Matroska File Format with FFV1 video encoding

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Matroska File Format with FFV1 video encoding

Table of Contents

Identification and description
Local use
Sustainability factors
Quality and functionality factors
File type signifiers
Notes
Format specifications
Useful references

Format Description Properties

ID: fdd000343
Short name: Matroska_FFV1
Content categories: moving-image
Format Category: file-format, encoding
Other facets: container-wrapper, binary
Last significant FDD update: 2021-11-30
Draft status: Partial

Identification and description

Relationship to other formats
Full name	Matroska File Format with FFV1 video encoding
Description	Matroska file containing video essence encoded as FFV1.
Production phase	Middle state, used for storage or archiving
Subtype of	Matroska, Matroska Multimedia Container
Contains	FFV1_v0-1-3, FF Video Codec 1, Version 0, 1 and 3
May contain	Sound essences and other elements, not described at this time.

Local use

LC experience or existing holdings	As of this update in November 2021, the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS) has ingested several hundred ffv1/mkv files. These files were received from CUNY-TV through the American Archive of Public Broadcasting and the Library will receive many more of these files through the AAPB in the coming months.
LC preference	FFV1 codec in the Matroska container is an 'acceptable' format in the Recommended Formats Statement (RFS) for Video -- File-based but only for content without closed captions or timecode information. While captions are supported in Matroska, FFmpeg functionality is limited (and does not, for example, support Timed Text Markup Language or TTML). Improved support for timecode, as opposed to timestamps, is still in development as is support for multi-planar and 3D videos.

LC experience or existing holdings

As of this update in November 2021, the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS) has ingested several hundred ffv1/mkv files. These files were received from CUNY-TV through the American Archive of Public Broadcasting and the Library will receive many more of these files through the AAPB in the coming months.

LC preference

FFV1 codec in the Matroska container is an 'acceptable' format in the Recommended Formats Statement (RFS) for Video -- File-based but only for content without closed captions or timecode information. While captions are supported in Matroska, FFmpeg functionality is limited (and does not, for example, support Timed Text Markup Language or TTML). Improved support for timecode, as opposed to timestamps, is still in development as is support for multi-planar and 3D videos.

Sustainability factors

Disclosure	See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.
Documentation	See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.
Adoption	Modest adoption of Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3 in heritage repositories.
Licensing and patents	See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.
Transparency	See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.
Self-documentation	See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.
External dependencies	See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.
Technical protection considerations	See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.

Quality and functionality factors

File type signifiers and format identifiers

Tag	Value	Note

Notes

General
History

Format specifications

Matroska Specification (http://matroska.org/technical/specs/index.html ).
IETF RFC 9043: FFV1 Video Coding Format Versions 0, 1, and 3 (https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc9043.txt).
FFV1 specification GitHub (https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFV1). Markdown version of the FFV1 specification used to generate IETF versions

Useful references

URLs

See Matroska and FFV1_v0-1-3.

Last Updated: 11/30/2021

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Sustainability of Digital Formats: Planning for Library of Congress Collections