diff --git a/BizHawk.MultiClient/AviWriter.cs b/BizHawk.MultiClient/AviWriter.cs
index 33af053b2e..1094338f9e 100644
--- a/BizHawk.MultiClient/AviWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.MultiClient/AviWriter.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ using BizHawk;
 
 namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 {
-	class AviWriter : IDisposable
+	class AviWriter : VideoWriter
 	{
 		CodecToken currVideoCodecToken = null;
 		AviWriterSegment currSegment;
@@ -27,9 +27,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		/// <summary>
 		/// sets the codec token to be used for video compression
 		/// </summary>
-		public void SetVideoCodecToken(CodecToken token)
+		public void SetVideoCodecToken(IDisposable token)
 		{
-			currVideoCodecToken = token;
+            if (token is CodecToken)
+                currVideoCodecToken = (CodecToken)token;
+            else
+                throw new ArgumentException("AviWriter only takes its own Codec Tokens!");
 		}
 
 		public static IEnumerator<string> CreateBasicNameProvider(string template)
@@ -192,7 +195,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		/// Acquires a video codec configuration from the user. you may save it for future use, but you must dispose of it when youre done with it.
 		/// returns null if the user canceled the dialog
 		/// </summary>
-		public static CodecToken AcquireVideoCodecToken(IntPtr hwnd, CodecToken lastToken)
+		public IDisposable AcquireVideoCodecToken(IntPtr hwnd) //, CodecToken lastToken)
 		{
 			var temp_params = new Parameters();
 			temp_params.height = 256;
@@ -206,8 +209,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 			string tempfile = Path.GetTempFileName();
 			File.Delete(tempfile);
 			tempfile = Path.ChangeExtension(tempfile, "avi");
-			temp.OpenFile(tempfile, temp_params, lastToken);
-			CodecToken token = temp.AcquireVideoCodecToken(hwnd);
+			temp.OpenFile(tempfile, temp_params, null); //lastToken);
+			CodecToken token = (CodecToken) temp.AcquireVideoCodecToken(hwnd);
 			temp.CloseFile();
 			File.Delete(tempfile);
 			return token;
@@ -469,7 +472,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 			/// <summary>
 			/// Acquires a video codec configuration from the user
 			/// </summary>
-			public CodecToken AcquireVideoCodecToken(IntPtr hwnd)
+			public IDisposable AcquireVideoCodecToken(IntPtr hwnd)
 			{
 				if (!IsOpen) throw new InvalidOperationException("File must be opened before acquiring a codec token (or else the stream formats wouldnt be known)");
 
diff --git a/BizHawk.MultiClient/BizHawk.MultiClient.csproj b/BizHawk.MultiClient/BizHawk.MultiClient.csproj
index e02ed1f455..a5a2ef0a59 100644
--- a/BizHawk.MultiClient/BizHawk.MultiClient.csproj
+++ b/BizHawk.MultiClient/BizHawk.MultiClient.csproj
@@ -292,6 +292,7 @@
     </Compile>
     <Compile Include="Program.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="VideoWriter.cs" />
     <EmbeddedResource Include="config\GifAnimator.resx">
       <DependentUpon>GifAnimator.cs</DependentUpon>
     </EmbeddedResource>
diff --git a/BizHawk.MultiClient/MainForm.cs b/BizHawk.MultiClient/MainForm.cs
index 004a0f4cf0..1f700e2a1b 100644
--- a/BizHawk.MultiClient/MainForm.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.MultiClient/MainForm.cs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 		public bool PressRewind = false;
 
 		//avi/wav state
-		AviWriter CurrAviWriter = null;
+		VideoWriter CurrAviWriter = null;
 
 		//runloop control
 		bool exit;
@@ -2666,13 +2666,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.MultiClient
 
 			//TODO - cores should be able to specify exact values for these instead of relying on this to calculate them
 			int fps = (int)(Global.Emulator.CoreOutputComm.VsyncRate * 0x01000000);
-			AviWriter aw = new AviWriter();
+			VideoWriter aw = new AviWriter();
 			try
 			{
 				aw.SetMovieParameters(fps, 0x01000000);
 				aw.SetVideoParameters(Global.Emulator.VideoProvider.BufferWidth, Global.Emulator.VideoProvider.BufferHeight);
 				aw.SetAudioParameters(44100, 2, 16);
-				var token = AviWriter.AcquireVideoCodecToken(Global.MainForm.Handle, null);
+				var token = aw.AcquireVideoCodecToken(Global.MainForm.Handle); //, null);
 				aw.SetVideoCodecToken(token);
 				aw.OpenFile(sfd.FileName);
 
diff --git a/BizHawk.MultiClient/VideoWriter.cs b/BizHawk.MultiClient/VideoWriter.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b0855cde9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/BizHawk.MultiClient/VideoWriter.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+
+namespace BizHawk
+{
+    public interface VideoWriter : IDisposable
+    {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// sets the codec token to be used for video compression
+        /// </summary>
+        void SetVideoCodecToken(IDisposable token);
+
+
+        // why no OpenFile(IEnumerator<string>) ?
+        // different video writers may have different ideas of how and why splitting is to occur
+        /// <summary>
+        /// opens a recording stream
+        /// set a video codec token first.
+        /// </summary>
+        void OpenFile(string baseName);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// close recording stream
+        /// </summary>
+        void CloseFile();
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// adds a frame to the stream
+        /// </summary>
+        void AddFrame(IVideoProvider source);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// adds audio samples to the stream
+        /// no attempt is made to sync this to the video
+        /// </summary>
+        void AddSamples(short[] samples);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// obtain a set of recording compression parameters
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="hwnd">hwnd to attach to if the user is shown config dialog</param>
+        /// <returns>codec token, dispose of it when you're done with it</returns>
+        IDisposable AcquireVideoCodecToken(IntPtr hwnd);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// set framerate to fpsnum/fpsden (assumed to be unchanging over the life of the stream)
+        /// </summary>
+        void SetMovieParameters(int fpsnum, int fpsden);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// set resolution parameters (width x height)
+        /// must be set before file is opened
+        /// can be changed in future
+        /// should always match IVideoProvider
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="width"></param>
+        /// <param name="height"></param>
+        void SetVideoParameters(int width, int height);
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// set audio parameters.  cannot change later
+        /// </summary>
+        void SetAudioParameters(int sampleRate, int channels, int bits);
+
+    }
+}