The advanced QuickTime architecture provides state-of-the-art multimedia technologies that enable everything from high-definition audio and video playback to the creation of immersive environments. QuickTime empowers the development of innovative software such as iTunes, iMovie and Final Cut Pro from Apple as well as thousands of cross-platform programs from third parties.

Apple designed the QuickTime architecture as a powerful, extensible and flexible platform for creating digital media that maintains backwards compatibility with previous versions as new ones come to market. So files created using QuickTime 1 more than a decade ago continue to play smoothly today in QuickTime 7.

QuickTime 7 for Mac OS X

Now QuickTime-based applications can take advantage of hardware-accelerated video processing via the new Core Media Services in Mac OS X Tiger or later. In addition, QuickTime 7 provides Macintosh software developers with a modernized programming interface, QTKit. This lets programmers use QuickTime easily in Cocoa-based Mac OS X applications.

Trusted File Format

The .mov file format sets QuickTime apart from other media platforms. Structured like a “container,” it can hold a variety of media types such as audio, video, text, images and sprites. Each of these media types is stored as a separate “track,” which allows for both easy manipulation as well as backwards compatibility with previous versions. Developers can easily extend the .mov file format with new media types, or “tracks,” by creating QuickTime components.

Standards at the Core

From still image formats to DV to H.264 to MPEG4 to 3G and beyond, standards have progressed over time, building new industries and innovating in existing ones — QuickTime has been there every step of the way. With support for the latest industry standards deep in its core, QuickTime ensures that the media you create will play back in the widest range of media players and devices on the market including cell phones, set-top boxes and, of course, your computer.

Innovative Technologies

Each and every new version of QuickTime has included breakthrough technologies that have pushed the digital media industry forward. QuickTime 1 pioneered the digital media industry by playing back digital video smoothly on a personal computer for the first time via the video compression format “Road Pizza.” QuickTime 6 led the way for ISO-compliant MPEG-4, 3GPP and 3GPP2. And now QuickTime 7 with H.264 video once again leads the industry.

The Ultimate Digital Media Platform

Whether you are creating content for the delivery on the web or a software developer looking to take your application to the next level, QuickTime provides the most comprehensive platform in the industry. With a rock solid foundation that you can trust and a host of innovative features that create the most cutting-edge multimedia experiences for your customers, QuickTime is the obvious choice for all of your digital media needs.