QuickTime

What Does QuickTime Mean?

QuickTime is a proprietary multimedia platform developed and distributed by Apple Inc. It is available for both Mac and Windows (PC) operating systems. It used to be an optional component, but is now a standard part of the Mac OS installation. It is used for just about any multimedia function in most Mac applications but is just usually used to play QuickTime format media on a PC.

Advertisements

Techopedia Explains QuickTime

QuickTime may refer to the multimedia platform and it may also refer to the format that was made for the platform with the extensions of .mov, .moov and .qt. The QuickTime format is very versatile and comprehensive; it can contain any kind of continuous data like audio, video, text and even time-based control information.

The QuickTime framework provides the following services:

  • Transcoding and encoding audio and video files into different formats
  • Decoding multimedia data or playback. In Mac OS X, the decoded stream is sent to the Quartz Extreme Compositor (OpenGL)
  • A plug-in architecture that allows third-party codecs like DivX
Advertisements

Related Terms

Latest Privacy and Compliance Terms

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…