Last updated: February 2026
Video Capture SDK .NET vs Ozeki Camera SDK
C# Camera & IP Camera SDK Comparison
Choosing the right video capture SDK for C# and .NET development is critical for building reliable camera, screen recording, and IP camera applications. Both VisioForge Video Capture SDK .NET and Ozeki Camera SDK are .NET-based development kits designed for C# video capture, but they differ significantly in scope, platform support, and architecture. VisioForge Video Capture SDK .NET is a comprehensive, cross-platform camera SDK supporting USB webcam capture, ONVIF and RTSP IP cameras, screen capture, professional hardware (Blackmagic Decklink, NDI, GenICam/GigE Vision), and a wide range of output formats. Ozeki Camera SDK focuses primarily on IP camera connectivity via ONVIF and RTSP protocols, with built-in video analytics capabilities like license plate recognition and object detection.
Executive Summary
| Aspect | Video Capture SDK .NET | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Universal video capture & processing | IP camera / ONVIF applications |
| Cross-Platform | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows (Linux/macOS partial) |
| Modern .NET | .NET 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 | .NET 8 (recently upgraded from .NET Framework 4.8) |
| UI Frameworks | WinForms, WPF, MAUI, Avalonia, Uno, WinUI, Blazor | WinForms |
| Output Formats | 10+ containers (MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, WebM, etc.) | MPEG-4, AVI |
| Video Codecs | H.264, HEVC, AV1, VP8/VP9, MJPEG, and more | H.264, MP4V-ES |
| Hardware Acceleration | NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD VCE, Apple VideoToolbox | None |
| Licensing Model | Per-developer, free for non-commercial use | Per-camera count |
| Best For | Cross-platform capture, streaming, professional hardware | Dedicated IP camera surveillance with analytics |
Architecture Deep Dive
Video Capture SDK .NET Architecture
The Video Capture SDK uses a dual-engine design. The primary engine wraps DirectShow and Media Foundation on Windows, giving native access to every capture device exposed by the OS. A secondary embedded FFmpeg pipeline handles advanced codec operations, IP camera ingestion, and cross-platform recording. Both engines share a unified .NET API surface.
- ▶Native Windows capture via DirectShow and Media Foundation filter graphs
- ▶Embedded FFmpeg for codec flexibility without external CLI dependencies
- ▶GPU-accelerated preview via Direct3D / OpenGL renderers
- ▶Event-driven architecture with .NET async/await support
- ▶Cross-platform pipeline supporting Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS
Ozeki Camera SDK Architecture
Ozeki Camera SDK uses a camera-centric connection model where developers establish connections to IP cameras and attach handlers for specific operations (recording, PTZ control, motion detection, analytics). The SDK provides high-level classes for common ONVIF operations rather than composable processing blocks.
- ▶Camera-centric connection model focused on ONVIF and RTSP
- ▶Built-in video analytics pipeline (LPR, object detection, tripwire)
- ▶Integrated alerting system (email, SMS, VoIP, FTP)
- ▶Recently upgraded from .NET Framework 4.8 to .NET 8
- ▶Integrated notification system for surveillance alerts
Key Architectural Differences
| Aspect | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| Engine Type | Dual engine (DirectShow/MF + FFmpeg) | Proprietary camera connection engine |
| Device Scope | Webcams, IP cameras, screens, capture cards, industrial cameras | IP cameras (ONVIF/RTSP) and USB webcams |
| Codec Support | Embedded FFmpeg + OS codecs + hardware encoders | H.264, MP4V-ES via proprietary stack |
| API Design | Modern .NET async/await API with events | Camera connection model with handlers |
| Analytics | Motion detection, face detection, barcode reading | LPR, object detection, tripwire, loitering, OCR |
| Platform Reach | 5 platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android) | Windows primary, partial Linux/macOS/Android |
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Video Input Sources
| Feature | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| USB Webcams | ✅ | ✅ |
| ONVIF IP Cameras | ✅ | ✅ |
| RTSP Cameras | ✅ | ✅ |
| HTTP MJPEG Cameras | ✅ | ✅ |
| Screen / Desktop Capture | ✅ | ❌ |
| DV / HDV Camcorders | ✅ | ❌ |
| TV Tuners | ✅ | ❌ |
| Blackmagic Decklink | ✅ | ❌ |
| NDI Sources | ✅ | ❌ |
| RTMP Sources | ✅ | ❌ |
| SRT Sources | ✅ | ❌ |
| HLS Sources | ✅ | ❌ |
| GenICam / GigE Vision / USB3 Vision | ✅ | ❌ |
| Microsoft Kinect | ✅ | ❌ |
| ASIO Audio Devices | ✅ | ❌ |
| DVB-T / DVB-C / DVB-S / ATSC | ✅ | ❌ |
| VNC Remote Desktop Capture | ✅ | ❌ |
Output Formats & Codecs
| Feature | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 (H.264 + AAC) | ✅ | ✅ |
| AVI | ✅ | ✅ |
| MKV | ✅ | ❌ |
| MOV | ✅ | ❌ |
| WebM (VP8/VP9) | ✅ | ❌ |
| WMV / ASF | ✅ | ❌ |
| MPEG-TS | ✅ | ❌ |
| MXF | ✅ | ❌ |
| GIF | ✅ | ❌ |
| FLV | ✅ | ❌ |
| HEVC / H.265 Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| AV1 Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| VP8 / VP9 Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| MJPEG Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| JPG Snapshot | ✅ | ✅ |
| WAV Audio Recording | ✅ | ✅ |
| MP3 Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| AAC Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| FLAC Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| Ogg Vorbis Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| Pre-Event Recording (Circular Buffer) | ✅ | ⚠️(Basic circular buffer for IP cameras only) |
Network Streaming
| Feature | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| RTSP Server | ✅ | ❌ |
| RTMP Streaming | ✅ | ❌ |
| HLS Streaming | ✅ | ❌ |
| SRT Streaming | ✅ | ❌ |
| NDI Streaming | ✅ | ❌ |
| UDP Streaming | ✅ | ❌ |
| YouTube / Facebook Live | ✅ | ❌ |
| AWS S3 Upload | ✅ | ❌ |
| HTTP MJPEG Server | ✅ | ✅ |
| ONVIF Server (Camera Emulation) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Website Video Embedding | ✅ | ✅ |
Hardware Acceleration
| Feature | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA NVENC Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| NVIDIA CUDA Processing | ✅ | ❌ |
| Intel Quick Sync Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| AMD VCE / AMF Encoding | ✅ | ❌ |
| Apple VideoToolbox | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hardware-Accelerated Decoding | ✅ | ❌ |
Camera Control & Management
| Feature | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| PTZ Control (Pan/Tilt/Zoom) | ✅ | ✅ |
| PTZ Preset Positions | ✅ | ✅ |
| PTZ Speed Adjustment | ✅ | ✅ |
| ONVIF Device Discovery | ✅ | ✅ |
| Remote Camera Configuration | ✅ | ✅ |
| Camera Time Synchronization | ✅ | ✅ |
| Camera Settings Backup/Restore | ✅ | ✅ |
| Camera Reboot | ✅ | ✅ |
| Camera User Management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Camera Network Settings | ✅ | ✅ |
| Multi-Camera Simultaneous Recording | ✅ | ✅ |
Video Processing & Effects
| Feature | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Video Resize / Crop | ✅ | ✅ |
| Brightness / Contrast / Saturation | ✅ | ✅ |
| Deinterlacing | ✅ | ❌ |
| Chroma Key | ✅ | ❌ |
| Text Overlay | ✅ | ✅ |
| Image Overlay | ✅ | ❌ |
| Video Mixing / Compositing | ✅ | ❌ |
| Color Correction / Gamma | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mirror / Flip | ✅ | ✅ |
| White Balance | ✅ | ✅ |
| Video Encryption (AES-128/256) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Sepia / Greyscale Effects | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pixelation / Jitter Effects | ✅ | ✅ |
| Water Wave Effects | ✅ | ✅ |
| Edge Detection | ✅ | ✅ |
Computer Vision & Analytics
| Feature | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| Motion Detection | ✅ | ✅ |
| Face Detection | ✅ | ✅ |
| Barcode / QR Code Reading | ✅ | ✅ |
| License Plate Recognition | ❌ | ✅ |
Platform Support
Operating System Compatibility
| Platform | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (x86 / x64) | ✅ | ✅ |
| macOS | ✅ | ⚠️(Partial) |
| Linux | ✅ | ⚠️(Partial) |
| iOS | ✅ | ❌ |
| Android | ✅ | ⚠️(Partial) |
| Raspberry Pi | ✅ | ✅ |
UI Framework Compatibility
| Framework | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK |
|---|---|---|
| WinForms | ✅ | ✅ |
| WPF | ✅ | ❌ |
| .NET MAUI | ✅ | ❌ |
| Avalonia UI | ✅ | ❌ |
| Uno Platform | ✅ | ❌ |
| WinUI 3 | ✅ | ❌ |
| Blazor | ✅ | ❌ |
| Console Apps | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows Service | ✅ | ❌ |
Pricing Comparison
Video Capture SDK .NET Pricing
1 developer, IP cameras, streaming, basic formats
1 developer, + Decklink, DVB, Kinect, MPEG encoding
1 developer, all features, GPU acceleration, effects
One-time payment, unlimited updates forever
All licenses include:
- ✓ Free for non-commercial use
- ✓ Royalty-free distribution
- ✓ All source-code examples
- ✓ Priority ticket support
- ✓ All platform targets included
- ✓ Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile)
- ✓ Unlimited cameras per license
Ozeki Camera SDK Pricing
Single camera license
Two camera license
Enterprise unlimited camera license
Full source code access
Per-camera licensing model. No free non-commercial license available. 20-day trial period. 3 months standard support included. 1 year of updates included.
Decision Matrix
| Requirement | Video Capture SDK | Ozeki Camera SDK | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-platform support | Video Capture SDK | ||
| Output formats & codecs | Video Capture SDK | ||
| Hardware-accelerated encoding | Video Capture SDK | ||
| IP camera / ONVIF management | Tie | ||
| Video analytics (LPR, object detection) | Ozeki Camera SDK | ||
| Screen capture & desktop recording | Video Capture SDK | ||
| Professional hardware (NDI, Decklink, GenICam) | Video Capture SDK | ||
| Network streaming (RTMP, HLS, SRT) | Video Capture SDK | ||
| Modern .NET & UI framework support | Video Capture SDK | ||
| Surveillance-specific features | Ozeki Camera SDK | ||
| Webcam capture simplicity | Video Capture SDK |
Conclusion
Video Capture SDK .NET
VisioForge Video Capture SDK .NET is a comprehensive, cross-platform video capture SDK for .NET and C# designed for developers who need flexibility across input sources, output formats, and deployment targets. It excels in breadth of functionality — from USB webcam capture and screen recording to RTSP/ONVIF IP cameras, Blackmagic Decklink, NDI, and GenICam/GigE Vision industrial cameras — with modern .NET framework support and hardware acceleration.
Ozeki Camera SDK
Ozeki Camera SDK is a specialized IP camera SDK focused on ONVIF applications, with strong built-in video analytics and surveillance-specific features like alerting and remote camera management. It is best suited for dedicated surveillance and security camera applications running primarily on Windows.
The Reality
The choice between the two depends on your project requirements: choose VisioForge for general-purpose C# video capture with cross-platform needs, screen recording, professional hardware, and diverse codec support. Choose Ozeki for ONVIF-focused surveillance applications with built-in analytics and camera management features.