RIFFkapsel

RIFFkapsel is a digital container format designed to encapsulate RIFF-based multimedia data into a single archival package. It targets long-term preservation and secure transfer of RIFF streams, such as WAV audio and AVI video, while keeping the original RIFF structure intact for compatibility with existing parsers.

Structure of a RIFFkapsel file is four-part. It starts with a four-byte magic tag, followed by a version field and a set of flags. A metadata block, typically serialized as JSON or XML, stores descriptive information such as title, creator, creation date, rights, and verification data. A chunk index provides offsets to the individual RIFF streams and their subchunks, enabling fast access without fully unpacking the payload. The payload section stores one or more RIFF streams; the container supports optional compression and encryption, with metadata describing the applied algorithms and parameters.

Integrity, provenance, and access control are core design considerations. RIFFkapsel can include cryptographic hashes (such as SHA-256) and digital signatures to verify authenticity and integrity. Time stamps and provenance metadata aid tracking of custody and rights. The format is designed to be readable by standard RIFF tools for the contained streams, provided the capsule reader extracts the payload correctly, while the index enables selective extraction of individual elements.

Applications and adoption context. RIFFkapsel is intended for libraries, archives, and broadcasters seeking a portable archival unit for RIFF media, supporting audit trails and governance of metadata. It competes with broader container formats but emphasizes preserving RIFF data integrity and interoperability.

See also: RIFF, WAV, AVI, container formats, digital preservation.