Multimedia MCI consists of a set of high-level, device-independent commands that control audio and visual peripherals. The first MCI command you issue is the Open command. This command opens the specified MCI device and identifies the file that will play on the device or be recorded by the device. Some devices, such as CDAudio, VCR, and videodisc, do not use files and do not require file names.
Once the device is open, you can issue any of the other MCI commands (Prev, Next, Pause, and so on). The Close command is the last MCI command you issue for the device, returning it to the available pool of system resources. The Close command also closes the data file associated with the device.
For a list of the MCI commands supported by the Multimedia MCI control, see the Command property. For additional information on Multimedia MCI, refer to the Microsoft Win32 Software Development Kit Multimedia Programmer's Reference.