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DirectShow filters for Windows apps

VisioForge makes six DirectShow products for Windows: two source filters, built on FFmpeg and on libVLC, that play files and network streams; a pack of encoder and muxer filters; a pack of video and audio processing filters; a virtual webcam and microphone; and filters that encrypt video. They work in any DirectShow application or filter graph, ship as x86 and x64 builds, and have C++, C# and Delphi APIs.

Which filter do I need?DirectShow bundle

What is a DirectShow filter?

A DirectShow filter is a COM component that does one step of media processing on Windows. An application connects filters into a filter graph: a source filter reads a file, a stream or a device, transform filters decode, process or encode the data, and a renderer or a file writer at the end shows or saves it. Filters ship as .ax files and are registered with Windows by an installer or regsvr32. A 32-bit application loads only x86 filters and a 64-bit application only x64 filters, so register the build that matches your app.

Which filter do I need?

I need toUse
Play MP4, MKV, WebM, MPEG-TS and AVI files and RTSP, RTMP and HLS streams, with GPU decoding on NVIDIA, Intel and AMDFFmpeg Source DirectShow Filter
Play files and RTSP, HLS, SRT and HTTP streams through libVLC, including HEVC, VP9 and AV1 with DXVA2 or D3D11 decodingVLC Source DirectShow Filter
Encode H.264, HEVC, VP8, VP9, AAC, MP3 or Vorbis into MP4, MKV, MPEG-TS or WebM, with GPU H.264 and HEVCDirectShow Encoding Filters Pack
Add text and image overlays, color adjustment, deinterlacing, denoising, chroma key, motion detection, resize, crop or rotation, an audio equalizer or a volume boosterDirectShow Processing Filters Pack
Send video and audio from my app to Zoom, OBS Studio or a Chromium-based browser as a webcam and a microphoneVirtual Camera SDK
Record video to MP4 encrypted with AES-128 or AES-256 and play it back only with the keyVideo Encryption SDK

The six DirectShow products

Source filter

FFmpeg Source DirectShow Filter

Decodes media with FFmpeg in any DirectShow app: MP4, MKV, WebM, MPEG-TS and AVI files, RTSP, RTMP and HLS streams, GPU decoding on NVIDIA, Intel and AMD cards.

Product page Documentation

Source filter

VLC Source DirectShow Filter

Plays media through bundled libVLC: MKV, MP4 and MPEG-TS files, RTSP, HLS, SRT and HTTP streams, HEVC, VP9 and AV1 with DXVA2 or D3D11.

Product page Documentation

Encoder and muxer filters

DirectShow Encoding Filters Pack

Encodes H.264, HEVC, VP8, VP9, AAC, MP3 and Vorbis into MP4, MKV, MPEG-TS and WebM, with GPU H.264 and HEVC on NVIDIA, Intel and AMD.

Product page Documentation

Transform filters

DirectShow Processing Filters Pack

Text and image overlays, color adjustment, deinterlacing, denoising, chroma key, motion detection, resize, crop and rotation, plus an audio equalizer and volume booster.

Product page Documentation

Virtual devices

Virtual Camera SDK

Adds one virtual webcam and one virtual microphone to Windows. Zoom, OBS Studio, Chromium-based browsers and other DirectShow applications list them next to physical devices; apps that use only Media Foundation, such as the Windows Camera app, do not.

Product page Documentation

Encryption filters

Video Encryption SDK

Encodes video to MP4 (H.264/AAC) and encrypts it with AES-128 or AES-256, keyed by a password or binary data. A matching decryptor filter plays the protected files.

Product page Documentation

The filters work together in one graph

Each product is a set of ordinary DirectShow filters, so they connect to each other and to the filters Windows already has. For example, to convert a stream to MP4 with an overlay, the source filter decodes it, a processing filter draws the overlay, and the encoding pack compresses and writes the file.

FFmpeg Source
Video effects
H.264 encoder
MP4 muxer

DirectShow All-In-One Bundle

One license for the products below.

€1,000/year·€2,500 lifetime

vs €1,950/year and €5,800 lifetime buying them separately

See it on the pricing page

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the FFmpeg and VLC source filters?▼
Both are DirectShow source filters that open files and network streams, and they use different engines. FFmpeg Source decodes with FFmpeg, with GPU decoding on NVIDIA, Intel and AMD cards. VLC Source plays through a bundled libVLC with DXVA2 or D3D11 decoding. Try both with your own files and streams during the trial.
Can I use the filters from C# and .NET?▼
Yes. The VisioForge.DirectShowAPI NuGet package provides .NET wrappers for the filter interfaces, and the samples cover C#, C++ and Delphi. Any language that can build a DirectShow filter graph can use the filters.
How do I register the filters on a user's machine?▼
Each product has an installer that registers its filters. To deploy with your own installer, register the .ax files with regsvr32 or from code, using the x86 build for 32-bit applications and the x64 build for 64-bit ones. The filter registration guide lists the file names.
Can I test the filters without writing code?▼
Yes. GraphEdit and GraphStudioNext list the registered filters, so you can build a graph by hand, connect the pins and play it before you write any code.
Which Windows versions are supported?▼
The filters run on Windows 10 and Windows 11; most products also support Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 and Windows Server. The exact list for each product is on its page. DirectShow itself is part of every desktop version of Windows.
Can I redistribute the filters with my application?▼
Yes. All six products are distributed royalty-free with your application under a purchased license. The terms for each product are on its page.
Is there a trial?▼
Yes. Every product page has a free trial download. The trial is fully functional; depending on the product and the output, it shows a watermark or an evaluation notice.

Documentation

DirectShow documentation

Guides and interface references for every DirectShow filter and SDK.

Filter registration guide

Register the filters with an installer, regsvr32 or from code, with the x86 and x64 file names.

Deployment

What to ship with your application and how to include the filters in your installer.

VisioForge.DirectShowAPI on NuGet

.NET wrappers for the filter interfaces.