collecting ideas for a DirectShow based encoding tool

[stax76]

I notice a trend towards DirectShow based encoding tools and standardized formats like MP4 and therefore I'm considering to build a application. Unfortunately I don't have a clear idea on how it's gonna look like or work. In order to get started I could need some help:

what applications are already available besides Graphedit and Nero?
what features would you expect from such a application?
what filters would you like to use? Post the xml representation of the graph created by GraphEdit!

anything else to add?

[opsis81]

I would like let me choose audio effects-filters,video effects-filters,video encoder,audio encoder and media multiplexer.

I would like a directshow encoding software that could let me choose every directshow filter I want and allow me to save my favourite combinations of filters as templates.

I have used Graphedit for capturing video in MPEG-2 format:
What I used:
audio effect:ffdshow audio decoder
video effect:ffdshow raw video filter
audio encoder:Intervideo Audio Encoder
video encoder:Intervideo Video Encoder
media multiplexer:Intervideo Multiplexer
File writer

Everything worked perfectly.

WinDVD Creator is also a directshow based encoding application.It used the xml format for encoding and they are stored as ipf files.
Many other capture software are using directshow.For example iuVCR

[pogo stick]

From my ignorant point of view, DirectShow based encoding and editing tools are very good idea. As it seems, VFW has so many flaws that I wonder why there is a lack of DS applications. They would solve a lot of problems, aren't they? H.264 is future and AVI/VFW is not a good choice for it. So, I think, something like DirectShow VirualDub with MP4 support would be more than nice. There are VirualDub source codes. Would it be hard to alter it to support DirectShow? And there are Avisynth source codes. Would it be good to include its filtering part in such application?
Am I dreamer? Yes, I am! :)

[Neo Neko]

Originally posted by Dolemite
I notice a trend towards DirectShow based encoding tools and standardized formats like MP4 and therefore I'm considering to build a application. Unfortunately I don't have a clear idea on how it's gonna look like or work. In order to get started I could need some help:

I assume it will most likely be written in .net right? :D Personally if you are going for encoder and not NLE I think Virtualdub would be a good model. Even to go so far as supporting Virtualdub filters would be nice. Must have additions would be the ability to build your own filter graphs and override filters.

Heck even if you decide to go fo NLE virtualdub would be a good starting point. Alot of people are familliar with the interface [it is rather simple and clean] and assuming everything functions similarly I would suspect the adoption rate would be increased. I might be willing to DL .net for that. ;)

Also a settings file and batch job file like virtualdub would be nice. Only have them stored in valid XML doccuments. [Watch out some MS components have been known to make weird XML] Would be spiffy and make it super simple for people to edit and interface.

Oh and a metadata editor for files that support it.

[ChristianHJW]

Dolemite,

our win32 port of Gstreamer, the x-platform opensource alternative to DirectShow, is working on some of our development boxes already, and there is a huge number of working plugins for all kinds of formats and compression types existing already. Expect an official release on 'WinStreamer' ( the code name :D ) before the end of this month.

Some commercial companies have now started to create tools based on it to stream media over HTTP, and its license is L-GPL, so there is no need to go opensource for your tool. However, we still have plans for a similar software called TCME, and opensource, and 3 developers have announced already to participate once we have a skeleton working. Just FYI ...

[jernst]

Hi Dolemite,

If your tool could use this Gstreamer port and wxNet or Gtk# so it will work without any modification on various platforms it would be very nice !

[stax76]

Thanks for all the information, it's not a easy topic and I don't have a clear idea yet, I'm putting everything into consideration however.

[bond]

basically what i would like to see from a dshow encoding app is for example what is not possible in vfw:
- variable framerate encoding/editing
- b-frame encoding (depends on the used codecs of course)
- choosing container output/muxer
- frame accurate cutting (not only at the keyframes) as possible with .mp4

[Latexxx]

Originally posted by bond
- frame accurate cutting (not only at the keyframes) as possible with .mp4

I thought that Avery Lee dumped VirtualDub for DS because this isn't achievable with most input filters.

[bond]

what do you mean? frame accurate seeking? hm i dont know enough about this, but i think, also because of variable framerate, the handling of streams should maybe be more time-based and not frame-based?

[Latexxx]

Originally posted by bond
what do you mean? frame accurate seeking? hm i dont know enough about this, but i think, also because of variable framerate, the handling of streams should maybe be more time-based and not frame-based?

According to my knowledge some filters just give you the nearest keyframe and not the frame requested.

[[Toff]]

Originally posted by Latexxx
According to my knowledge some filters just give you the nearest keyframe and not the frame requested.
That's the case for OggDS which has an option for that.
Talking about keyframe, in DShow you're supposed to be able to seek to a keyframe by passing the appropriate flag from your application, but filters supporting that are pretty rare. For example MS AVI splitter doesn't.

[ChristianHJW]

Avery dumped the idea to build Vdub 2 on Dshow because you dont have enough control over the process once its started, but note that Dolemite is talking about an encoder, not an advanced editor like Vdub .... even DShow should be fine for that, of course gstreamer would give more options and flexibility, and even right now ( but only on Linux ;) )....