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Format Description Properties
• ID: fdd000064
• Short name: Cinepak
• Content categories: moving image
• Format category: bitstream encoding
• Last significant update: 2004-05-20
Identification and description 
| Full name | Cinepak |
| Description | Bitstream encoding for video; John McGowan states, "Cinepak uses Vector Quantization based image compression and frame differencing." Multiple versions exist, including "SuperMac," "Radius," and "Compression Technologies;" this document does not distinguish between them. |
| Production phase | May be used as a middle-state (video production) or end-user delivery format. |
| Relationship to other formats | |
| Used by | AVI_Cinepak, Audio Video Interleaved, Cinepak |
| Used by | QTV_Cinepak, QuickTime, Cinepak |
Local use
| LC experience or existing holdings | |
| LC preference | |
Sustainability factors
| Disclosure | Proprietary standard with little or no public documentation |
| Documentation | None identified as of April 26, 2004. |
| Adoption | Widespread; John McGowan states that "Cinepak is the most widely used Video for Windows codec." |
| Licensing and patent claims | Apparently various providers of encoders license the use of their products. |
| Transparency | Depends upon algorithms and tools to read; will require sophistication to build tools.
|
| Self-documentation | Not applicable; provided by wrapper formats. |
| External dependencies | None. |
| Technical protection considerations | Not applicable; provided by wrapper formats. |
Quality and functionality factors (video)
| Normal rendering | Not applicable |
| Clarity (support for high image resolution) | Moderate, varies according to encoder used. |
| Fidelity (support for high audio resolution) | Not applicable. |
| Support for multiple sound channels | Not applicable. |
| Functionality beyond normal video rendering | Not applicable. |
File type signifiers
| Tag type | Value | Note |
| Filename Extension | n/a | |
| Internet Media Type | n/a | |
| Magic numbers | n/a | |
| Microsoft FOURCC | CVID | Used when this codec is wrapped in Microsoft file formats, e.g., AVI and ASF; see the Microsoft registry. |
Notes
Format specifications
URLs
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Useful references
URLs
• John McGowan's AVI Overview: Audio and Video Codecs (http://www.jmcgowan.com/avicodecs.html).
• Product information from the software company Compression Technologies (http://www.cinepak.com).
• Microsoft registry of FOURCC codes and WAVE format indicators (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwmt/html/registeredfourcccodesandwaveformats.asp). The archived 2001 version of this registry is at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/fourcc.mspx.
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Last Updated: Wednesday, 07-Mar-2007 12:40:19 EST
