Reader Subsystems

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‌Reader Subsystems

Windows provides an extensive set of subsystems, from oldest (1990s) to newest:

- the original Video for Windows (VfW, AVI) subsystem,

- the Quicktime for Windows subsystem (supplied by Apple),

- the DirectShow subsystem, and

- the Windows Media Foundation (WMF) subsystem.

(There's another subsystem for DRM-protected content that SynthEyes does not support, as well)

Each subsystem has its own strengths and weaknesses. The VfW subsystem is limited to files of at most 2 GB but opens files quickly. The WMF subsystem is the most advanced, 64-bit with support for the latest formats including those from cell phones.

Each of the subsystems supports a different set of codecs, corresponding to its age. So the AVI subsystem supports old codecs, but not the latest, while the WMF subsystem supports only recent codecs.

For information on media formats supported in WMF, see " http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd757927%28v=vs.85%29.aspx : Supported Media Formats in Media Foundation ." Note that WMF reads some common macOS

.MOV formats.

For information on DirectShow, see " http://msdn.microsoft.com/en- us/library/windows/desktop/dd407173%28v=vs.85%29.aspx : Supported Formats in DirectShow."

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