LEADTOOLS Media Streaming C API Introduction

Summary

The LEADTOOLS Media Streaming C API provides developers with the full range of tools for quickly and easily creating professional, high-quality multimedia streaming applications that can stream to any device. Just a few lines of code are all that is needed to add multimedia streaming that supports industry standard protocols from single-source videos.

The API, written in Windows Native Code for exceptional performance, is ideal for developers who wish to create servers or web sites for streaming large amounts of multimedia content. The API makes it easy to stream the video stored in one format (MP4) to any available device. Source files are stored as MP4 and are automatically converted from MP4 to the required format for the device on which the video is being viewed.

The API makes it possible for live streaming from a variety of sources. Streams with compatible H264 data can be streamed without recompression, while others will be recompressed on-the-fly using H264 video and AAC audio compression.

Key Features

• Media Streaming Server:
  • Convert any file, capture device, ONVIF-conformant camera, UDP, or Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) stream on-the-fly to a variety of formats and industry-standard protocols.
  • Supply custom logging interface and create IIS-style logs that can be viewed as text or with any tool capable of parsing IIS logs.
  • Serialized user-defined XML configuration which supports application-defined properties for additional customization.
• Formats and Protocols:
  • RTSP/RTP – for web browsers with the Apple QuickTime or VLC RTSP plugin installed, or any application that supports RTSP
  • RTSP/RTP (MPEG-2 transport) – for web browsers with Apple QuickTime or VLC RTSP plugin installed, or any application that supports RTSP
  • RTSP/RTP over HTTP – for web browsers with Apple QuickTime or VLC RTSP plugin installed, or any application that supports RTSP
  • Adobe Flash RTMP – for any web browser that has Adobe Flash installed
  • Apple HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) – for Apple iPad/iPhone and Android devices
  • HTML5 Video – for most web browsers (PC and mobile devices) ** File streaming only **
  • MPEG-DASH – for most web browsers that have Adobe Flash
  • Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) – for most web browsers that have Adobe Flash installed
  • Microsoft Smooth Streaming (SSF) – for web browsers that have Microsoft Silverlight installed
  • Use the same server for streaming over HTTP (unsecure) or HTTPS (secure).
• Live Streaming Support:
  • Create live streaming applications from multiple sources
    • Webcams and other DirectShow capture devices (including HDTV)
    • IP network cameras
    • RTSP, ONVIF, or UDP streams
    • RTP/TCP/UDP MPEG2 Transport streams
  • Find, configure, and stream from IP cameras with ONVIF capabilities
  • Avoid recompressing when streaming from live sources using compatible H264 compression
  • Control H264 hardware decoding
  • Take advantage of Quick Sync Video (QSV) or CUDA hardware acceleration
  • Implement activate-on-demand live streaming
  • Perform live streaming using any protocol (except HTML5 which can only use file streaming)
• Video Conferencing: With advanced video conferencing technology, applications can be developed that require video capture, playback, transmission, and efficient compression. LEAD's collection of world-class audio and video codecs for DirectShow and Media Foundation will improve quality and speed while also cutting back on bandwidth consumption.
• MPEG-2 Transport: With the LEADTOOLS MPEG-2 Transport Stream SDK technology, developers can add complete support for one of today's most popular multimedia formats. MPEG-2 Transport stream technology is used in digital television, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and Blu-ray media. It supports MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.265, and H.264 encoded video.
• RTSP: LEADTOOLS includes DirectShow filters and Media Foundation Transforms that support the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) to send and receive audio and video over UDP and HTTP connections. Developers can use LEADTOOLS to create or connect to any RTSP source to make powerful surveillance, shop floor machine vision, video conferencing, live streaming, and video on-demand applications.

Supported Environments

See Also

Reference

Media Streaming Interfaces and Objects

Media Streaming Function Groups

Getting Started

Windows 10 Update Effects on Edge

Media Streaming Online Demo

Deploying Media Server

Media Streaming Files to be Included With Application

Version History

LEADTOOLS Media Streaming C API Changes