cellar S. Lhomme
Internet-Draft
Intended status: Standards Track D. Rice
Expires: March 27, 2020
M. Bunkus
September 24, 2019
Extensible Binary Meta Language
draft-ietf-cellar-ebml-11
Abstract
This document defines the Extensible Binary Meta Language (EBML)
format as a generalized file format for any type of data in a
hierarchical form. EBML is designed as a binary equivalent to XML
and uses a storage-efficient approach to build nested Elements with
identifiers, lengths, and values. Similar to how an XML Schema
defines the structure and semantics of an XML Document, this document
defines how EBML Schemas are created to convey the semantics of an
EBML Document.
Status of This Memo
This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
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material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
This Internet-Draft will expire on March 27, 2020.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2019 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
(https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
publication of this document. Please review these documents
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carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must
include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
described in the Simplified BSD License.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Notation and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. Variable Size Integer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.1. VINT_WIDTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.2. VINT_MARKER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.3. VINT_DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.4. VINT Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5. Element ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6. Element Data Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6.1. Data Size Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6.2. Unknown Data Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6.3. Data Size Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
7. EBML Element Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
7.1. Signed Integer Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
7.2. Unsigned Integer Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
7.3. Float Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
7.4. String Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.5. UTF-8 Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.6. Date Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.7. Master Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.8. Binary Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8. EBML Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.1. EBML Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.2. EBML Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9. EBML Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10. EBML Versioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.1. EBML Header Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.2. EBML Document Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11. Elements semantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11.1. EBML Schema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11.1.1. EBML Schema Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.1.2. <EBMLSchema> Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
11.1.3. <EBMLSchema> Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
11.1.4. <element> Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
11.1.5. <element> Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
11.1.6. <documentation> Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
11.1.7. <documentation> Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
11.1.8. <implementation_note> Element . . . . . . . . . . . 26
11.1.9. <implementation_note> Attributes . . . . . . . . . . 27
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11.1.10. <restriction> Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
11.1.11. <enum> Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
11.1.12. <enum> Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
11.1.13. <extension> Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
11.1.14. <extension> Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
11.1.15. XML Schema for EBML Schema . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
11.1.16. Identically Recurring Elements . . . . . . . . . . . 31
11.1.17. Textual expression of floats . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
11.1.18. Note on the use of default attributes to define
Mandatory EBML Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
11.2. EBML Header Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
11.2.1. EBML Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
11.2.2. EBMLVersion Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
11.2.3. EBMLReadVersion Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
11.2.4. EBMLMaxIDLength Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
11.2.5. EBMLMaxSizeLength Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
11.2.6. DocType Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
11.2.7. DocTypeVersion Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
11.2.8. DocTypeReadVersion Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
11.2.9. DocTypeExtension Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
11.2.10. DocTypeExtensionName Element . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
11.2.11. DocTypeExtensionVersion Element . . . . . . . . . . 37
11.3. Global Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
11.3.1. CRC-32 Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
11.3.2. Void Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
12. Considerations for Reading EBML Data . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
13. Terminating Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
14. Guidelines for Updating Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
14.1. Reducing a Element Data in Size . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
14.1.1. Adding a Void Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
14.1.2. Extending the Element Data Size . . . . . . . . . . 40
14.1.3. Terminating Element Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
14.2. Considerations when Updating Elements with Cyclic
Redundancy Check (CRC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
15. Backward and Forward Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
15.1. Backward Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
15.2. Forward Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
16. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
17. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
17.1. CELLAR EBML Element ID Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
17.2. CELLAR EBML DocType Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
18. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
18.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
18.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
18.3. URIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
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1. Introduction
EBML, short for Extensible Binary Meta Language, specifies a binary
and octet (byte) aligned format inspired by the principle of XML (a
framework for structuring data).
The goal of this document is to define a generic, binary, space-
efficient format that can be used to define more complex formats
using an EBML Schema. EBML is used by the multimedia container
Matroska [1]. The applicability of EBML for other use cases is
beyond the scope of this document.
The definition of the EBML format recognizes the idea behind HTML and
XML as a good one: separate structure and semantics allowing the same
structural layer to be used with multiple, possibly widely differing
semantic layers. Except for the EBML Header and a few Global
Elements this specification does not define particular EBML format
semantics; however this specification is intended to define how other
EBML-based formats can be defined, such as the audio-video container
formats Matroska and WebM.
EBML uses a simple approach of building Elements upon three pieces of
data (tag, length, and value) as this approach is well known, easy to
parse, and allows selective data parsing. The EBML structure
additionally allows for hierarchical arrangement to support complex
structural formats in an efficient manner.
A typical EBML file has the following structure:
EBML Header (master)
+ DocType (string)
+ DocTypeVersion (unsigned integer)
EBML Body Root (master)
+ ElementA (utf-8)
+ Parent (master)
+ ElementB (integer)
+ Parent (master)
+ ElementB (integer)
2. Notation and Conventions
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
"OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
capitals, as shown here.
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This document defines specific terms in order to define the format
and application of "EBML". Specific terms are defined below:
"EBML": Extensible Binary Meta Language
"EBML Document Type": A name provided by an "EBML Schema" to
designate a particular implementation of "EBML" for a data format
(e.g.: matroska and webm).
"EBML Schema": A standardized definition for the structure of an
"EBML Document Type".
"EBML Document": A datastream comprised of only two components, an
"EBML Header" and an "EBML Body".
"EBML Reader": A data parser that interprets the semantics of an
"EBML Document" and creates a way for programs to use "EBML".
"EBML Stream": A file that consists of one or more "EBML Documents"
that are concatenated together.
"EBML Header": A declaration that provides processing instructions
and identification of the "EBML Body". The "EBML Header" is
analogous to an XML Declaration [W3C.REC-xml-20081126] (see section
2.8 on Prolog and Document Type Declaration).
"EBML Body": All data of an "EBML Document" following the "EBML
Header".
"Variable Size Integer": A compact variable-length binary value which
defines its own length.
"VINT": Also known as "Variable Size Integer".
"EBML Element": A foundation block of data that contains three parts:
an "Element ID", an "Element Data Size", and "Element Data".
"Element ID": The "Element ID" is a binary value, encoded as a
"Variable Size Integer", used to uniquely identify a defined "EBML
Element" within a specific "EBML Schema".
"EBML Class": A representation of the octet length of an "Element
ID".
"Element Data Size": An expression, encoded as a "Variable Size
Integer", of the length in octets of "Element Data".
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"VINTMAX": The maximum possible value that can be stored as "Element
Data Size".
"Unknown-Sized Element": An "Element" with an unknown "Element Data
Size".
"Element Data": The value(s) of the "EBML Element" which is
identified by its "Element ID" and "Element Data Size". The form of
the "Element Data" is defined by this document and the corresponding
"EBML Schema" of the Element's "EBML Document Type".
"Root Level": The starting level in the hierarchy of an "EBML
Document".
"Root Element": A mandatory, non-repeating "EBML Element" which
occurs at the top level of the path hierarchy within an "EBML Body"
and contains all other "EBML Elements" of the "EBML Body", excepting
optional "Void Elements".
"Top-Level Element": An "EBML Element" defined to only occur as a
"Child Element" of the "Root Element".
"Master Element": The "Master Element" contains zero, one, or many
other "EBML Elements".
"Child Element": A "Child Element" is a relative term to describe the
"EBML Elements" immediately contained within a "Master Element".
"Parent Element": A relative term to describe the "Master Element"
which contains a specified element. For any specified "EBML Element"
that is not at "Root Level", the "Parent Element" refers to the
"Master Element" in which that "EBML Element" is contained.
"Descendant Element": A relative term to describe any "EBML Elements"
contained within a "Master Element", including any of the "Child
Elements" of its "Child Elements", and so on.
"Void Element": A "Void Element" is an "Element" used to overwrite
data or reserve space within a "Master Element" for later use.
"Element Name": The human-readable name of the "EBML Element".
"Element Path": The hierarchy of "Parent Element" where the "EBML
Element" is expected to be found in the "EBML Body".
"Empty Element": An "EBML Element" that has an "Element Data Size"
with all "VINT_DATA" bits set to zero, which indicates that the
"Element Data" of the "Element" is zero octets in length.
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3. Structure
EBML uses a system of Elements to compose an EBML Document. EBML
Elements incorporate three parts: an Element ID, an Element Data
Size, and Element Data. The Element Data, which is described by the
Element ID, includes either binary data, one or more other EBML
Elements, or both.
4. Variable Size Integer
The Element ID and Element Data Size are both encoded as a Variable
Size Integer. The Variable Size Integer is composed of a VINT_WIDTH,
VINT_MARKER, and VINT_DATA, in that order. Variable Size Integers
MUST left-pad the VINT_DATA value with zero bits so that the whole
Variable Size Integer is octet-aligned. Variable Size Integer will
be referred to as VINT for shorthand.
4.1. VINT_WIDTH
Each Variable Size Integer begins with a VINT_WIDTH which consists of
zero or many zero-value bits. The count of consecutive zero-values
of the VINT_WIDTH plus one equals the length in octets of the
Variable Size Integer. For example, a Variable Size Integer that
starts with a VINT_WIDTH which contains zero consecutive zero-value
bits is one octet in length and a Variable Size Integer that starts
with one consecutive zero-value bit is two octets in length. The
VINT_WIDTH MUST only contain zero-value bits or be empty.
Within the EBML Header the VINT_WIDTH of a VINT MUST NOT exceed three
bits in length (meaning that the Variable Size Integer MUST NOT
exceed four octets in length) except if said VINT is used to express
the Element Data Size of an EBML Element with Element Name EBML and
Element ID "0x1A45DFA3" (see Section 11.2.1) in which case the
VINT_WIDTH MUST NOT exceed seven bits in length. Within the EBML
Body, when a VINT is used to express an Element ID, the maximum
length allowed for the VINT_WIDTH is one less than the value set in
the EBMLMaxIDLength Element. Within the EBML Body, when a VINT is
used to express an Element Data Size, the maximum length allowed for
the VINT_WIDTH is one less than the value set in the
EBMLMaxSizeLength Element.
4.2. VINT_MARKER
The VINT_MARKER serves as a separator between the VINT_WIDTH and
VINT_DATA. Each Variable Size Integer MUST contain exactly one
VINT_MARKER. The VINT_MARKER is one bit in length and contain a bit
with a value of one. The first bit with a value of one within the
Variable Size Integer is the VINT_MARKER.
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4.3. VINT_DATA
The VINT_DATA portion of the Variable Size Integer includes all data
that follows (but not including) the VINT_MARKER until end of the
Variable Size Integer whose length is derived from the VINT_WIDTH.
The bits required for the VINT_WIDTH and the VINT_MARKER use one out
of every eight bits of the total length of the Variable Size Integer.
Thus a Variable Size Integer of 1 octet length supplies 7 bits for
VINT_DATA, a 2 octet length supplies 14 bits for VINT_DATA, and a 3
octet length supplies 21 bits for VINT_DATA. If the number of bits
required for VINT_DATA are less than the bit size of VINT_DATA, then
VINT_DATA MUST be zero-padded to the left to a size that fits. The
VINT_DATA value MUST be expressed as a big-endian unsigned integer.
4.4. VINT Examples
This table shows examples of Variable Size Integers with lengths from
1 to 5 octets. The Usable Bits column refers to the number of bits
that can be used in the VINT_DATA. The Representation column depicts
a binary expression of Variable Size Integers where VINT_WIDTH is
depicted by "0", the VINT_MARKER as "1", and the VINT_DATA as "x".
+------------+------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Octet | Usable | Representation |
| Length | Bits | |
+------------+------------+-----------------------------------------+
| 1 | 7 | 1xxx xxxx |
| 2 | 14 | 01xx xxxx xxxx xxxx |
| 3 | 21 | 001x xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx |
| 4 | 28 | 0001 xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx |
| 5 | 35 | 0000 1xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx |
| | | xxxx xxxx |
+------------+------------+-----------------------------------------+
Data encoded as a Variable Size Integer may be rendered at octet
lengths larger than needed to store the data in order to facilitate
overwriting it at a later date, e.g. when its final size isn't known
in advance. In this table a binary value of 0b10 is shown encoded as
different Variable Size Integers with lengths from one octet to four
octets. All four encoded examples have identical semantic meaning
though the VINT_WIDTH and the padding of the VINT_DATA vary.
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+--------------+--------------+-------------------------------------+
| Binary Value | Octet Length | As Represented in Variable Size |
| | | Integer |
+--------------+--------------+-------------------------------------+
| 10 | 1 | 1000 0010 |
| 10 | 2 | 0100 0000 0000 0010 |
| 10 | 3 | 0010 0000 0000 0000 0000 0010 |
| 10 | 4 | 0001 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 |
| | | 0010 |
+--------------+--------------+-------------------------------------+
5. Element ID
The Element ID is encoded as a Variable Size Integer. By default,
Element IDs are encoded in lengths from one octet to four octets,
although Element IDs of greater lengths MAY be used if the
EBMLMaxIDLength Element of the EBML Header is set to a value greater
than four (see Section 11.2.4). The VINT_DATA component of the
Element ID MUST NOT be either defined or written as either all zero
values or all one values. Any Element ID with the VINT_DATA
component set as all zero values or all one values MUST be ignored.
The VINT_DATA component of the Element ID MUST be encoded at the
shortest valid length. For example, an Element ID with binary
encoding of "1011 1111" is valid, whereas an Element ID with binary
encoding of "0100 0000 0011 1111" stores a semantically equal
VINT_DATA but is invalid because a shorter VINT encoding is possible.
Additionally, an Element ID with binary encoding of "1111 1111" is
invalid since the VINT_DATA section is set to all one values, whereas
an Element ID with binary encoding of "0100 0000 0111 1111" stores a
semantically equal VINT_DATA and is the shortest possible VINT
encoding.
The following table details these specific examples further:
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+------------+-------------+----------------+-----------------------+
| VINT_WIDTH | VINT_MARKER | VINT_DATA | Element ID Status |
+------------+-------------+----------------+-----------------------+
| | 1 | 0000000 | Invalid: VINT_DATA |
| | | | MUST NOT be set to |
| | | | all 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 00000000000000 | Invalid: VINT_DATA |
| | | | MUST NOT be set to |
| | | | all 0 |
| | 1 | 0000001 | Valid |
| 0 | 1 | 00000000000001 | Invalid: A shorter |
| | | | VINT_DATA encoding is |
| | | | available. |
| | 1 | 0111111 | Valid |
| 0 | 1 | 00000000111111 | Invalid: A shorter |
| | | | VINT_DATA encoding is |
| | | | available. |
| | 1 | 1111111 | Invalid: VINT_DATA |
| | | | MUST NOT be set to |
| | | | all 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 00000001111111 | Valid |
+------------+-------------+----------------+-----------------------+
The octet length of an Element ID determines its EBML Class.
+------------+--------+-------------------------+---------------+
| EBML Class | Length | Possible IDs | Number of IDs |
+------------+--------+-------------------------+---------------+
| Class A | 1 | 0x81 - 0xFE | 126 |
| Class B | 2 | 0x407F - 0x7FFE | 16,256 |
| Class C | 3 | 0x203FFF - 0x3FFFFE | 2,080,768 |
| Class D | 4 | 0x101FFFFF - 0x1FFFFFFE | 268,338,304 |
+------------+--------+-------------------------+---------------+
6. Element Data Size
6.1. Data Size Format
The Element Data Size expresses the length in octets of Element Data.
The Element Data Size itself is encoded as a Variable Size Integer.
By default, Element Data Sizes can be encoded in lengths from one
octet to eight octets, although Element Data Sizes of greater lengths
MAY be used if the octet length of the longest Element Data Size of
the EBML Document is declared in the EBMLMaxSizeLength Element of the
EBML Header (see Section 11.2.5). Unlike the VINT_DATA of the
Element ID, the VINT_DATA component of the Element Data Size is not
mandated to be encoded at the shortest valid length. For example, an
Element Data Size with binary encoding of 1011 1111 or a binary
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encoding of 0100 0000 0011 1111 are both valid Element Data Sizes and
both store a semantically equal value (both 0b00000000111111 and
0b0111111, the VINT_DATA sections of the examples, represent the
integer 63).
Although an Element ID with all VINT_DATA bits set to zero is
invalid, an Element Data Size with all VINT_DATA bits set to zero is
allowed for EBML Element Types which do not mandate a non-zero length
(see Section 7). An Element Data Size with all VINT_DATA bits set to
zero indicates that the Element Data is zero octets in length. Such
an EBML Element is referred to as an Empty Element. If an Empty
Element has a default value declared then the EBML Reader MUST
interpret the value of the Empty Element as the default value. If an
Empty Element has no default value declared then the EBML Reader MUST
use the value of the Empty Element for the corresponding EBML Element
Type of the Element ID, 0 for numbers and an empty string for
strings.
6.2. Unknown Data Size
An Element Data Size with all VINT_DATA bits set to one is reserved
as an indicator that the size of the EBML Element is unknown. The
only reserved value for the VINT_DATA of Element Data Size is all
bits set to one. An EBML Element with an unknown Element Data Size
is referred to as an Unknown-Sized Element. A Master Element MAY be
an Unknown-Sized Element; however an EBML Element that is not a
Master Element MUST NOT be an Unknown-Sized Element. Master Elements
MUST NOT use an unknown size unless the unknownsizeallowed attribute
of their EBML Schema is set to true (see Section 11.1.5.10).
The use of Unknown-Sized Elements allows for an EBML Element to be
written and read before the size of the EBML Element is known.
Unknown-Sized Element MUST NOT be used or defined unnecessarily;
however if the Element Data Size is not known before the Element Data
is written, such as in some cases of data streaming, then Unknown-
Sized Elements MAY be used. The end of an Unknown-Sized Element is
determined by whichever comes first:
o Any EBML Element that is a valid Parent Element of the Unknown-
Sized Element according to the EBML Schema, Section 11.3 excluded.
o Any valid EBML Element according to the EBML Schema, Section 11.3
excluded, that is not a Descendant Element of the Unknown-Sized
Element but share a common direct parent, such as a Top-Level
Element.
o Any EBML Element that is a valid Root Element according to the
EBML Schema, Section 11.3 excluded.
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o The end of the Parent Element with a known size has been reached.
o The end of the EBML Document, either when reaching the end of the
file or because a new EBML Header started.
Consider an Unknown-Sized Element which EBML path is
"\root\level1\level2\elt". When reading a new Element ID, assuming
the EBML Path of that new Element is valid, here are some possible
and impossible ways that this new Element is ending "elt":
+------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| EBML Path of new element | Status |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| "\root\level1\level2" | Ends the Unknown-Sized |
| | Element, as it is a new |
| | Parent Element |
| "\root\level1" | Ends the Unknown-Sized |
| | Element, as it is a new |
| | Parent Element |
| "\root" | Ends the Unknown-Sized |
| | Element, as it is a new Root |
| | Element |
| "\root2" | Ends the Unknown-Sized |
| | Element, as it is a new Root |
| | Element |
| "\root\level1\level2\other" | Ends the Unknown-Sized |
| | Element, as they share the |
| | same parent |
| "\root\level1\level2\elt" | Ends the Unknown-Sized |
| | Element, as they share the |
| | same parent |
| "\root\level1\level2\elt\inside" | Doesn't end the Unknown- |
| | Sized Element, it's a child |
| | of "elt" |
| "\root\level1\level2\elt\<global>" | Global Element is valid, |
| | it's a child of "elt" |
| "\root\level1\level2\<global>" | Global Element cannot be |
| | assumed to have this path, |
| | while parsing "elt" it can |
| | only be a child of "elt" |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------+
6.3. Data Size Values
For Element Data Sizes encoded at octet lengths from one to eight,
this table depicts the range of possible values that can be encoded
as an Element Data Size. An Element Data Size with an octet length
of 8 is able to express a size of 2^56-2 or 72,057,594,037,927,934
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octets (or about 72 petabytes). The maximum possible value that can
be stored as Element Data Size is referred to as VINTMAX.
+--------------+----------------------+
| Octet Length | Possible Value Range |
+--------------+----------------------+
| 1 | 0 to 2^7-2 |
| 2 | 0 to 2^14-2 |
| 3 | 0 to 2^21-2 |
| 4 | 0 to 2^28-2 |
| 5 | 0 to 2^35-2 |
| 6 | 0 to 2^42-2 |
| 7 | 0 to 2^49-2 |
| 8 | 0 to 2^56-2 |
+--------------+----------------------+
If the length of Element Data equals 2^(n*7)-1 then the octet length
of the Element Data Size MUST be at least n+1. This rule prevents an
Element Data Size from being expressed as the unknown size value.
The following table clarifies this rule by showing a valid and
invalid expression of an Element Data Size with a VINT_DATA of 127
(which is equal to 2^(1*7)-1) and 16,383 (which is equal to 2^(2*7)-
1).
+------------+-------------+-----------------------+----------------+
| VINT_WIDTH | VINT_MARKER | VINT_DATA | Element Data |
| | | | Size Status |
+------------+-------------+-----------------------+----------------+
| | 1 | 1111111 | Reserved |
| | | | (meaning |
| | | | Unknown) |
| 0 | 1 | 00000001111111 | Valid (meaning |
| | | | 127 octets) |
| 00 | 1 | 000000000000001111111 | Valid (meaning |
| | | | 127 octets) |
| 0 | 1 | 11111111111111 | Reserved |
| | | | (meaning |
| | | | Unknown) |
| 00 | 1 | 000000011111111111111 | Valid (16,383 |
| | | | octets) |
+------------+-------------+-----------------------+----------------+
7. EBML Element Types
EBML Elements are defined by an EBML Schema (see Section 11.1) which
MUST declare one of the following EBML Element Types for each EBML
Element. An EBML Element Type defines a concept of storing data
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within an EBML Element that describes such characteristics as length,
endianness, and definition.
EBML Elements which are defined as a Signed Integer Element, Unsigned
Integer Element, Float Element, or Date Element use big endian
storage.
7.1. Signed Integer Element
A Signed Integer Element MUST declare a length from zero to eight
octets. If the EBML Element is not defined to have a default value,
then a Signed Integer Element with a zero-octet length represents an
integer value of zero.
A Signed Integer Element stores an integer (meaning that it can be
written without a fractional component) which could be negative,
positive, or zero. Signed Integers are stored with two's complement
notation with the leftmost bit being the sign bit. Because EBML
limits Signed Integers to 8 octets in length a Signed Integer Element
stores a number from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to
+9,223,372,036,854,775,807.
7.2. Unsigned Integer Element
An Unsigned Integer Element MUST declare a length from zero to eight
octets. If the EBML Element is not defined to have a default value,
then an Unsigned Integer Element with a zero-octet length represents
an integer value of zero.
An Unsigned Integer Element stores an integer (meaning that it can be
written without a fractional component) which could be positive or
zero. Because EBML limits Unsigned Integers to 8 octets in length an
Unsigned Integer Element stores a number from 0 to
18,446,744,073,709,551,615.
7.3. Float Element
A Float Element MUST declare a length of either zero octet (0 bit),
four octets (32 bit) or eight octets (64 bit). If the EBML Element
is not defined to have a default value, then a Float Element with a
zero-octet length represents a numerical value of zero.
A Float Element stores a floating-point number as defined in
[IEEE.754.1985].
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7.4. String Element
A String Element MUST declare a length in octets from zero to
VINTMAX. If the EBML Element is not defined to have a default value,
then a String Element with a zero-octet length represents an empty
string.
A String Element MUST either be empty (zero-length) or contain
printable ASCII characters [RFC0020] in the range of 0x20 to 0x7E,
with an exception made for termination (see Section 13).
7.5. UTF-8 Element
A UTF-8 Element MUST declare a length in octets from zero to VINTMAX.
If the EBML Element is not defined to have a default value, then a
UTF-8 Element with a zero-octet length represents an empty string.
A UTF-8 Element contains only a valid Unicode string as defined in
[RFC3629], with an exception made for termination (see Section 13).
7.6. Date Element
A Date Element MUST declare a length of either zero octets or eight
octets. If the EBML Element is not defined to have a default value,
then a Date Element with a zero-octet length represents a timestamp
of 2001-01-01T00:00:00.000000000 UTC [RFC3339].
The Date Element stores an integer in the same format as the Signed
Integer Element that expresses a point in time referenced in
nanoseconds from the precise beginning of the third millennium of the
Gregorian Calendar in Coordinated Universal Time (also known as
2001-01-01T00:00:00.000000000 UTC). This provides a possible
expression of time from 1708-09-11T00:12:44.854775808 UTC to
2293-04-11T11:47:16.854775807 UTC.
7.7. Master Element
A Master Element MUST declare a length in octets from zero to
VINTMAX. The Master Element MAY also use an unknown length. See
Section 6 for rules that apply to elements of unknown length.
The Master Element contains zero, one, or many other elements. EBML
Elements contained within a Master Element MUST have the
EBMLParentPath of their Element Path equal to the EBMLMasterPath of
the Master Element Element Path (see Section 11.1.5.2). Element Data
stored within Master Elements SHOULD only consist of EBML Elements
and SHOULD NOT contain any data that is not part of an EBML Element.
The EBML Schema identifies what Element IDs are valid within the
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Master Elements for that version of the EBML Document Type. Any data
contained within a Master Element that is not part of a Child Element
MUST be ignored.
7.8. Binary Element
A Binary Element MUST declare a length in octets from zero to
VINTMAX.
The contents of a Binary Element should not be interpreted by the
EBML Reader.
8. EBML Document
An EBML Document is comprised of only two components, an EBML Header
and an EBML Body. An EBML Document MUST start with an EBML Header
that declares significant characteristics of the entire EBML Body.
An EBML Document consists of EBML Elements and MUST NOT contain any
data that is not part of an EBML Element.
8.1. EBML Header
The EBML Header is a declaration that provides processing
instructions and identification of the EBML Body. The EBML Header of
an EBML Document is analogous to the XML Declaration of an XML
Document.
The EBML Header documents the EBML Schema (also known as the EBML
DocType) that is used to semantically interpret the structure and
meaning of the EBML Document. Additionally the EBML Header documents
the versions of both EBML and the EBML Schema that were used to write
the EBML Document and the versions required to read the EBML
Document.
The EBML Header MUST contain a single Master Element with an Element
Name of EBML and Element ID of 0x1A45DFA3 (see Section 11.2.1) and
any number of additional EBML Elements within it. The EBML Header of
an EBML Document that uses an EBMLVersion of 1 MUST only contain EBML
Elements that are defined as part of this document.
8.2. EBML Body
All data of an EBML Document following the EBML Header is the EBML
Body. The end of the EBML Body, as well as the end of the EBML
Document that contains the EBML Body, is reached at whichever comes
first: the beginning of a new EBML Header at the Root Level or the
end of the file. The EBML Body MUST NOT contain any data that is not
part of an EBML Element. This document defines precisely which EBML
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Elements are to be used within the EBML Header, but does not name or
define which EBML Elements are to be used within the EBML Body. The
definition of which EBML Elements are to be used within the EBML Body
is defined by an EBML Schema.
9. EBML Stream
An EBML Stream is a file that consists of one or more EBML Documents
that are concatenated together. An occurrence of a EBML Header at
the Root Level marks the beginning of an EBML Document.
10. EBML Versioning
An EBML Document handles 2 different versions: the version of the
EBML Header and the version of the EBML Body. Both versions are
meant to be backward compatible.
10.1. EBML Header Version
The version of the EBML Header is found in EBMLVersion. An EBML
parser can read an EBML Header if it can read either the EBMLVersion
version or a version equal or higher than the one found in
EBMLReadVersion.
10.2. EBML Document Version
The version of the EBML Body is found in EBMLDocTypeVersion. A
parser for the particular DocType format can read the EBML Document
if it can read either the EBMLDocTypeVersion version of that format
or a version equal or higher than the one found in
EBMLDocTypeReadVersion.
11. Elements semantic
11.1. EBML Schema
An EBML Schema is a well-formed XML Document [W3C.REC-xml-20081126]
that defines the properties, arrangement, and usage of EBML Elements
that compose a specific EBML Document Type. The relationship of an
EBML Schema to an EBML Document is analogous to the relationship of
an XML Schema [W3C.REC-xmlschema-0-20041028] to an XML Document
[W3C.REC-xml-20081126]. An EBML Schema MUST be clearly associated
with one or more EBML Document Types. An EBML Document Type is
identified by a string stored within the EBML Header in the DocType
Element; for example matroska or webm (see Section 11.2.6). The
DocType value for an EBML Document Type MUST be unique and
persistent.
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An EBML Schema MUST declare exactly one EBML Element at Root Level
(referred to as the Root Element) that occurs exactly once within an
EBML Document. The Void Element MAY also occur at Root Level but is
not a Root Element (see Section 11.3.2).
The EBML Schema MUST document all Elements of the EBML Body. The
EBML Schema does not document Global Elements that are defined by
this document (namely the Void Element and the CRC-32 Element).
The EBML Schema MUST NOT use the Element ID "0x1A45DFA3" which is
reserved for the EBML Header for resynchronization purpose.
An EBML Schema MAY constrain the use of EBML Header Elements (see
Section 11.2) by adding or constraining that Element's "range"
attribute. For example, an EBML Schema MAY constrain the
EBMLMaxSizeLength to a maximum value of "8" or MAY constrain the
EBMLVersion to only support a value of "1". If an EBML Schema adopts
the EBML Header Element as-is, then it is not required to document
that Element within the EBML Schema. If an EBML Schema constrains
the range of an EBML Header Element, then that Element MUST be
documented within an "<element>" node of the EBML Schema. This
document provides an example of an EBML Schema, see Section 11.1.1.
11.1.1. EBML Schema Example
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<EBMLSchema xmlns="https://ietf.org/cellar/ebml"
docType="files-in-ebml-demo" version="1">
<!-- constraints to the range of two EBML Header Elements -->
<element name="EBMLReadVersion" path="1*1(\EBML\EBMLReadVersion)"
id="0x42F7" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" range="1" default="1"
type="uinteger"/>
<element name="EBMLMaxSizeLength" path="1*1(\EBML\EBMLMaxSizeLength)"
id="0x42F3" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" range="8" default="8"
type="uinteger"/>
<!-- Root Element-->
<element name="Files" path="*1(\Files)" id="0x1946696C" type="master">
<documentation lang="en" purpose="definition">Container of data and
attributes representing one or many files.</documentation>
</element>
<element name="File" path="1*(\Files\File)" id="0x6146" type="master"
minOccurs="1">
<documentation lang="en" purpose="definition">
An attached file.
</documentation>
</element>
<element name="FileName" path="1*1(\Files\File\FileName)"
id="0x614E" type="utf-8"
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minOccurs="1">
<documentation lang="en" purpose="definition">
Filename of the attached file.
</documentation>
</element>
<element name="MimeType" path="1*1(\Files\File\MimeType)"
id="0x464D" type="string"
minOccurs="1">
<documentation lang="en" purpose="definition">
MIME type of the file.
</documentation>
</element>
<element name="ModificationTimestamp"
path="1*1(\Files\File\ModificationTimestamp)" id="0x4654"
type="date" minOccurs="1">
<documentation lang="en" purpose="definition">
Modification timestamp of the file.
</documentation>
</element>
<element name="Data" path="1*1(\Files\File\Data)" id="0x4664"
type="binary" minOccurs="1">
<documentation lang="en" purpose="definition">
The data of the file.
</documentation>
</element>
</EBMLSchema>
11.1.2. <EBMLSchema> Element
As an XML Document, the EBML Schema MUST use "<EBMLSchema>" as the
top level element. The "<EBMLSchema>" element can contain
"<element>" sub-elements.
11.1.3. <EBMLSchema> Attributes
Within an EBML Schema the "<EBMLSchema>" element uses the following
attributes:
11.1.3.1. docType
The docType lists the official name of the EBML Document Type that is
defined by the EBML Schema; for example, "<EBMLSchema
docType="matroska">".
The docType attribute is REQUIRED within the "<EBMLSchema>" Element.
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11.1.3.2. version
The version lists a non-negative integer that specifies the version
of the docType documented by the EBML Schema. Unlike XML Schemas, an
EBML Schema documents all versions of a docType's definition rather
than using separate EBML Schemas for each version of a docType. EBML
Elements may be introduced and deprecated by using the minver and
maxver attributes of "<element>".
The version attribute is REQUIRED within the "<EBMLSchema>" Element.
11.1.4. <element> Element
Each "<element>" defines one EBML Element through the use of several
attributes that are defined in Section 11.1.3. EBML Schemas MAY
contain additional attributes to extend the semantics but MUST NOT
conflict with the definitions of the "<element>" attributes defined
within this document.
The "<element>" nodes contain a description of the meaning and use of
the EBML Element stored within one or more "<documentation>" sub-
elements, followed by optional "<implementation_note>" sub-elements,
followed by zero or one "<restriction>" sub-element, followed by
optional "<extension>" sub-elements. All "<element>" nodes MUST be
sub-elements of the "<EBMLSchema>".
11.1.5. <element> Attributes
Within an EBML Schema the "<element>" uses the following attributes
to define an EBML Element:
11.1.5.1. name
The name provides the human-readable name of the EBML Element. The
value of the name MUST be in the form of characters "A" to "Z", "a"
to "z", "0" to "9", "-" and ".".
The name attribute is REQUIRED.
11.1.5.2. path
The path defines the allowed storage locations of the EBML Element
within an EBML Document. This path MUST be defined with the full
hierarchy of EBML Elements separated with a "\". The top EBML
Element in the path hierarchy being the first in the value. The
syntax of the path attribute is defined using this Augmented Backus-
Naur Form (ABNF) [RFC5234] with the case sensitive update [RFC7405]
notation:
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The path attribute is REQUIRED.
EBMLFullPath = EBMLElementOccurrence "(" EBMLMasterPath ")"
EBMLMasterPath = [EBMLParentPath] EBMLElementPath
EBMLParentPath = EBMLFixedParent EBMLLastParent
EBMLFixedParent = *(EBMLPathAtom)
EBMLElementPath = EBMLPathAtom / EBMLPathAtomRecursive
EBMLPathAtom = PathDelimiter EBMLAtomName
EBMLPathAtomRecursive = "(1*(" EBMLPathAtom "))"
EBMLLastParent = EBMLPathAtom / EBMLVariableParent
EBMLVariableParent = "(" VariableParentOccurrence "\)"
EBMLAtomName = 1*(EBMLNameChar)
EBMLNameChar = ALPHA / DIGIT / "-" / "."
PathDelimiter = "\"
EBMLElementOccurrence = [EBMLMinOccurrence] "*" [EBMLMaxOccurrence]
EBMLMinOccurrence = 1*DIGIT ; no upper limit
EBMLMaxOccurrence = 1*DIGIT ; no upper limit
VariableParentOccurrence = [PathMinOccurrence] "*" [PathMaxOccurrence]
PathMinOccurrence = 1*DIGIT ; no upper limit
PathMaxOccurrence = 1*DIGIT ; no upper limit
The "*", "(" and ")" symbols are interpreted as defined in [RFC5234].
The EBMLPathAtom part of the EBMLElementPath MUST be equal to the
name attribute of the EBML Schema.
The starting PathDelimiter of the path corresponds to the root of the
EBML Document.
The EBMLElementOccurrence part is interpreted as an ABNF Variable
Repetition. The repetition amounts correspond to how many times the
EBML Element can be found in its Parent Element.
The EBMLMinOccurrence represents the minimum permitted number of
occurrences of this EBML Element within its Parent Element. Each
instance of the Parent Element MUST contain at least this many
instances of this EBML Element. If the EBML Element has an empty
EBMLParentPath then EBMLMinOccurrence refers to constraints on the
occurrence of the EBML Element within the EBML Document. If
EBMLMinOccurrence is not present then that EBML Element has an
EBMLMinOccurrence value of 0. The semantic meaning of
EBMLMinOccurrence within an EBML Schema is analogous to the meaning
of minOccurs within an XML Schema. EBML Elements with
EBMLMinOccurrence set to "1" that also have a default value (see
Section 11.1.5.8) declared are not REQUIRED to be stored but are
REQUIRED to be interpreted, see Section 11.1.18. An EBML Element
defined with a EBMLMinOccurrence value greater than zero is called a
Mandatory EBML Element.
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The EBMLMaxOccurrence represents the maximum permitted number of
occurrences of this EBML Element within its Parent Element. Each
instance of the Parent Element MUST contain at most this many
instances of this EBML Element. If the EBML Element has an empty
EBMLParentPath then EBMLMaxOccurrence refers to constraints on the
occurrence of the EBML Element within the EBML Document. If
EBMLMaxOccurrence is not present then there is no upper bound for the
permitted number of occurrences of this EBML Element within its
Parent Element resp. within the EBML Document depending on whether
the EBMLParentPath of the EBML Element is empty or not. The semantic
meaning of EBMLMaxOccurrence within an EBML Schema path is analogous
to the meaning of maxOccurs within an XML Schema.
The VariableParentOccurrence part is interpreted as an ABNF Variable
Repetition. The repetition amounts correspond to the amount of
unspecified Parent Element levels there can be between the
EBMLFixedParent and the actual EBMLElementPath.
If the path contains an EBMLPathAtomRecursive part, the EBML Element
can occur within itself recursively (see the Section 11.1.5.11).
As an example, a "path" of "1*(\Segment\Info)" means the element Info
is found inside the Segment elements at least once and with no
maximum iteration. An element SeekHead with path
"0*2(\Segment\SeekHead)" may not be found at all in its Segment
parent, once or twice but no more than that.
11.1.5.3. id
The Element ID encoded as a Variable Size Integer expressed in
hexadecimal notation prefixed by a 0x that is read and stored in big-
endian order. To reduce the risk of false positives while parsing
EBML Streams, the Element IDs of the Root Element and Top-Level
Elements SHOULD be at least 4 octets in length. Element IDs defined
for use at Root Level or directly under the Root Level MAY use
shorter octet lengths to facilitate padding and optimize edits to
EBML Documents; for instance, the Void Element uses an Element ID
with a one octet length to allow its usage in more writing and
editing scenarios.
The id attribute is REQUIRED.
11.1.5.4. minOccurs
An integer expressing the minimum permitted number of occurrences of
this EBML Element within its Parent Element. The minOccurs value
MUST be equal to the EBMLMinOccurrence value of the path.
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The minOccurs attribute is OPTIONAL. If the minOccurs attribute is
not present then that EBML Element has a minOccurs value of 0.
11.1.5.5. maxOccurs
An integer expressing the maximum permitted number of occurrences of
this EBML Element within its Parent Element. The maxOccurs value
MUST be equal to the EBMLMaxOccurrence value of the path.
The maxOccurs attribute is OPTIONAL. If the maxOccurs attribute is
not present then that EBML Element has no maximum occurrence, similar
to unbounded in the XML world.
11.1.5.6. range
A numerical range for EBML Elements which are of numerical types
(Unsigned Integer, Signed Integer, Float, and Date). If specified
the value of the EBML Element MUST be within the defined range. See
Section 11.1.5.6.1 for rules applied to expression of range values.
The range attribute is OPTIONAL. If the range attribute is not
present then any value legal for the type attribute is valid.
11.1.5.6.1. Expression of range
The range attribute MUST only be used with EBML Elements that are
either signed integer, unsigned integer, float, or date. The
expression defines the upper, lower, exact or excluded value of the
EBML Element and optionally an upper boundary value combined with a
lower boundary. The range expression may contain whitespace (using
the ASCII 0x20 character) for readability but whitespace within a
range expression MUST NOT convey meaning.
To set a fixed value for the range, the value is used as the
attribute value. For example "1234" means the EBML element always
has the value 1234. The value can be prefixed with "not" to indicate
that the fixed value MUST NOT be used for that Element. For example
"not 1234" means the Element can use all values of its type except
1234.
For an exclusive lower boundary the ">" sign is used and the ">="
sign is used for an inclusive lower boundary. For example ">3"
meaning the Element value MUST be greater than 3 or ">=0x1p+0"
meaning the Element value MUST be greater than or equal to the
floating value 1.0, see Section 11.1.17.
For an exclusive upper boundary the "<" sign is used and the "<="
sign is used for an inclusive upper boundary. For example "<-2"
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meaning the Element value MUST be less than -2 or "<=10" meaning the
Element value MUST be less than or equal to the 10.
The lower and upper bounds can be combined into an expression to form
a closed boundary. The lower boundary coming first followed by the
upper boundary, separated by a comma. For example ">3,<= 20" means
the Element value MUST be greater than 3 and less than or equal to
20.
A special form of lower and upper bounds using the "-" separator is
possible, meaning the Element value MUST be greater than or to the
first value and MUST be less than or equal to the second value. For
example "1-10" is equivalent to ">=1,<=10". If the upper boundary is
negative, only the latter form MUST be used.
11.1.5.7. length
A value to express the valid length of the Element Data as written
measured in octets. The length provides a constraint in addition to
the Length value of the definition of the corresponding EBML Element
Type. This length MUST be expressed as either a non-negative integer
or a range (see Section 11.1.5.6.1) that consists of only non-
negative integers and valid operators.
The length attribute is OPTIONAL. If the length attribute is not
present for that EBML Element then that EBML Element is only limited
in length by the definition of the associated EBML Element Type.
11.1.5.8. default
If an Element is mandatory (has a EBMLMinOccurrence value greater
than zero) but not written within its Parent Element or stored as an
Empty Element, then the EBML Reader of the EBML Document MUST
semantically interpret the EBML Element as present with this
specified default value for the EBML Element. EBML Elements that are
Master Elements MUST NOT declare a default value. EBML Elements with
a minOccurs value greater than 1 MUST NOT declare a default value.
The default attribute is OPTIONAL.
11.1.5.9. type
The type MUST be set to one of the following values: "integer"
(signed integer), "uinteger" (unsigned integer), "float", "string",
"date", "utf-8", "master", or "binary". The content of each type is
defined within Section 7.
The type attribute is REQUIRED.
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11.1.5.10. unknownsizeallowed
A boolean to express if an EBML Element is permitted to be Unknown-
Sized Element (having all VINT_DATA bits of Element Data Size set to
1). EBML Elements that are not Master Elements MUST NOT set
unknownsizeallowed to true. An EBML Element that is defined with an
unknownsizeallowed attribute set to 1 MUST also have the
unknownsizeallowed attribute of its Parent Element set to 1.
An EBML Element with the unknownsizeallowed attribute set to 1 MUST
NOT have its recursive attribute set to 1.
The unknownsizeallowed attribute is OPTIONAL. If the
unknownsizeallowed attribute is not used then that EBML Element is
not allowed to use an unknown Element Data Size.
11.1.5.11. recursive
A boolean to express if an EBML Element is permitted to be stored
recursively. In this case the EBML Element MAY be stored within
another EBML Element that has the same Element ID. Which itself can
be stored in an EBML Element that has the same Element ID, and so on.
EBML Elements that are not Master Elements MUST NOT set recursive to
true.
If the path contains an EBMLPathAtomRecursive part then the recursive
value MUST be true and false otherwise.
An EBML Element with the recursive attribute set to 1 MUST NOT have
its unknownsizeallowed attribute set to 1.
The recursive attribute is OPTIONAL. If the recursive attribute is
not present then the EBML Element MUST NOT be used recursively.
11.1.5.12. recurring
A boolean to express if an EBML Element is defined as an Identically
Recurring Element or not.
The recurring attribute is OPTIONAL. If the recurring attribute is
not present then the EBML Element is not an Identically Recurring
Element.
11.1.5.13. minver
The minver (minimum version) attribute stores a non-negative integer
that represents the first version of the docType to support the EBML
Element.
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The minver attribute is OPTIONAL. If the minver attribute is not
present, then the EBML Element has a minimum version of "1".
11.1.5.14. maxver
The maxver (maximum version) attribute stores a non-negative integer
that represents the last or most recent version of the docType to
support the element. maxver MUST be greater than or equal to minver.
The maxver attribute is OPTIONAL. If the maxver attribute is not
present then the EBML Element has a maximum version equal to the
value stored in the version attribute of "<EBMLSchema>".
11.1.6. <documentation> Element
The "<documentation>" element provides additional information about
the EBML Element. Within the "<documentation>" element the following
XHTML [W3C.SPSD-xhtml-basic-20180327] elements MAY be used: "<a>",
"<br>", "<strong>".
11.1.7. <documentation> Attributes
11.1.7.1. lang
A lang attribute which is set to the [RFC5646] value of the language
of the element's documentation.
The lang attribute is OPTIONAL.
11.1.7.2. purpose
A purpose attribute distinguishes the meaning of the documentation.
Values for the "<documentation>" sub-element's purpose attribute MUST
include one of the following: "definition", "rationale", "usage
notes", and "references".
The purpose attribute is REQUIRED.
11.1.8. <implementation_note> Element
In some cases within an EBML Document Type, the attributes of the
"<element>" element are not sufficient to clearly communicate how the
defined EBML Element is intended to be implemented. For instance,
one EBML Element might only be mandatory if another EBML Element is
present, or as another example, the default value of an EBML Element
might derive from a related Element's content. In these cases where
the Element's definition is conditional or advanced implementation
notes are needed, one or many "<implementation_note>" elements can be
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used to store that information. The "<implementation_note>" refer to
a specific attribute of the parent "<element>" as expressed by the
"note_type" attribute Section 11.1.9.1.
11.1.9. <implementation_note> Attributes
11.1.9.1. note_type
The note_type attribute references which of the "<element>"'s
attributes that the implementation_note is in regards to. The
note_type attribute MUST be set to one of the following values
(corresponding to that attribute of the parent "<element>"):
"minOccurs", "maxOccurs", "range", "length", "default", "minver", or
"maxver". The "<implementation_note>" SHALL supersede the parent
"<element>"'s attribute that is named in the "note_type" attribute.
An "<element>" SHALL NOT have more than one "<implementation_note>"
of the same "note_type".
The note_type attribute is REQUIRED.
11.1.10. <restriction> Element
The "<restriction>" element provides information about restrictions
to the allowable values for the EBML Element which are listed in
"<enum>" elements.
11.1.11. <enum> Element
The "<enum>" element stores a list of values allowed for storage in
the EBML Element. The values MUST match the type of the EBML Element
(for example "<enum value="Yes">" cannot be a valid value for a EBML
Element that is defined as an unsigned integer). An "<enum>" element
MAY also store "<documentation>" elements to further describe the
"<enum>".
11.1.12. <enum> Attributes
11.1.12.1. label
The label provides a concise expression for human consumption that
describes what the value of the "<enum>" represents.
The label attribute is OPTIONAL.
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11.1.12.2. value
The value represents data that MAY be stored within the EBML Element.
The value attribute is REQUIRED.
11.1.13. <extension> Element
The "<extension>" element provides an unconstrained element to
contain information about the associated EBML "<element>" which is
undefined by this document but MAY be defined by the associated EBML
Document Type. The "<extension>" element MUST contain a "type"
attribute and also MAY contain any other attribute or sub-element as
long as the EBML Schema remains as a well-formed XML Document. All
"<extension>" elements MUST be sub-elements of the "<element>".
11.1.14. <extension> Attributes
11.1.14.1. type
The type attribute should reference a name or identifier of the
project or authority associated with the contents of the
"<extension>" element.
The type attribute is REQUIRED.
11.1.15. XML Schema for EBML Schema
This following provides an XML Schema [W3C.REC-xmlschema-0-20041028]
for facilitating verification of an EBML Schema to the definition
described in Section 8.1.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xs:schema xmlns="https://ietf.org/cellar/ebml"
targetNamespace="https://ietf.org/cellar/ebml"
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
elementFormDefault="qualified" version="01">
<!-- for HTML in comments -->
<xs:import namespace="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"
schemaLocation="http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/SCHEMA/xhtml11.xsd"/>
<xs:element name="EBMLSchema" type="EBMLSchemaType"/>
<xs:complexType name="EBMLSchemaType">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="element" type="elementType"
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minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="docType" use="required"/>
<xs:attribute name="version" use="required"/>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:complexType name="elementType">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="documentation" type="documentationType"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
<xs:element name="implementation_note" type="noteType"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
<xs:element name="restriction" type="restrictionType"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
<xs:element name="extension" type="extensionType"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="name" use="required"/>
<xs:attribute name="path" use="required"/>
<xs:attribute name="id" use="required"/>
<xs:attribute name="minOccurs" default="0"/>
<xs:attribute name="maxOccurs" default="1"/>
<xs:attribute name="range"/>
<xs:attribute name="length"/>
<xs:attribute name="default"/>
<xs:attribute name="type" use="required"/>
<xs:attribute name="unknownsizeallowed"/>
<xs:attribute name="recurring"/>
<xs:attribute name="minver" default="1"/>
<xs:attribute name="maxver"/>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:complexType name="restrictionType">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="enum" type="enumType"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:complexType name="extensionType">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="type" use="required"/>
<xs:anyAttribute processContents="skip"/>
</xs:complexType>
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<xs:complexType name="enumType">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="documentation" type="documentationType"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="label"/>
<xs:attribute name="value" use="required"/>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:complexType name="documentationType" mixed="true">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="a" type="xhtml:xhtml.a.type"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
<xs:element name="br" type="xhtml:xhtml.br.type"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
<xs:element name="strong" type="xhtml:xhtml.strong.type"
minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="lang"/>
<xs:attribute name="purpose" use="required">
<xs:simpleType>
<xs:restriction base="xs:string">
<xs:enumeration value="definition"/>
<xs:enumeration value="rationale"/>
<xs:enumeration value="references"/>
<xs:enumeration value="usage notes"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
</xs:attribute>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:complexType name="noteType">
<xs:simpleContent>
<xs:extension base="xs:string">
<xs:attribute name="note_type" use="required">
<xs:simpleType>
<xs:restriction base="xs:string">
<xs:enumeration value="minOccurs"/>
<xs:enumeration value="maxOccurs"/>
<xs:enumeration value="range"/>
<xs:enumeration value="length"/>
<xs:enumeration value="default"/>
<xs:enumeration value="minver"/>
<xs:enumeration value="maxver"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
</xs:attribute>
</xs:extension>
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</xs:simpleContent>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:schema>
11.1.16. Identically Recurring Elements
An Identically Recurring Element is an EBML Element that MAY occur
within its Parent Element more than once but that each recurrence
within that Parent Element MUST be identical both in storage and
semantics. Identically Recurring Elements are permitted to be stored
multiple times within the same Parent Element in order to increase
data resilience and optimize the use of EBML in transmission. For
instance a pertinent Top-Level Element could be periodically resent
within a data stream so that an EBML Reader which starts reading the
stream from the middle could better interpret the contents.
Identically Recurring Elements SHOULD include a CRC-32 Element as a
Child Element; this is especially recommended when EBML is used for
long-term storage or transmission. If a Parent Element contains more
than one copy of an Identically Recurring Element which includes a
CRC-32 Element as a Child Element then the first instance of the
Identically Recurring Element with a valid CRC-32 value should be
used for interpretation. If a Parent Element contains more than one
copy of an Identically Recurring Element which does not contain a
CRC-32 Element or if CRC-32 Elements are present but none are valid
then the first instance of the Identically Recurring Element should
be used for interpretation.
11.1.17. Textual expression of floats
When a float value is represented textually in an EBML Schema, such
as within a default or range value, the float values MUST be
expressed as Hexadecimal Floating-Point Constants as defined in the
C11 standard [ISO.9899.2011] (see section 6.4.4.2 on Floating
Constants). The following table provides examples of expressions of
float ranges.
+-------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| as decimal | as Hexadecimal Floating-Point Constants |
+-------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| 0.0 | "0x0p+1" |
| 0.0-1.0 | "0x0p+1-0x1p+0" |
| 1.0-256.0 | "0x1p+0-0x1p+8" |
| 0.857421875 | "0x1.b7p-1" |
| -1.0--0.857421875 | "-0x1p+0--0x1.b7p-1" |
+-------------------+-----------------------------------------+
Within an expression of a float range, as in an integer range, the -
(hyphen) character is the separator between the minimal and maximum
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value permitted by the range. Hexadecimal Floating-Point Constants
also use a - (hyphen) when indicating a negative binary power.
Within a float range, when a - (hyphen) is immediately preceded by a
letter p, then the - (hyphen) is a part of the Hexadecimal Floating-
Point Constant which notes negative binary power. Within a float
range, when a - (hyphen) is not immediately preceded by a letter p,
then the - (hyphen) represents the separator between the minimal and
maximum value permitted by the range.
11.1.18. Note on the use of default attributes to define Mandatory EBML
Elements
If a Mandatory EBML Element has a default value declared by an EBML
Schema and the value of the EBML Element is equal to the declared
default value then that EBML Element is not required to be present
within the EBML Document if its Parent Element is present. In this
case, the default value of the Mandatory EBML Element MUST be read by
the EBML Reader although the EBML Element is not present within its
Parent Element.
If a Mandatory EBML Element has no default value declared by an EBML
Schema and its Parent Element is present then the EBML Element MUST
be present as well. If a Mandatory EBML Element has a default value
declared by an EBML Schema and its Parent Element is present and the
value of the EBML Element is NOT equal to the declared default value
then the EBML Element MUST be present.
This table clarifies if a Mandatory EBML Element MUST be written,
according to if the default value is declared, if the value of the
EBML Element is equal to the declared default value, and if the
Parent Element is used.
+---------------+---------------+---------------+-------------------+
| Is the | Is the value | Is the Parent | Then is storing |
| default value | equal to | Element | the EBML Element |
| declared? | default? | present? | REQUIRED? |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+-------------------+
| Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No | No | No |
| No | n/a | Yes | Yes |
| No | n/a | No | No |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+-------------------+
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11.2. EBML Header Elements
This document contains definitions of all EBML Elements of the EBML
Header.
11.2.1. EBML Element
name: EBML
path: "1*1(\EBML)"
id: 0x1A45DFA3
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
type: Master Element
description: Set the EBML characteristics of the data to follow.
Each EBML Document has to start with this.
11.2.2. EBMLVersion Element
name: EBMLVersion
path: "1*1(\EBML\EBMLVersion)"
id 0x4286
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
range: not 0
default: 1
type: Unsigned Integer
description: The version of EBML specifications used to create the
EBML Document. The version of EBML defined in this document is 1, so
EBMLVersion SHOULD be 1.
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11.2.3. EBMLReadVersion Element
name: EBMLReadVersion
path: "1*1(\EBML\EBMLReadVersion)"
id: 0x42F7
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
range: 1
default: 1
type: Unsigned Integer
description: The minimum EBML version an EBML Reader has to support
to read this EBML Document. The EBMLReadVersion Element MUST be less
than or equal to EBMLVersion.
11.2.4. EBMLMaxIDLength Element
name: EBMLMaxIDLength
path: "1*1(\EBML\EBMLMaxIDLength)"
id 0x42F2
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
range: >=4
default: 4
type: Unsigned Integer
description: The EBMLMaxIDLength Element stores the maximum permitted
length in octets of the Element IDs to be found within the EBML Body.
An EBMLMaxIDLength Element value of four is RECOMMENDED, though
larger values are allowed.
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11.2.5. EBMLMaxSizeLength Element
name: EBMLMaxSizeLength
path: "1*1(\EBML\EBMLMaxSizeLength)"
id 0x42F3
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
range: not 0
default: 8
type: Unsigned Integer
description: The EBMLMaxSizeLength Element stores the maximum
permitted length in octets of the expressions of all Element Data
Sizes to be found within the EBML Body. The EBMLMaxSizeLength
Element documents an upper bound for the "length" of all Element Data
Size expressions within the EBML Body and not an upper bound for the
"value" of all Element Data Size expressions within the EBML Body.
EBML Elements that have an Element Data Size expression which is
larger in octets than what is expressed by EBMLMaxSizeLength Element
are invalid.
11.2.6. DocType Element
name: DocType
path: "1*1(\EBML\DocType)"
id 0x4282
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
length: >0
type: String
description: A string that describes and identifies the content of
the EBML Body that follows this EBML Header.
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11.2.7. DocTypeVersion Element
name: DocTypeVersion
path: "1*1(\EBML\DocTypeVersion)"
id 0x4287
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
range: not 0
default: 1
type: Unsigned Integer
description: The version of DocType interpreter used to create the
EBML Document.
11.2.8. DocTypeReadVersion Element
name: DocTypeReadVersion
path: "1*1(\EBML\DocTypeReadVersion)"
id 0x4285
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
range: not 0
default: 1
type: Unsigned Integer
description: The minimum DocType version an EBML Reader has to
support to read this EBML Document. The value of the
DocTypeReadVersion Element MUST be less than or equal to the value of
the DocTypeVersion Element.
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11.2.9. DocTypeExtension Element
name: DocTypeExtension
path: "0*(\EBML\DocTypeExtension)"
id 0x4281
minOccurs: 0
type: Master Element
description: A DocTypeExtension adds extra Elements to the main
DocType+DocTypeVersion tuple it's attached to. An EBML Reader MAY
know these extra Elements and how to use them. A DocTypeExtension
MAY be used to iterate between experimental Elements before they are
integrated in a regular DocTypeVersion. Reading one DocTypeExtension
version of a DocType+DocTypeVersion tuple doesn't imply one should be
able to read upper versions of this DocTypeExtension.
11.2.10. DocTypeExtensionName Element
name: DocTypeExtensionName
path: "1*1(\EBML\DocTypeExtension\Name)"
id 0x4283
minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
length: >0
type: String
description: The name of the DocTypeExtension to differentiate it
from other DocTypeExtension of the same DocType+DocTypeVersion tuple.
A DocTypeExtensionName value MUST be unique within the EBML Header.
11.2.11. DocTypeExtensionVersion Element
name: DocTypeExtensionVersion
path: "1*1(\EBML\DocTypeExtension\Version)"
id 0x4284
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minOccurs: 1
maxOccurs: 1
range: not 0
type: Unsigned Integer
description: The version of the DocTypeExtension. Different
DocTypeExtensionVersion values of the same
DocType+DocTypeVersion+DocTypeExtensionName tuple MAY contain
completely different sets of extra Elements. An EBML Reader MAY
support multiple versions of the same DocTypeExtension, only one or
none.
11.3. Global Elements
EBML defines these Global Elements which MAY be stored within any
Master Element of an EBML Document as defined by their Element Path.
11.3.1. CRC-32 Element
name: CRC-32
path: "*1((1*\)\CRC-32)"
id: 0xBF
minOccurs: 0
maxOccurs: 1
length: 4
type: Binary
description: The CRC-32 Element contains a 32-bit Cyclic Redundancy
Check value of all the Element Data of the Parent Element as stored
except for the CRC-32 Element itself. When the CRC-32 Element is
present, the CRC-32 Element MUST be the first ordered EBML Element
within its Parent Element for easier reading. All Top-Level Elements
of an EBML Document that are Master Elements SHOULD include a CRC-32
Element as a Child Element. The CRC in use is the IEEE-CRC-32
algorithm as used in the [ISO.3309.1979] standard and in section
8.1.1.6.2 of [ITU.V42.1994], with initial value of 0xFFFFFFFF. The
CRC value MUST be computed on a little endian bitstream and MUST use
little endian storage.
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11.3.2. Void Element
name: Void
path: "*((*\)\Void)"
id: 0xEC
minOccurs: 0
type: Binary
description: Used to void data or to avoid unexpected behaviors when
using damaged data. The content is discarded. Also used to reserve
space in a sub-element for later use.
12. Considerations for Reading EBML Data
The following scenarios describe events to consider when reading EBML
Documents and the recommended design of an EBML Reader.
If a Master Element contains a CRC-32 Element that doesn't validate,
then the EBML Reader MAY ignore all contained data except for
Descendant Elements that contain their own valid CRC-32 Element.
If a Master Element contains more occurrences of a Child Master
Element than permitted according to the maxOccurs and recurring
attributes of the definition of that Element then the occurrences in
addition to maxOccurs MAY be ignored.
If a Master Element contains more occurrences of a Child Element than
permitted according to the maxOccurs attribute of the definition of
that Element then all instances of that Element after the first
maxOccur occurrences from the beginning of its Parent Element SHOULD
be ignored.
13. Terminating Elements
Null Octets, which are octets with all bits set to zero, MAY follow
the value of a String Element or UTF-8 Element to serve as a
terminator. An EBML Writer MAY terminate a String Element or UTF-8
Element with Null Octets in order to overwrite a stored value with a
new value of lesser length while maintaining the same Element Data
Size (this can prevent the need to rewrite large portions of an EBML
Document); otherwise the use of Null Octets within a String Element
or UTF-8 Element is NOT RECOMMENDED. An EBML Reader MUST consider
the value of the String Element or UTF-8 Element to be terminated
upon the first read Null Octet and MUST ignore any data following the
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first Null Octet within that Element. A string value and a copy of
that string value terminated by one or more Null Octets are
semantically equal.
The following table shows examples of semantics and validation for
the use of Null Octets. Values to represent Stored Values and the
Semantic Meaning as represented as hexadecimal values.
+---------------------+---------------------+
| Stored Value | Semantic Meaning |
+---------------------+---------------------+
| 0x65 0x62 0x6D 0x6C | 0x65 0x62 0x6D 0x6C |
| 0x65 0x62 0x00 0x6C | 0x65 0x62 |
| 0x65 0x62 0x00 0x00 | 0x65 0x62 |
| 0x65 0x62 | 0x65 0x62 |
+---------------------+---------------------+
14. Guidelines for Updating Elements
An EBML Document can be updated without requiring that the entire
EBML Document be rewritten. These recommendations describe
strategies to change the Element Data of a written EBML Element with
minimal disruption to the rest of the EBML Document.
14.1. Reducing a Element Data in Size
There are three methods to reduce the size of Element Data of a
written EBML Element.
14.1.1. Adding a Void Element
When an EBML Element is changed to reduce its total length by more
than one octet, an EBML Writer SHOULD fill the freed space with a
Void Element.
14.1.2. Extending the Element Data Size
The same value for Element Data Size MAY be written in variable
lengths, so for minor reductions in octet length the Element Data
Size MAY be written to a longer octet length to fill the freed space.
For example, the first row of the following table depicts a String
Element that stores an Element ID (3 octets), Element Data Size (1
octet), and Element Data (4 octets). If the Element Data is changed
to reduce the length by one octet and if the current length of the
Element Data Size is less than its maximum permitted length, then the
Element Data Size of that Element MAY be rewritten to increase its
length by one octet. Thus before and after the change the EBML
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Element maintains the same length of 8 octets and data around the
Element does not need to be moved.
+-------------+------------+-------------------+--------------+
| Status | Element ID | Element Data Size | Element Data |
+-------------+------------+-------------------+--------------+
| Before edit | 0x3B4040 | 0x84 | 0x65626D6C |
| After edit | 0x3B4040 | 0x4003 | 0x6D6B76 |
+-------------+------------+-------------------+--------------+
This method is RECOMMENDED when the Element Data is reduced by a
single octet; for reductions by two or more octets it is RECOMMENDED
to fill the freed space with a Void Element.
Note that if the Element Data length needs to be rewritten as
shortened by one octet and the Element Data Size could be rewritten
as a shorter VINT then it is RECOMMENDED to rewrite the Element Data
Size as one octet shorter, shorten the Element Data by one octet, and
follow that Element with a Void Element. For example, the following
table depicts a String Element that stores an Element ID (3 octets),
Element Data Size (2 octets, but could be rewritten in one octet),
and Element Data (3 octets). If the Element Data is to be rewritten
to a two octet length, then another octet can be taken from Element
Data Size so that there is enough space to add a two octet Void
Element.
+--------+------------+-----------------+-------------+-------------+
| Status | Element ID | Element Data | Element | Void |
| | | Size | Data | Element |
+--------+------------+-----------------+-------------+-------------+
| Before | 0x3B4040 | 0x4003 | 0x6D6B76 | |
| After | 0x3B4040 | 0x82 | 0x6869 | 0xEC80 |
+--------+------------+-----------------+-------------+-------------+
14.1.3. Terminating Element Data
For String Elements and UTF-8 Elements the length of Element Data MAY
be reduced by adding Null Octets to terminate the Element Data (see
Section 13).
In the following table, a four octets long Element Data is changed to
a three octet long value followed by a Null Octet; the Element Data
Size includes any Null Octets used to terminate Element Data so
remains unchanged.
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+-------------+------------+-------------------+--------------+
| Status | Element ID | Element Data Size | Element Data |
+-------------+------------+-------------------+--------------+
| Before edit | 0x3B4040 | 0x84 | 0x65626D6C |
| After edit | 0x3B4040 | 0x84 | 0x6D6B7600 |
+-------------+------------+-------------------+--------------+
Note that this method is NOT RECOMMENDED. For reductions of one
octet, the method for Extending the Element Data Size SHOULD be used.
For reduction by more than one octet, the method for Adding a Void
Element SHOULD be used.
14.2. Considerations when Updating Elements with Cyclic Redundancy
Check (CRC)
If the Element to be changed is a Descendant Element of any Master
Element that contains a CRC-32 Element (see Section 11.3.1) then the
CRC-32 Element MUST be verified before permitting the change.
Additionally the CRC-32 Element value MUST be subsequently updated to
reflect the changed data.
15. Backward and Forward Compatibility
Elements of an EBML format SHOULD be designed with backward and
forward compatibility in mind.
15.1. Backward Compatibility
Backward compatibility of new EBML Elements can be achieved by using
default values for mandatory elements. The default value MUST
represent the state that was assumed for previous versions of the
EBML Schema, without this new EBML Element. If such a state doesn't
make sense for previous versions, then the new EBML Element SHOULD
NOT be mandatory.
Non mandatory EBML Elements can be added in a new EBMLDocTypeVersion.
Since they are not mandatory they won't be found in older versions of
the EBMLDocTypeVersion, just as they might not be found in newer
versions. This causes no compatibility issue.
15.2. Forward Compatibility
EBML Elements MAY be marked as deprecated in a new EBMLDocTypeVersion
using the maxver attribute of the EBML Schema. If such an Element is
found in an EBML Document with newer version of the
EBMLDocTypeVersion it SHOULD be discarded.
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16. Security Considerations
EBML itself does not offer any kind of security and does not provide
confidentiality. EBML does not provide any kind of authorization.
EBML only offers marginally useful and effective data integrity
options, such as CRC elements.
Even if the semantic layer offers any kind of encryption, EBML itself
could leak information at both the semantic layer (as declared via
the DocType Element) and within the EBML structure (the presence of
EBML Elements can be derived even with an unknown semantic layer
using a heuristic approach; not without errors, of course, but with a
certain degree of confidence).
An EBML Document that has the following issues may still be handled
by the EBML Reader and the data accepted as such, depending on how
strict the EBML Reader wants to be:
o Invalid Element IDs that are longer than the limit stated in the
EBMLMaxIDLength Element of the EBML Header.
o Invalid Element IDs that are not encoded in the shortest-possible
way.
o Invalid Element Data Size values that are longer than the limit
stated in the EBMLMaxSizeLength Element of the EBML Header.
Element IDs that are unknown to the EBML Reader MAY be accepted as
valid EBML IDs in order to skip such elements.
EBML Elements with a string type may contain extra data after the
first 0x00. These data MUST be discarded according to the Section 13
rules.
An EBML Reader may discard some or all data if the following errors
are found in the EBML Document:
o Invalid Element Data Size values (e.g. extending the length of the
EBML Element beyond the scope of the Parent Element; possibly
triggering access-out-of-bounds issues).
o Very high lengths in order to force out-of-memory situations
resulting in a denial of service, access-out-of-bounds issues etc.
o Missing EBML Elements that are mandatory in a Master Element and
have no declared default value, making the semantic invalid at
that Master Element level.
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o Usage of invalid UTF-8 encoding in EBML Elements of UTF-8 type
(e.g. in order to trigger access-out-of-bounds or buffer overflow
issues).
o Usage of invalid data in EBML Elements with a date type,
triggering bogus date accesses.
Side channel attacks could exploit:
o The semantic equivalence of the same string stored in a String
Element or UTF-8 Element with and without zero-bit padding, making
comparison at the semantic level invalid.
o The semantic equivalence of VINT_DATA within Element Data Size
with two different lengths due to left-padding zero bits, making
comparison at the semantic level invalid.
o Data contained within a Master Element which is not itself part of
a Child Element can trigger incorrect parsing behavior in EBML
Readers.
o Extraneous copies of Identically Recurring Element, making parsing
unnecessarily slow to the point of not being usable.
o Copies of Identically Recurring Element within a Parent Element
that contain invalid CRC-32 Elements. EBML Readers not checking
the CRC-32 might use the version of the element with mismatching
CRC-32.
o Use of Void Elements which could be used to hide content or create
bogus resynchronization points seen by some EBML Reader and not
others.
17. IANA Considerations
17.1. CELLAR EBML Element ID Registry
This document creates a new IANA Registry called "CELLAR EBML Element
ID Registry".
Element IDs are described in section Element ID. Element IDs are
encoded using the VINT mechanism described in section Section 4 can
be between one and five octets long. Five octet long Element IDs are
possible only if declared in the header.
This IANA Registry only applies to Elements that can be contained in
the EBML Header, thus including Global Elements. Elements only found
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in the EBML Body have their own set of independent Element IDs and
are not part of this IANA Registry.
The VINT Data value of one-octet Element IDs MUST be between 0x01 and
0x7E. These items are valuable because they are short, and need to
be used for commonly repeated elements. Values from 1 to 126 are to
be allocated according to the "RFC Required" policy [RFC8126].
The VINT Data value of two-octet Element IDs MUST be between 0x007F
and 0x3FFE. Numbers are to be allocated within this range according
to the "Specification Required" policy [RFC8126].
The numbers 0x3FFF and 0x4000 are RESERVED.
The VINT Data value of three-octet Element IDs MUST be between 0x4001
and 0x1FFFFE. Numbers may be allocated within this range according
to the "First Come First Served" policy [RFC8126].
The numbers 0x1FFFFF and 0x200000 are RESERVED.
Four-octet Element IDs are numbers between 0x101FFFFF and 0x1FFFFFFE.
Four-octet Element IDs are somewhat special in that they are useful
for resynchronizing to major structures in the event of data
corruption or loss. As such four-octet Element IDs are split into
two categories. Four-octet Element IDs whose lower three octets (as
encoded) would make printable 7-bit ASCII values (0x20 to 0x7E,
inclusive) MUST be allocated by the "Specification Required" policy.
Sequential allocation of values is not required: specifications
SHOULD include a specific request, and are encouraged to do early
allocations.
To be clear about the above category: four-octet Element IDs always
start with hex 0x10 to 0x1F, and that octet may be chosen so that the
entire number has some desirable property, such as a specific CRC.
The other three octets, when ALL having values between 0x21 (33,
ASCII !) and 0x7E (126, ASCII ~), fall into this category.
Other four-octet Element IDs may be allocated by the "First Come
First Served" policy.
The numbers 0xFFFFFFF and 0x1000000 are RESERVED.
Five octet Element IDs (values from 0x10000001 upwards) are RESERVED
according to the "Experimental Use" policy [RFC8126]: they may be
used by anyone at any time, but there is no coordination.
ID Values found in this document are assigned as initial values as
follows:
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+------------+-------------------------+----------------------------+
| ID | Element Name | Reference |
+------------+-------------------------+----------------------------+
| 0x1A45DFA3 | EBML | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.1 |
| 0x4286 | EBMLVersion | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.2 |
| 0x42F7 | EBMLReadVersion | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.3 |
| 0x42F2 | EBMLMaxIDLength | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.4 |
| 0x42F3 | EBMLMaxSizeLength | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.5 |
| 0x4282 | DocType | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.6 |
| 0x4287 | DocTypeVersion | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.7 |
| 0x4285 | DocTypeReadVersion | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.8 |
| 0x4281 | DocTypeExtension | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.9 |
| 0x4283 | DocTypeExtensionName | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.10 |
| 0x4284 | DocTypeExtensionVersion | Described in Section |
| | | 11.2.11 |
| 0xBF | CRC-32 | Described in Section |
| | | 11.3.1 |
| 0xEC | Void | Described in Section |
| | | 11.3.2 |
+------------+-------------------------+----------------------------+
17.2. CELLAR EBML DocType Registry
This document creates a new IANA Registry called "CELLAR EBML DocType
Registry".
To register a new DocType in this registry one needs a DocType name,
a Description of the DocType, a Change Controller (IESG or email of
registrant) and an optional Reference to a document describing the
DocType.
DocType values are described in Section 11.1.3.1. DocTypes are ASCII
strings, defined in Section 7.4, which label the official name of the
EBML Document Type. The strings may be allocated according to the
"First Come First Served" policy.
The use of ASCII corresponds to the types and code already in use,
the value is not meant to be visible to the user.
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DocType string values of "matroska" and "webm" are RESERVED to the
IETF for future use. These can be assigned via the "IESG Approval"
or "RFC Required" policies [RFC8126].
18. References
18.1. Normative References
[IEEE.754.1985]
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
"Standard for Binary Floating-Point Arithmetic",
IEEE Standard 754, August 1985.
[ISO.3309.1979]
International Organization for Standardization, "Data
communication - High-level data link control procedures -
Frame structure", ISO Standard 3309, 1979.
[ISO.9899.2011]
International Organization for Standardization,
"Programming languages - C", ISO Standard 9899, 2011.
[ITU.V42.1994]
International Telecommunications Union, "Error-correcting
Procedures for DCEs Using Asynchronous-to-Synchronous
Conversion", ITU-T Recommendation V.42, 1994.
[RFC0020] Cerf, V., "ASCII format for network interchange", STD 80,
RFC 20, DOI 10.17487/RFC0020, October 1969,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc20>.
[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.
[RFC3339] Klyne, G. and C. Newman, "Date and Time on the Internet:
Timestamps", RFC 3339, DOI 10.17487/RFC3339, July 2002,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3339>.
[RFC3629] Yergeau, F., "UTF-8, a transformation format of ISO
10646", STD 63, RFC 3629, DOI 10.17487/RFC3629, November
2003, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3629>.
[RFC5234] Crocker, D., Ed. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax
Specifications: ABNF", STD 68, RFC 5234,
DOI 10.17487/RFC5234, January 2008,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5234>.
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[RFC5646] Phillips, A., Ed. and M. Davis, Ed., "Tags for Identifying
Languages", BCP 47, RFC 5646, DOI 10.17487/RFC5646,
September 2009, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5646>.
[RFC7405] Kyzivat, P., "Case-Sensitive String Support in ABNF",
RFC 7405, DOI 10.17487/RFC7405, December 2014,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7405>.
[RFC8126] Cotton, M., Leiba, B., and T. Narten, "Guidelines for
Writing an IANA Considerations Section in RFCs", BCP 26,
RFC 8126, DOI 10.17487/RFC8126, June 2017,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8126>.
[RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.
[W3C.REC-xml-20081126]
Bray, T., Paoli, J., Sperberg-McQueen, M., Maler, E., and
F. Yergeau, "Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 (Fifth
Edition)", World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation REC-
xml-20081126, November 2008,
<http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-xml-20081126>.
[W3C.SPSD-xhtml-basic-20180327]
McCarron, S., "XHTMLa„[cents] Basic 1.1 - Second
Edition", World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation SPSD-
xhtml-basic-20180327, March 2018,
<http://www.w3.org/TR/2018/SPSD-xhtml-basic-20180327>.
18.2. Informative References
[W3C.REC-xmlschema-0-20041028]
Fallside, D. and P. Walmsley, "XML Schema Part 0: Primer
Second Edition", World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation
REC-xmlschema-0-20041028, October 2004,
<http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-xmlschema-0-20041028>.
18.3. URIs
[1] https://github.com/Matroska-Org/matroska-specification/
Authors' Addresses
Steve Lhomme
Email: slhomme@matroska.org
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Dave Rice
Email: dave@dericed.com
Moritz Bunkus
Email: moritz@bunkus.org
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