# QuickTime File Format change log Changes to the QuickTime File Format. ## Overview ### 2016-09-13 #### Updated - Updated the color atom (`'colr'`) to include information on new color standards, including DCI P3, P3 D65, and ITU-R BT.2020. ### 2015-02-14 #### Added - A new facility for timed metadata tracks has been incorporated, see [Timed metadata media](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Timed_metadata_media). Introduce `'cdsc'` track reference type, see [`Track reference type atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Track_reference_type_atom). Added more well-known metadata data types, see [Type indicator](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Type_indicator). ### 2014-02-11 #### Updated - Updated the section on closed caption tracks. ### 2012-08-14 #### Updated - Corrected the values for `kQTSampleDependency_OtherSamplesDependOnThisSample` and `kQTSampleDependency_-NoOtherSampleDependsOnThisSample`. ### 2012-08-01 #### Added - Added [`Track exclude from autoselection atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Track_exclude_from_autoselection_atom). - Added `clcp`, `fall`, `folw`, and `forc` to [`Track reference type atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Track_reference_type_atom). - Added [`Text media information atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Text_media_information_atom), [Closed captioning media](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Closed_captioning_media), and [Subtitle media](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Subtitle_media). - Added [Preparing sound and subtitle alternate groups for use with Apple devices](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Preparing_sound_and_subtitle_alternate_groups_for_use_with_Apple_devices). #### Updated - In [User data atoms](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/User_data_atoms), expanded the description of `'tnam'` and added `'tagc'` with related section Media Characteristic Tags. - Explained alternate groups in [`Alternate group`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Track_header_atom/Alternate_group). - Corrected structure of `gmhd` and `gmin` in [`Base media information atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Base_media_information_atom). - General Structure of a Sample Description in [`Sample description atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Sample_description_atom) includes emphasized importance of data size due to occasional terminating zeroes. - [`Timecode media information atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Timecode_media_information_atom) now documents the reserved integer after the text size. - “Audio track” changed to “sound track” for consistency. #### Deprecated - Deprecated `‘rsrc’` data reference. ### 2011-07-13 #### Added - The sound sample description v2 format along with the definition of two new sound sample description extensions, see [`Sound sample description version 2`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Sound_sample_description_version_2). - New atoms for the display of track aperture in different modes, see [`Track aperture mode dimensions atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Track_aperture_mode_dimensions_atom). - New sample atoms for handling out-of-order movie samples, see [Sample atoms](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Sample_atoms). - [Audio priming-handling encoder delay in AAC](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Appendix_G_Audio_priming_handling_encoder_delay_in_AAC), which treats how to handle temporal positioning of AAC audio data explicitly. #### Updated - The Macintosh language codes table has been updated with current language names, see [Language code values](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Language_code_values) and the related [`Extended language tag atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Extended_language_tag_atom) defined. ### 2010-08-03 #### Updated - Corrected the order of fields described in the [`Metadata handler atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Metadata_handler_atom) structure. ### 2010-05-03 #### Added - Added description of clip-based metadata and specific key/value pairs for location metadata. ### 2007-09-04 #### Added - First public release of complete, updated *QuickTime File Format Specification* with information about atoms and atom types. - Added licensing information and disclaimer for developers. - A QuickTime file may now contain a file type compatibility atom. See [`File type compatibility atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/File_type_compatibility_atom). - A movie atom may now contain a movie profile atom. See [`Movie profile atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Movie_profile_atom). - A track atom may now contain a track profile atom. See [`Track profile atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Track_profile_atom). - Video sample descriptions may now contain a pixel aspect ratio atom for non-square pixels. See [`Pixel aspect ratio`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Pixel_aspect_ratio) (`'pasp'`). - Video sample descriptions may now also contain a color parameter atom. See [`Color parameter atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Color_parameter_atom) (`'colr'`). - Video sample descriptions may now a clean aperture atom. See [`Clean aperture`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/Clean_aperture) (`'clap'`). - MPEG-4 video and audio sample descriptions may now contain elementary stream descriptor atoms. See [`MPEG-4 elementary stream descriptor atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/MPEG-4_elementary_stream_descriptor_atom) (`'esds'`) and [`MPEG-4 elementary sound stream descriptor atom`](/documentation/quicktime-file-format/MPEG-4_elementary_sound_stream_descriptor_atom) (`'esds'`). #### Updated - Modified introductory sections and atom descriptions; updated artwork and edited for technical accuracy. - The sound description record has been expanded to represent variable bit-rate compression more accurately. See [Sound sample descriptions](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Sound_sample_descriptions). - The section describing MPEG-4 audio has been modified. See MPEG-4 Audio in [Sound sample data](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Sound_sample_data). - It is now recommended that the file creation and modification times be set using UTC, rather than local time zones. See [Calendar date and time values](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Calendar_date_and_time_values). - User data text may now be encoded using either Macintosh text encoding or ISO text encoding (Unicode). See User Data Text Strings and Language Codes in [User data atoms](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/User_data_atoms). - It is now possible to specify languages using either Macintosh language codes or ISO language codes. See [Language code values](/documentation/QuickTime-File-Format/Language_code_values). --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)