |
IANA has created a new registry called the "Matroska Track Plane Types" registry.The values correspond to the unsigned integerTrackPlaneType
value described inSection 5.1.4.1.30.4.¶
To register a new Track Plane Type in this registry, one needs a Track Plane Type value,a description, a Change Controller, andan optional Reference to a document describing the Track Plane Type.¶
The Track Plane Types are to be allocated according to the "First Come First Served" policy[RFC8126]. Available values range from 3-18446744073709551615.¶
Table 69 shows the initial contents of the "Matroska Track Plane Types" registry.The Change Controller for the initial entries is the IETF.¶
Track Plane Type | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|
0 | left eye | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.4 |
1 | right eye | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.4 |
2 | background | RFC 9559,Section 5.1.4.1.30.4 |
Matroska files and streams are found in three main forms: audio-video,audio-only, and (occasionally) stereoscopic video.¶
Historically, Matroska files and streams have used the following media types with an "x-" prefix.For better compatibility, a systemSHOULD be able to handle both formats.Newer systemsSHOULD NOT use the historic format and use the format that follows the format in[RFC6838] instead.¶
IANA has registered three media types per the templates (see[RFC6838]) in the following subsections.¶
N/A¶
As Matroska has evolved since 2002, many parts that were considered for use in the format were neverused and often incorrectly designed. Many of the elements that were defined then are notfound in any known files but were part of public specs. DivX also had a few custom elements thatwere designed for custom features.¶
In this appendix, we list elements that have a known ID thatSHOULD NOT be reused to avoid collidingwith existing files. These might be reassigned by IANA in the future if there are no more IDs for a given size.A short description of what each ID was used for is included, but the text is not normative.¶
\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\Slices\TimeSlice\Delay
¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\Slices\TimeSlice\SliceDuration
¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\ReferenceFrame
¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\ReferenceFrame\ReferenceOffset
¶BlockGroup
element for this Smooth FF/RW video track to the containingBlockGroup
element. See[DivXTrickTrack].¶\Segment\Cluster\BlockGroup\ReferenceFrame\ReferenceTimestamp
¶BlockGroup
pointed to by ReferenceOffset, expressed in Track Ticks; seeSection 11.1. See[DivXTrickTrack].¶\Segment\Cluster\EncryptedBlock
¶SimpleBlock
(seeSection 10.2),but the data inside theBlock
are Transformed (encrypted and/or signed).¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackOffset
¶Block
's Timestamp, expressed in Matroska Ticks -- i.e., in nanoseconds; seeSection 11.1.This can be used to adjust the playback offset of a track.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrackOverlay
¶Track
specified (in the u-integer).This means that when this track has a gap onSilentTracks
, the overlay track should be used instead. The order of multipleTrackOverlay
matters; the first one is the one that should be used.If the first one is not found, it should be the second, etc.¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrickTrackUID
¶TrackUID
of the Smooth FF/RW video in the paired EBML structure corresponding to this video track. See[DivXTrickTrack].¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrickTrackSegmentUID
¶SegmentUUID
of theSegment
containing the track identified by TrickTrackUID. See[DivXTrickTrack].¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrickTrackFlag
¶MasterTrackUID
andMasterTrackSegUID
should be present, andBlockGroups
for this track must contain ReferenceFrame structures.Otherwise, TrickTrackUID and TrickTrackSegUID must be present if this track has a corresponding Smooth FF/RW track. See[DivXTrickTrack].¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrickMasterTrackUID
¶TrackUID
of the video track in the paired EBML structure that corresponds to this Smooth FF/RW track. See[DivXTrickTrack].¶\Segment\Tracks\TrackEntry\TrickMasterTrackSegmentUID
¶SegmentUUID
of theSegment
containing the track identified by MasterTrackUID. See[DivXTrickTrack].¶\Segment\Attachments\AttachedFile\FileUsedStartTime
¶TimestampScale
. See[DivXWorldFonts].¶\Segment\Attachments\AttachedFile\FileUsedEndTime
¶TimestampScale
. See[DivXWorldFonts].¶\Segment\Tags\Tag\+SimpleTag\TagDefaultBogus
¶TagDefault
element with a bogus element ID; seeSection 5.1.8.1.2.4.¶