Codecs

LEADTOOLS Multimedia SDK products are specifically designed for the development of audio/video applications across a wide variety of industries including defense, broadcast and security. The SDK offers a full range of technologies to developers and turns normally complex DirectShow and Media Foundation projects into simple tasks. Easily integrate core multimedia functionality such as capture, conversion, streaming and playback into applications with optional processing filters. These filters can be applied at any point of the workflow.

LEADTOOLS Multimedia and available add-ons offer H.265, H.264, H.263, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, AAC, VP8 and AC3 codecs, and supports any available DirectShow or Media Foundation audio/video codec. The toolkit also contains and utilizes multiplexers and/or demultiplexers for formats including MP4, AVI, MP3, WMV, MXF, MKV, 3GP, OGG, FLV (YouTube and HD Flash), ISO, MPEG-2 and MPEG-2 transport stream with KLV. The SDK provides MPEG-2 Transport, IIS, DMO, RTSP and network filters to stream data encoded with any codec. Pause, rewind and fast-forward live capture and UDP or TCP/IP streams with LEADTOOLS DVR technology. Create and burn DVDs with menus, titles and chapters.

All of the following codecs are DirectShow or Media Foundation codecs, unless specified otherwise. DirectShow codecs (encoders and decoders) register into Windows' collection of multimedia drivers and integrate with any application using DirectShow. DirectShow decoders register under the DirectShow Filters category, while the DirectShow encoders register under the DirectShow Filters and Video or Audio Compressors category.

DMO Encoders register in the Video Compressors category and are designed to be used with Microsoft's Windows Media Encoder for streaming video in a Windows Media (WMV or WMA) container. While they can be used as DirectShow encoders, it is recommended to use the DirectShow encoders since their DirectShow counterparts work better in DirectShow.

DMO Decoders register in the DirectShow Filters category and are designed to work in Microsoft's Media Player for playing Windows Media (WMV or WMA) streams. The DirectShow decoder counterparts are more suitable for use in other DirectShow applications.

Media Foundation components correspond to some DirectShow codecs. They are designed to work with the newer forms of digital media.

Video Codecs

Comments	DirectShow Codec	Media Foundation Codec
The LEAD MCMP/MJPEG codec offers the power to compress TV quality video at 30 frames per second in real-time. Additionally, because the codec includes MJPEG and MCMP, the codec adds the flexibility of using standard or proprietary encoding. The LEAD MCMP/MJPEG codec integrates with any application using DirectShow or Video for Windows.	LCODCCMP2.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD MCMW codec uses proprietary wavelet compression to compress images hundreds of times smaller than uncompressed images without producing compression artifacts that can be found in MJPEG compression. Wavelet compression translates to higher quality video with smaller files sizes.	LCODCCMW3.DLL LCMW3.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD JPEG2000 Video codec uses standard JPEG2000 wavelet compression. This codec is particularly useful when high compression and interoperability are necessary. JPEG2000 provides high compression with image quality superior to all existing standard encoding techniques. This high compression and quality performance is due to the adaptation of wavelet transforms.	LCODCJ2K2.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H263 codec is a high quality lossy interframe codec with a quality and compression ratio comparable with MPEG-4. It can be used for video-conferencing or for compressing large files. The LEAD H263 codec is suitable for videos captured from cameras as well as video captured from screen.	LCODC26D2.DLL, LCODC26X2.DLL, DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H263 Decoder is used for decoding H.263 and Sorenson video. H.263 video compression is commonly used in standard videoconferencing applications. Sorenson video compression is commonly used in Flash FLV files.		LMFCodc26d.DLL DSKERNEL2.DLL
The LEAD H264 Video Codec is a state-of-the-art codec for compressing and decompressing video data using H.264/AVC standard. H.264 is an advanced video standard developed jointly by ITU and MPEG. H.264/AVC provides an efficient algorithm for compressing video. It is commonly used in Blu-Ray disks, HDTV, MP4 files and many web HD video formats (like Flash HD).	LDECH2643.DLL LENCH2643.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H264 Encoder (DMO) is a DirectX Media Object (DMO) filter for compressing video data using the H.264/AVC standard.	LENCH264DMO2.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H264 Encoder Advanced (DMO) is a DirectX Media Object (DMO) filter for compressing video data using the H.264/AVC standard. In addition to the capabilities supported by the standard LEAD H264 Encoder Filter (DMO), the LEAD H264 Encoder Filter Advanced (DMO) supports the following features: Fixed bit rate compression. The standard version supports only variable bit rate compression. The ability to use smaller blocks in motion estimation. The standard can use only 16 X 16 blocks. The advanced can use 16 X 16, 16 X 8, 8 X 16, 8 X 8, ... 4 X 4 blocks. These extra types of blocks will increase compression, allowing the advanced to compress more than the standard. Capability to use different compression rates at different time periods throughout the video. This is implemented by using a time quality factor file. This feature makes it possible to optimize compression for the best performance.	LENCH264DMO2.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H264 Transcoder is a DirectShow filter. It is used to transcode h.264 video stream between the byte stream format (used in mpeg2 files) and the NAL unit stream format (used in ISO/MP4 files). The LEAD H264 Transcoder changes the h.264 packets without re-compression. Conversion is fast and the quality of the original stream is preserved. The LEAD Multimedia toolkit automatically inserts the filter between demultiplexer and multiplexer whenever necessary.	LTranscoderH264.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H264 Decoder is used for decoding H.264 video. H.264 video compression (also known as MPEG-4 Part 10) is commonly used in MP4 and Flash HD files.		LMFDecH264.DLL DSKERNEL2.DLL
The LEAD H265 Video Encoder is a state-of-the-art encoder for compressing video data using H.265/HEVC standard. H265 is the latest and most advanced video standard developed jointly by ITU and MPEG. H.265/HEVC provides a far more efficient algorithm for compressing video than any other compression method available. It typically outperforms all existing standards, being roughly twice as efficient as H264.	LEncH265.DLL LEncH265Krn.DLL libmfxsw32.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H265 Video Decoder is used for decompressing H265/HEVC video data.	LDecH265.DLL LDecH265Krn.DLL libmfxsw32.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD H265 Transcoder is a DirectShow filter. It is used to transcode H265/HEVC video between the byte stream format (used in mpeg2 files) and the NAL unit stream format (used in ISO/MP4 files). The LEAD H265 Transcoder changes the h.265 packets without re-compression. Conversion is fast and the quality of the original stream is preserved. The LEAD Multimedia toolkit automatically inserts the filter between demultiplexer and multiplexer whenever necessary.	LTranscoderH265.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD MPEG-2 Video Decoder is used for decompressing MPEG-2 video data.	LDecMpg22.dll DSKernel2.DLL	LDecMpg2MFT.DLL DSKERNEL2.DLL
The LEAD MPEG-2 Video Encoder is used for compressing Video data using the MPEG-2 standard (ISO/IEC 13818-2) or MPEG-1 standard (ISO 11172-2). MPEG-1 is the older standard and achieves higher compression than MPEG-2 (but at lower quality). MPEG-1 compression is used in VCD (video on CD). MPEG-2 is the newer standard and has lower compression than MPEG-1 but the quality is much better than MPEG-1. MPEG-2 is a high quality video compression algorithm and is best suited for applications with higher bit rates or high-bandwidth usage. The most common applications include DVD-Videos, SVCD and digital TVs. The compressed video data can be stored inside MPEG, AVI, or Ogg files with the option of saving the file with or without the audio data.	LENCMPG2.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD MPEG-4 Decoder is used for decompressing video data using the MPEG-4 standard (ISO/IEC 14496-2). MPEG-4 is suitable for a wide range of bandwidths from low bandwidth to broadband. In addition to MP4 files, MPEG4 compressed video data can be stored inside AVI, MPEG-2 (Program/Transport) or OGG files with the option of saving the file with or without the audio data.	LDecMPG4.DLL LDecMPG4Krn.DLL DSKernel2.DLL	LMFDecMpg4.DLL DSKERNEL2.DLL
The LEAD MPEG-4 Encoder compresses video data using the MPEG-4 standard (ISO/IEC 14496-2). MPEG-4 is suitable for a wide range of bandwidths from low bandwidth to broadband. In addition to MP4 files, MPEG4 compressed video data can be stored inside AVI, MPEG-2 (Program/Transport) or OGG files with the option of saving the file with or without the audio data. The LEAD MPEG-4 Video Encoder is easily configurable through both a programming interface and a user interface and provides the ability to deliver a video that is most suitable for the intended application.	LEncMPG4.DLL LEncMPG4Krn.DLL DSKernel2.DLL	LMFEncMPG4.DLL DSKERNEL2.DLL
The LEAD RLE Decoder is a DirectShow filter for decompressing video QuickTime or MP4 files that use the RLE compression.	LDecRle.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
LEAD's Screen Capture Video Codec is a multimedia compressor/decompressor which registers into the Windows- collection of multimedia drivers (under the DirectShow Video Compressors category) and integrates with any application using DirectShow. Existing video software, such as Windows- Media Player- and Ulead Media Studio-, can utilize this codec to play, create, and edit industry standard LEAD's proprietary LSCR files. This codec is designed and most suited for screen-captured streams, best for presentations and applications tutoring. LSCR delivers much smaller file sizes yet uses a lossless compression technique.	LCODCSCR.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD VP8 Decoder is used for decompressing VP8 video. The VP8 video compression is a high quality open standard comparable to H.264.	LDecVP8.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD VP8 Encoder is used for compressing VP8 video. The VP8 video compression is a high quality open standard comparable to H.264.	LEncVP8.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD Theora Decoder is used for decompressing Theora video. The Theora video compression is good quality open standard comparable to H.263.	LDecTheora.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD Theora Encoder is used for compressing Theora video. The Theora video compression is good quality open standard comparable to H.263.	LEncTheora.DLL DSKernel2.DLL

Audio Codecs

Comments	DirectShow Audio Codecs	Media Foundation Audio Codecs
The LEAD MPEG Audio Encoder is a DirectShow filter for compressing Audio data using the MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio compression standard (ISO/IEC 11172-3). This audio format can be multiplexed into an MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 file. Use this audio codec when you create MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 (DVD) files.	LEncMpgA.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD AAC Encoder is a DirectShow filter for compressing audio data using the AAC compression standard (ISO/IEC 13818-7). The AAC standard delivers high quality audio at lower bitrate compared to other audio encoding standards like ISO/MPEG Audio Layer-3; MP3.	LEncAAC.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD AAC Transcoder is a DirectShow filter. It is used to transcode AAC audio streams in mpeg2 format to AAC in ISO (mpeg4) format. Note that this conversion is only possible in one direction from MPEG2 format to ISO format. The LEAD AAC Transcoder changes the AAC packet format without performing re-compression of the audio stream or the data packets. Conversion is fast while the quality of the original stream is preserved. To convert an AAC stream inside an MPEG2 transport file to ISO format without re-compression, insert the LEAD AAC Transcoder filter between the MPEG2 demux and the ISO multiplexer. The LEAD Multimedia toolkit automatically inserts the filter in this manner	LTranscoderAAC.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD AAC Decoder is a DirectShow filter for decompressing audio data using the AAC compression standard (ISO/IEC 13818-7).	LDecAAC.DLL DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD AC3 Audio Encoder compresses audio data using the AC3 compression standard (A/52 - Digital Audio Compression Standard (AC-3)). AC3 is the sound format for digital television (DTV), digital versatile discs (DVDs), high definition television (HDTV), and digital cable and satellite transmissions. AC3 is a 5.1 format, which means that it provides five full-bandwidth channels, front left, front right, center, surround left, and surround right. A low-frequency effect (LFE) channel is included for the sound needed for special effects and action sequences in movies. AC3 also has a downmixing feature that ensures compatibility with devices that do not support the 5.1 format.	LEncAC3.DLL DSKernel2.DLL	LEncMFAC3.DLL LEncAC3Krn.DLL DSKERNEL2.DLL
The LEAD AC3 Decoder, is a DirectShow filter for decompressing audio data. AC3 audio compression is used mainly in DVDs with 5.1 channels surround sound.	LDecAC3.DLL, DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD AMR Encoder is a DirectShow filter for compressing audio data using the AMR compression standard. The AMR compression is the standard speech codec for 3GPP and is widely used by mobile phones. It is fast and delivers very low bit rate, but at slower quality than AAC, Vorbis or MP3.	LEncAMR.DLL, DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD AMR Decoder is used to decompress AMR audio. The AMR compression is the standard speech codec for 3GPP and is widely used by mobile phones. It is fast and delivers very low bit rate, but at slower quality than AAC, Vorbis or MP3.	LDecAMR.DLL, DSKernel2.DLL	LDecAMRMFT.DLL DSKERNEL2.DLL
The LEAD G.726 Encoder is a DirectShow filter for compressing audio data using the G.726 compression as defined in RFC 3551, and it supersedes both the G.721 and G.723 codecs. This ADPCM speech codec covers the transmission of voice at rates of 16, 24, 32, and 40 kbit/s.	LCodcG726.DLL, DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD G.726 Decoder is a DirectShow filter for decompressing audio data using the G.726 compression standard as defined in RFC 3551. The official name is ITU-T G.726.	LCodcG726.DLL, DSKernel2.DLL
The LEAD Vorbis-based Audio Codec, is a DirectShow - filter for compressing and decompressing audio data using the Vorbis compression algorithm. Vorbis is a new audio compression method used to store digital music or any audio data. The compressed audio data can be stored inside AVI or Ogg files. Compared to MP3 compressed audio files, Vorbis based compression produces audio files that maintain a higher sound quality and/or a smaller compressed size, depending on the needs of the user. For example, the user has the option of keeping their digital music collection at the same sound quality level as MP3, but requiring significantly less disk space. Or, a user can commit the same amount of storage (disk space) as their MP3 based files, however their digital music will have higher quality sound.	LEncVorbis.DLL LDecVorbis.DLL
The LEAD MPEG Audio Encoder is a DirectShow - filter for compressing Audio data using the MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio compression standard (ISO/IEC 11172-3). This audio format can be multiplexed into an MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 file. Use this audio codec when you create MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 files. MPEG-1 Layer 3 compression offers higher audio compression than MPEG-1 Layer 2, but this audio compression is not supported by most MPEG splitters.	LEncMpgA.DLL, DSKernel2.DLL

With the exception of the Vorbis codec, the Audio and Video Codecs distributed with Multimedia SDKs are solely for evaluation purposes and may not be copied or distributed by you. If you wish to obtain licensing to copy and distribute any or all of the evaluation Codecs, you must first obtain an OEM license covering the Codecs from LEAD. To obtain pricing and other licensing information, please contact oemsales@leadtools.com.