Media Player SDK for C# .NET — Video Player, Audio Player, and Streaming API¶

Introduction¶

The Media Player SDK for .NET is a C# video player API that lets you play video and audio files, network streams (RTSP, HLS, MPEG-DASH), and special content like 360-degree videos in your .NET applications. It replaces low-level DirectShow playback code and Windows Media Player SDK integration with a modern async API — open a file, start playback, and control seeking and volume in a few lines of C#.

The SDK uses GStreamer-based decoding with hardware acceleration and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Whether you need to build a desktop video player, embed media playback in a kiosk app, or stream RTSP feeds from IP cameras, the API covers it.

Quick Start¶

1. Install NuGet Packages¶

dotnet add package VisioForge.DotNet.MediaPlayer

Add platform-specific native dependencies:

<!-- Windows x64 -->
<PackageReference Include="VisioForge.CrossPlatform.Core.Windows.x64" Version="2025.11.0" />
<PackageReference Include="VisioForge.CrossPlatform.Libav.Windows.x64" Version="2025.11.0" />

<!-- macOS -->
<PackageReference Include="VisioForge.CrossPlatform.Core.macOS" Version="2025.9.1" />

<!-- Linux x64 -->
<PackageReference Include="VisioForge.CrossPlatform.Core.Linux.x64" Version="2025.11.0" />
<PackageReference Include="VisioForge.CrossPlatform.Libav.Linux.x64" Version="2025.11.0" />

For the full list of packages and UI framework support (WinForms, WPF, MAUI, Avalonia), see the Installation Guide.

2. Initialize the SDK¶

Call InitSDKAsync() once at application startup before using any playback functionality:

using VisioForge.Core;

await VisioForgeX.InitSDKAsync();

3. Play Video in C# (Minimal Example)¶

using VisioForge.Core;
using VisioForge.Core.MediaPlayerX;
using VisioForge.Core.Types.X.Sources;

// Create player instance linked to a VideoView control
var player = new MediaPlayerCoreX(videoView);

// Open a video file
var source = await UniversalSourceSettings.CreateAsync(
    new Uri("C:\\Videos\\sample.mp4"));
await player.OpenAsync(source);

// Start playback
await player.PlayAsync();

// ... when done:
await player.StopAsync();
await player.DisposeAsync();

4. Cleanup at Shutdown¶

VisioForgeX.DestroySDK();

Core Workflow¶

Every media player application follows the same pattern:

Initialize SDK — VisioForgeX.InitSDKAsync() (once per app lifetime)
Create player — new MediaPlayerCoreX(videoView) for video, or without a view for audio-only
Open media — await player.OpenAsync(source) with a file path or stream URL
Play — await player.PlayAsync()
Control playback — seek with Position_SetAsync(), pause with PauseAsync(), adjust volume
Stop — await player.StopAsync()
Dispose — await player.DisposeAsync() releases all resources
Destroy SDK — VisioForgeX.DestroySDK() at application shutdown

Common C# Video Player Scenarios¶

Play Video File in C# (MP4, AVI, MKV)¶

Open and play any supported video file with automatic codec detection:

var source = await UniversalSourceSettings.CreateAsync(
    new Uri("movie.mp4"));
await player.OpenAsync(source);
await player.PlayAsync();

See the full tutorial: Build a Video Player in C#

Play RTSP Stream in C¶

Play live video from IP cameras and RTSP sources. Supports RTSP, HTTP, HLS, and MPEG-DASH:

var source = await UniversalSourceSettings.CreateAsync(
    new Uri("rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.100:554/stream"));
await player.OpenAsync(source);
await player.PlayAsync();

Audio-Only Playback¶

Play audio files (MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV) without a video view:

var player = new MediaPlayerCoreX(); // no VideoView needed
var source = await UniversalSourceSettings.CreateAsync(
    new Uri("music.mp3"));
await player.OpenAsync(source);
await player.PlayAsync();

Extract Frame from Video¶

Grab a still image from the current playback position:

// Get the current frame as a SkiaSharp bitmap
var frame = await player.Snapshot_GetAsync();
if (frame != null)
{
    using var data = frame.Encode(SKEncodedImageFormat.Jpeg, 85);
    using var stream = File.OpenWrite("screenshot.jpg");
    data.SaveTo(stream);
}

See: Get a Specific Frame from a Video File

Seeking, Volume, and Speed Control¶

// Seek to a specific position
await player.Position_SetAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30));

// Get current position and duration
var position = await player.Position_GetAsync();
var duration = await player.DurationAsync();

// Adjust volume (0.0 to 1.0)
player.Audio_OutputDevice_Volume = 0.8;

// Change playback speed (0.25x to 4.0x)
await player.Rate_SetAsync(1.5);

Loop Playback and Segment Play¶

Play a specific segment of a file or loop continuously:

// Enable loop mode
player.Loop = true;

// Play a specific time range
player.StartPosition = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10);
player.StopPosition = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60);

See: Loop Mode and Position Range Playback

Supported Formats¶

Category	Formats
Video Containers	MP4, AVI, MKV, WMV, WebM, MOV, TS, MTS, FLV
Audio Formats	MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, FLAC, OGG, Vorbis
Video Codecs	H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP8, VP9, AV1, MPEG-2
Streaming Protocols	RTSP, HTTP, HLS, MPEG-DASH

Platform Support¶

Platform	UI Frameworks	Notes
Windows x64	WinForms, WPF, WinUI, MAUI, Avalonia, Console	Full feature set including DirectShow engine
macOS	MAUI, Avalonia, Console	AVFoundation-based rendering
Linux x64	Avalonia, Console	GStreamer-based decoding
Android	MAUI	Via MAUI integration
iOS	MAUI	Via MAUI integration

For cross-platform implementations, see: Cross-Platform Video Player — Avalonia & MAUI Guide