Discovering QuickTime: An Introduction for Windows and Macintosh Programmers (QuickTime Developer Series)

If you are doing any kind of multimedia software development at a programming level, you are probably using Apple's QuickTime technology and Discovering QuickTime should be on your shelf, if not on your desk. Written by the lead writer for QuickTime technical documentation, Discovering QuickTime caters to both Macintosh and Windows application programmers. It includes a wide array of example movies on the accompanying CD-ROM, along with the source code and API headers that will allow you to include QuickTime in your programs. The programming examples are both valuable and clear, but the strongest chapter is "Working with Digital Media." It includes important discussions on some often overlooked issues like image compression and compression tradeoffs, sound data compression, and working with other digital file types in QuickTime movies like text and still images. Another important discussion centers on "Programming for Windows," where the differences between MacOS and Windows QuickTime are discussed, and how the terminology between the two platforms can be bridged with some common definitions. This is not a book for someone dabbling in multimedia, or a passive viewer of QuickTime movies. However, if you are a game programmer, or someone programming the next version of that killer multimedia application, this book is an invaluable reference for learning to use and getting the most from QuickTime. --Mike Caputo