LEADTOOLS Multimedia SDK has made a name for itself by offering high level controls that take the complexity out of developing DirectShow and Media Foundation applications. Most core operations such as conversion, capture and playback can be done with only a few lines of code. In addition to the high level features, LEADTOOLS is flexible enough for any advanced application with more difficult scenarios and still offers as much or as little control as desired over the graphs and topologies under the hood.

The ConvertCtrl is a perfect example of this. By setting a source file, destination file and format you can make an audio/video conversion application in minutes. Developers who wish to dive deeper can supply their own media samples and process the conversion frame by frame.

We hope you are enjoying all the buzz surrounding our 25 projects in 25 days. This afternoon we're making a quick interruption to announce a new Media Streaming Server video published to our YouTube channel.

This video provides an overview of the Media Streaming Server and its ability to use a single source file and stream it to multiple devices and formats such as Flash, HTML5, Apple HTTP Live Streaming, RTSP, MPEG-DASH, Adobe HDS and Microsoft Smooth Streaming.

Streaming video is the norm these days. Whether watching a movie or TV show from one of the many services out there, catching a quick laugh or how-to on YouTube, or watching some promotional video on a company's website, we have all come to expect media streaming as a way of entertainment and education. Consumers (and I will admittedly put myself into this group as well!) are usually picky about the quality of their playback. Buffering? Stuttering playback? Chances are you just lost interest.

As a web developer, server administrator or content provider, how do you serve up streaming audio/video content? YouTube can be a solid option but not for everyone as many companies prefer to host it themselves and not rely on any third party. If you choose to host your own streaming media, you now have to make sure you can support all of your clients' devices and browsers and convert the videos accordingly or risk some clients being unable to play your video.

Now that Version 18 has been out for a little over a month, we’ve received a lot of feedback about some of the features our customers are really excited about. This week I'm jumping into LEADTOOLS Multimedia Version 18, which is headlined by the addition of Media Foundation support and a new RTSP Server.

Media Foundation

LEAD Technologies has a strong record of keeping pace with the latest development platforms and technologies. Adding support for Microsoft Media Foundation is much more than just keeping up, it’s also a reflection of our commitment to making difficult development projects simple. In the same way that LEADTOOLS simplified and abstracted DirectShow application development, LEADTOOLS Multimedia SDKs now offer the same benefits for the new Microsoft Media Foundation framework with new components and transforms. Below is a list of controls, processors, codecs, multiplexers and demultiplexers that are supported in Microsoft Media Foundation: