TABLE OF CONTENTS MXF is quite a complex file format. In order to introduce its inner workings, we will briefly go through its main features and then look at some of the key features in detail.
The MXF file format is fundamentally a physical implementation of a data model. In this book, the physical implementation will be referred to as the physical view of an MXF file. The data model itself will be referred to as the logical model of the MXF file.
This is perhaps the easiest part of MXF to explain. The physical byte stream and organization of the data follows a set of rules to allow ease of parsing, yet contain enough versatility to be able to store and stream files, regardless of size or streamed bit rate. The terminology used to describe the physical layout has specific meanings inside MXF, which may be different from the meaning of the same words in other file formats (e.g., partition). Figure 5.5 shows the basic physical construction of the MXF file.
It should come as no surprise to discover that at the head of the file there is a file header that provides information about the file as a whole, including Labels for the early determination of decoder compliance. This header is also the location of the metadata that describes the logical view of the file.
The file...
