Image Mastering API
Encyclopedia
The Image Mastering Application Programming Interface, or IMAPI, is a component of Microsoft Windows
operating system used for CD and DVD authoring
and recording.
Windows applications such as Windows Media Player
, Windows Media Center
, Windows Movie Maker
, Windows DVD Maker
, and Windows Explorer
use IMAPI to create ISO image
s and "burn"
discs. Windows refers to discs created using IMAPI as Mastered burns in contrast to the term, Live File System
which implies packet writing
and does not use IMAPI.
. IMAPI version 2.0 was released with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. On 26 June 2007, this version was released as an update for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
after Microsoft received requests from hardware and software vendors.
On 19 January 2009, Microsoft released the Windows Feature Pack For Storage 1.0. This update allows IMAPI 2.0 to support Recordable Blu-ray Disc (BD-R) and Rewritable Blu-ray Disc (BD-RE) media. It also adds support for the Universal Disk Format
(UDF) 2.5 file system. Windows Feature Pack for Storage is available for Windows XP or later and is integrated into Windows 7.
Compact discs:
DVDs (IMAPI v2.0):
Blu-ray discs (IMAPI v2.0 with Feature Pack for Storage):
Others
IMAPI supports writing disks in ISO 9660
(including CDDA Audio) and Joliet
. IMAPI v2.0 also supports writing discs with Universal Disk Format
file system.
IMAPI version 2.0 supports the following additional features:
Unlike IMAPI version 1.0, IMAPI version 2.0 is implemented as a DLL
rather than as a Windows service
.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system used for CD and DVD authoring
Optical disc authoring
Optical disc authoring, including DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring , is the process of assembling source material—video, audio or other data—into the proper logical volume format to then be recorded onto an optical disc .-Process:To burn an optical disc, one usually first creates an...
and recording.
Windows applications such as Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is a media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices...
, Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center is a digital video recorder and media player developed by Microsoft. It is an application that allows users to view and record live television, as well as organize and play music and videos...
, Windows Movie Maker
Windows Movie Maker
Windows Movie Maker is a video creating/editing software application, included in Microsoft Windows Me, XP, and Vista. It contains features such as effects, transitions, titles/credits, audio track, timeline narration, and Auto Movie. New effects and transitions can be made and existing ones can be...
, Windows DVD Maker
Windows DVD Maker
Windows DVD Maker is an application included in premium editions of Windows Vista, and Windows 7 Home Premium and above editions that is designed to enable the creation of DVD movies that can be played using DVD playback software or on a standalone consumer DVD player...
, and Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer
This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...
use IMAPI to create ISO image
ISO image
An ISO image is an archive file of an optical disc, composed of the data contents of every written sector of an optical disc, including the optical disc file system...
s and "burn"
Optical disc authoring
Optical disc authoring, including DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring , is the process of assembling source material—video, audio or other data—into the proper logical volume format to then be recorded onto an optical disc .-Process:To burn an optical disc, one usually first creates an...
discs. Windows refers to discs created using IMAPI as Mastered burns in contrast to the term, Live File System
Live File System
Live File System is the term Microsoft uses to describe the packet writing method of creating discs in Windows Vista and later, which allows files to be added incrementally to the media...
which implies packet writing
Packet writing
Packet writing or IPW , is an optical disc recording technology used to allow write-once and rewritable CD and DVD media to be used in a similar manner to a floppy disk from within the operating system, i.e., it allows users to create, modify, and delete files and directories on demand without the...
and does not use IMAPI.
Release history
IMAPI was originally introduced with Windows XPWindows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
. IMAPI version 2.0 was released with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. On 26 June 2007, this version was released as an update for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...
after Microsoft received requests from hardware and software vendors.
On 19 January 2009, Microsoft released the Windows Feature Pack For Storage 1.0. This update allows IMAPI 2.0 to support Recordable Blu-ray Disc (BD-R) and Rewritable Blu-ray Disc (BD-RE) media. It also adds support for the Universal Disk Format
Universal Disk Format
Universal Disk Format is an implementation of the specification known as ISO/IEC 13346 and ECMA-167 and is an open vendor-neutral file system for computer data storage for a broad range of media. In practice, it has been most widely used for DVDs and newer optical disc formats, supplanting ISO 9660...
(UDF) 2.5 file system. Windows Feature Pack for Storage is available for Windows XP or later and is integrated into Windows 7.
Overview
IMAPI provides the ability to create and burn single-session and multi-session discs, including bootable discs. It also provides low-level access to the burn engine for developing support for new devices, as well as access to extended recorder properties. IMAPI supports every major writable CD and DVD format including:Compact discs:
- Recordable CD (CD-RCD-RA CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
). Formerly known as CD Write Once - Rewritable CD (CD-RWCD-RWA CD-RW is a rewritable optical disc. It was introduced in 1997, and was known as "CD-Writable" during development. It was preceded by the CD-MO, which was never commercially released....
)
DVDs (IMAPI v2.0):
- Recordable DVD (DVD-RDVD-RDVD-R is a DVD recordable format. A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4.71 GB. Pioneer has also developed an 8.5 GB dual layer version, DVD-R DL, which appeared on the market in 2005....
and DVD+RDVD+RDVD+R is part of optical disc recording technologies. It is a format for optical disc data storage that utilizes digital recording. It is similar to, but incompatible with, the older DVD-R standard...
) - Rewritable DVD (DVD-RWDVD-RWA DVD-RW disc is a rewritable optical disc with equal storage capacity to a DVD-R, typically 4.7 GB. The format was developed by Pioneer in November 1999 and has been approved by the DVD Forum. The smaller Mini DVD-RW holds 1.46 GB, with a diameter of 8 cm.The primary advantage of DVD-RW over...
and DVD+RWDVD+RWDVD+RW is a physical format for rewritable DVDs and can hold up to 4.7 GB. DVD+RW was created by the DVD+RW Alliance, an industry consortium of drive and disc manufacturers...
) - Recordable dual layer DVD (DVD-R DLDVD-R DLDVD-R DL , also called DVD-R9, is a derivative of the DVD-R format standard. DVD-R DL discs hold 8.54 GB per side by utilizing two recordable dye layers, each capable of storing nearly the 4.7 gigabyte of a single layer disc -almost doubling the total disc capacity...
and DVD+R DLDVD+R DLDVD+R DL also called DVD+R9, is a derivative of the DVD+R format created by the DVD+RW Alliance. Its use was first demonstrated in October 2003. DVD+R DL discs employ two recordable dye layers, each capable of storing nearly the 4.7 GB capacity of a single-layer disc, almost doubling the total...
formats) - Random-access DVD (DVD-RAMDVD-RAMDVD-RAM is a disc specification presented in 1996 by the DVD Forum, which specifies rewritable DVD-RAM media and the appropriate DVD writers. DVD-RAM media have been used in computers as well as camcorders and personal video recorders since 1998.-Design:DVD-RAM is one of three competing...
)
Blu-ray discs (IMAPI v2.0 with Feature Pack for Storage):
- Recordable Blu-ray Disc (BD-R)
- Rewritable Blu-ray Disc (BD-RE)
Others
- Disc-like media, such as Iomega REVIomega REVREV was a removable hard disk storage system from Iomega.The small removable cartridges store 35, 70, or 120 gigabytes and were based on hard-drive technology. Like a standard hard drive, the REV system used a flying head to read and write data to a spinning platter...
IMAPI supports writing disks in ISO 9660
ISO 9660
ISO 9660, also referred to as CDFS by some hardware and software providers, is a file system standard published by the International Organization for Standardization for optical disc media....
(including CDDA Audio) and Joliet
Joliet (file system)
Joliet is the name of an extension to the ISO 9660 file system. It has been specified and endorsed by Microsoft and has been supported by all versions of its Windows OS since Windows 95 and Windows NT...
. IMAPI v2.0 also supports writing discs with Universal Disk Format
Universal Disk Format
Universal Disk Format is an implementation of the specification known as ISO/IEC 13346 and ECMA-167 and is an open vendor-neutral file system for computer data storage for a broad range of media. In practice, it has been most widely used for DVDs and newer optical disc formats, supplanting ISO 9660...
file system.
IMAPI version 2.0 supports the following additional features:
- User-mode API instead of a kernel-mode API
- Support for multiple optical drives as well as simultaneously recording to multiple drives
- Support for creating ISO imageISO imageAn ISO image is an archive file of an optical disc, composed of the data contents of every written sector of an optical disc, including the optical disc file system...
s - Support for VBScriptVBScriptVBScript is an Active Scripting language developed by Microsoft that is modeled on Visual Basic. It is designed as a “lightweight” language with a fast interpreter for use in a wide variety of Microsoft environments...
scripting - Support for locking the recorder while burning
Unlike IMAPI version 1.0, IMAPI version 2.0 is implemented as a DLL
Dynamic-link library
Dynamic-link library , or DLL, is Microsoft's implementation of the shared library concept in the Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems...
rather than as a Windows service
Windows Service
On Microsoft Windows operating systems, a Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific functions and which is designed not to require user intervention. Windows services can be configured to start when the operating system is booted and run in the background as long as...
.