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Audio / video file formats that support embedded markers and comments / annotations?

I am looking at creating an application for OS X and / or iOS that allows the user to randomly insert markers into audio at various intervals during the audio recording process. It would be nice to have one file that could contain this information, but it may or may not be efficient or executable. I guess this is similar to what YouTube annotations allow.

Requirements:

  • The ability to insert markers at specific points in time in an audio recording
  • The ability to save a name for the marker, as well as a brief description

This is for audio created by the application I'm working on, and not for importing audio from other sources for markup.

- cut off -

EDIT: Maybe MP4 + XMP?

EDIT2: Has anyone tried using custom XMP fields with audio or video on the iOS platform? On a Mac platform? I downloaded the XMP Toolkit from Adobe (which has an Xcode project), but this does not apply to my comfort zone. From a high level, this seems pretty straightforward, but does anyone with experience with the XMP Toolkit have any thoughts?

As suggested in the answer below, does anyone have experience working with alternative solutions like QuickTime with chapter markers? Pros and cons of different approaches?

Thinking about it, it would be nice to do something that supports both audio and video formats, even if initially only audio is the current requirement.

EDIT3 (cleanup): So, just to close the loop here. I ended up digging into the iOS 4.0 API for AVAsset, AVMetadataItem, and others in the AV Foundation Framework. The project is not completed yet, but it looks like these APIs will satisfy the requirements without the need for an external library.

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3 answers

Do you read in CAF format?

Basically, it functions as a wrapper for many audio formats and allows you to insert all kinds of data (as well as user-defined data). this may be an option, since sharing is not a problem (in your case).

CAF File Specification

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You can view MPEG-4 or QuickTime formats using a section track.

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So, just to close the loop here. I ended up working in the iOS 4.0 API for AVAsset , AVMetadataItem , and others in the AV Foundation Framework ( Reference ). Still not finished the project, but it looks like these APIs will satisfy the requirements without the need for an external library.

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