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QTPlugin is a plugin for RealBasic that lets you access to a lot of the routines and structures provided by the QuickTime multimedia programming architecture. If you need to manage media devices and data or provide multimedia support to your applications using the QuickTime engine, this plugin is that right one for you.

The plugin comprises 167 classes, 4 modules and 73 global methods that make easy for you to work with the QuickTime engine maintaining a great deal of control over it.

A great effort has been done to make complicate things as easier as possible: you will notice that such tasks as creating and animating sprites, applying tweening, dealing with properties of movies, tracks, and media, playing back data, send or receive streaming over a network, acquiring data from external devices and so on, can be accomplished with just a few lines of code. On the other hand, the plugin API is so rich to let you gain a deeper control over the QuickTime technologies you are going to use if you need it.

Using the QTPlugin enables you to work whether with digital media directly supported by the QuickTime API and with other kinds of media, such as uncompressed float still images, that QuickTime does not recognize by itself.
The QTPlugin Functional Details document summarizes the plugin capabilities.

QTPlugin is shipped as a RBX file; this means that you can use it with RealBasic IDE 5.0 or later (the version 6.0 of the plugin is more restrictive and requires RealBasic IDE 5.5.4 or later). Trying to use the plugin with earlier versions of the RealBasic IDE will fail.

The Developing Central provides access to technical resources and information to assist you in developing with the latest technologies provided by the QTPlugin.

To know more about the RealBasic cross-platform development environment visit the RealSoftware's site.


In order to use the plugin you must have:

  • RealBasic IDE 5.5.4 or later (either Windows or Macintosh version)
  • QuickTime 3.0 or later installed (using the latest QuickTime version is highly recommended)

The plugin allows you to compile your projects for the following targets:

  • Mac OS 8-9 (Classic)
  • Mac OS 8-9 (Carbon)
  • Mac OS X Universal Binary
  • Mac OS X PowerPC
  • Mac OS X Intel
  • Windows(98/NT/2000/XP)

QTPlugin is Universal Binary.

To install the plugin, simply create a folder, if it does not already exist, in the same folder as the RealBasic application called "Plugins" then, toss the plugin into this folder and fire-up RealBasic. Your new application can now take advantage of the added functionality of the QTPlugin.

In order to avoid any conflicts or problem with earlier versions of the plugin, be sure to remove any pre-existing QTPlugin version from the "Plugins" folder

In addition, occasionally, the new incremental compiling mechanism introduced in the latest versions of the RealBasic IDE could lead to the need to clear the projects cache (this issue has been fixed by RealSoftware in the Realbasic 2009 Release 1). To accomplish that do the following steps:
On Macintosh:

  1. go to the ~/Library/Caches/REALbasic/
  2. remove any item from that folder
  3. rebuild your project
On Windows (systems earlier than Vista):
  1. go to \Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Realbasic\
  2. remove any item from that folder
  3. rebuild your project
On Windows Vista (thanks to Bodo Hantschmann for the hint) the path above has to be replaced with:
\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\REALbasic
Note that, usually this folder is invisible, therefore you have to allow access to hidden and system files in the Vista folder options.

The latest plugin version introduces many improvements and new features to the plugin API intended to improve your developing experience; the most significatives of them are:

  • added support for sprites
  • added support for interpolation ("tweening") of audiovisual data
  • added support for real-time streaming (the transmitter technology is a MacOS only technology )
  • enhanced control over QuickTime settings
  • introduced support to control audio hardware using Core Audio (MacOS X only technology)
  • added properties and methods to the RealBasic's MoviePlayer control
  • many other improvements to the plugin classes and modules
QTPlugin Release Notes presents a comprehensive list of all of the new features introduced by the last plugin release.

You can provide us with your unvaluable feedback about QTPlugin by filling as appropriate the following form. Also, it is available a feedbacks list including all of the received and accepted feedback reports about QTPlugin.
Alternatively, you can email any question, suggest, comment or new feature request to the including the "QTPlugin-Feedback" keyword (without quotes) into the subject field.

You can report any supposed bug, problem or other plugin malfunctioning by filling as appropriate the following form. Also, it is available a bugs list including all of the received and accepted bugs reports about QTPlugin.
Alternatively, you can send an email to the including the "QTPlugin-Bugs" keyword (without quotes) into the subject field.

Finally, you can use our Mail Form directly on this site to contact us.


The QTPlugin Demo is fully-featured and functional to offer a true test of the software; it does not allow you to create stand-alone applications that make use of the plugin but it is otherwise identical to the retail version. You will obtain a full working version of the plugin upon purchase. Enjoy!

(.zip, 6.1 MB)
Release Date: 09/01/2009

I have to give a thank to all of that people who has contribute to improve the plugin by acquiring and using it and by sending to me compliments, suggestions, comments, bugs reports and so on.


QuickTime is trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

RealBasic is trademark of RealSoftware, registered in the U.S. and other countries.