ISO IEC 14496-12-2022 PDF

Full title and description

Information technology — Coding of audio‑visual objects — Part 12: ISO base media file format (ISO/IEC 14496‑12:2022). This international standard specifies the ISO Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF), a flexible, extensible container format that defines timing, structure and media information for timed sequences of multimedia data and that serves as the basis for a number of more specific file formats (for example MP4, 3GP, HEIF and Motion JPEG 2000 variants).

Abstract

This document defines the structure, syntax and semantics of the ISO base media file format (ISOBMFF). It describes the object‑oriented file layout built from boxes (sometimes called atoms), the file type and brand mechanism, track and sample table structures, timing and synchronization, metadata containers, support for file fragmentation and progressive delivery, and extension mechanisms for representing timed audiovisual presentations and related ancillary data.

General information

• Status: Published / Current.
• Publication date: 25 January 2022.
• Publisher: ISO (joint ISO/IEC publication; maintained by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29).
• ICS / categories: 35.040.40 (Coding of audio, video, multimedia and hypermedia information).
• Edition / version: Edition 7 (7.0).
• Number of pages: 250.

Scope

Specifies a general-purpose container format for timed media that provides: a standardized, extensible box/atom structure; mechanisms for identifying file type and capabilities (brands); track and sample table definitions for representing samples, timing and synchronization; support for media fragmentation and progressive download; and extension points for metadata, timed text, image sequences and codec‑specific data. The format is intended to form the basis for other file formats and application profiles (for example MP4, 3GP, HEIF and other derived formats).

Key topics and requirements

• Box/atom architecture: box headers, sizes, types and nesting rules.
• File Type Box and brand mechanism for identifying format/profile compatibility.
• Movie and Track boxes: movie header, track header and track media structures.
• Sample tables: sample description, sample size, time‑to‑sample, composition offsets and chunk indexing.
• Timing and synchronization: time scales, edit lists, timestamps and media time mapping.
• Fragmentation and progressive delivery: movie fragments, tfhd/tfdt and related boxes for streaming and DASH/HLS packaging.
• Metadata and timed auxiliary data containers (including free/uuid extensibility and descriptive metadata boxes).
• Extension and registration mechanisms to allow codec‑specific data and new box types without breaking compatibility.
• Requirements for interoperability, backward compatibility and conformance with registered brands and profiles.

Typical use and users

Used by implementers and integrators of media systems: media player and streaming engine developers, encoder and packager vendors, device and OS platform implementers, broadcast and OTT service engineers, digital media archivists, and standards authors who build file formats or application profiles on top of ISOBMFF.

Related standards

Part of the MPEG/ISO family of standards (ISO/IEC 14496). Commonly associated derived or profile specifications include MP4 (MPEG‑4 Part 14), 3GPP/3GPP2 file format profiles, HEIF and various industry application profiles that use ISOBMFF as their base. The standard is maintained alongside other MPEG/ISO parts that specify codecs, timing and systems behaviors.

Keywords

ISO base media file format, ISOBMFF, MP4, container format, boxes, atoms, sample table, fragmentation, brands, timed media, ISO/IEC 14496‑12, MPEG‑4 Part 12.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC 14496‑12:2022 specifies the ISO Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF), a standardized container format for timed multimedia data used as the foundation for many file formats and profiles.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the file structure (boxes/atoms), file type and brand identification, track and sample table formats, timing and synchronization rules, fragmentation for streaming, metadata containers and extension mechanisms to support codec‑specific or application‑specific needs.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Media software and hardware implementers — players, encoders, packagers, streaming services, device OS teams, content distributors and archivists — and standards/profile authors building on ISOBMFF.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2022 edition (published 25 January 2022) is the current published edition, replacing the 2020 edition. The document is subject to ongoing maintenance and further editions or amendments may be produced by the maintenance authority.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 12 of ISO/IEC 14496 (the MPEG‑4 family). Many other parts in the 14496 series define codecs, systems and application profiles that interoperate with or build on ISOBMFF.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: ISOBMFF, container, boxes/atoms, MP4, sample table, fragmentation, brands, timed media, ISO/IEC 14496‑12.