Video Capture SDK for C# .NET — Webcam, Screen, and IP Camera Capture API¶

Introduction¶

The Video Capture SDK for .NET is a C# video capture API that lets you record from webcams, IP cameras (RTSP/ONVIF), and screens in your .NET applications. It replaces low-level DirectShow video capture code with a modern async API — enumerate devices, configure sources, and start recording in a few lines of C#.

The SDK handles device enumeration, format negotiation, GPU-accelerated encoding, and file output across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Whether you need to save an RTSP stream to file, capture photos from a webcam, or build a screen capture tool, the API covers it.

Quick Start¶

1. Install NuGet Packages¶

dotnet add package VisioForge.DotNet.VideoCapture

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 capture functionality:

using VisioForge.Core;

await VisioForgeX.InitSDKAsync();

3. C# Webcam Capture to MP4 (Minimal Example)¶

using VisioForge.Core;
using VisioForge.Core.VideoCaptureX;
using VisioForge.Core.Types.X.Sources;
using VisioForge.Core.Types.X.Output;

// Create capture instance linked to a VideoView control
var capture = new VideoCaptureCoreX(videoView);

// Enumerate available devices
var videoDevices = await DeviceEnumerator.Shared.VideoSourcesAsync();
var audioDevices = await DeviceEnumerator.Shared.AudioSourcesAsync();

// Configure video and audio sources
capture.Video_Source = new VideoCaptureDeviceSourceSettings(videoDevices[0]);
capture.Audio_Source = audioDevices[0].CreateSourceSettingsVC();
capture.Audio_Record = true;

// Add MP4 output (H.264 + AAC, GPU-accelerated when available)
capture.Outputs_Add(new MP4Output("recording.mp4"));

// Start capture
await capture.StartAsync();

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

4. Cleanup at Shutdown¶

VisioForgeX.DestroySDK();

Core Workflow¶

Every capture application follows the same pattern:

Initialize SDK — VisioForgeX.InitSDKAsync() (once per app lifetime)
Enumerate devices — DeviceEnumerator.Shared.VideoSourcesAsync() / AudioSourcesAsync()
Create capture object — new VideoCaptureCoreX(videoView) for preview, or without a view for headless recording
Configure source — Set Video_Source to a webcam, IP camera, screen, or other source
Configure output — Add one or more outputs: MP4Output, WebMOutput, AVIOutput, etc.
Start — await capture.StartAsync()
Stop — await capture.StopAsync() finalizes the output file
Dispose — await capture.DisposeAsync() releases all resources

Common C# Video Capture Scenarios¶

Record Webcam Video in C¶

Record from a USB webcam or built-in camera to MP4 with H.264/AAC:

capture.Video_Source = new VideoCaptureDeviceSourceSettings(device);
capture.Outputs_Add(new MP4Output("webcam.mp4"));

See the full tutorial: Save Webcam Video in C#

Save RTSP Stream to File in C¶

Connect to IP cameras and save RTSP streams to MP4 files. Supports RTSP, ONVIF, and HTTP protocols:

capture.Video_Source = new RTSPSourceSettings(
    new Uri("rtsp://192.168.1.100:554/stream"))
{
    Login = "admin",
    Password = "password"
};
capture.Outputs_Add(new MP4Output("ipcam.mp4"));

See: IP Camera to MP4 | RTSP Guide | ONVIF Guide

C# Screen Capture to MP4¶

Record the desktop or a specific screen region to MP4:

capture.Video_Source = new ScreenCaptureSourceSettings()
{
    FrameRate = new VideoFrameRate(30),
    CaptureCursor = true
};
capture.Outputs_Add(new MP4Output("screen.mp4"));

See: Screen Capture to MP4

Audio-Only Recording¶

Record from a microphone without video:

capture.Audio_Source = audioDevices[0].CreateSourceSettingsVC();
capture.Audio_Record = true;
capture.Video_Record = false;
capture.Outputs_Add(new MP4Output("audio.mp4"));

Capture Photo from Webcam¶

Grab a still image from the live webcam video feed:

capture.Snapshot_Grabber_Enabled = true;
await capture.StartAsync();

// Later, save a frame:
await capture.Snapshot_SaveAsync("photo.jpg", SKEncodedImageFormat.Jpeg, 85);

See: Webcam Photo Capture

Supported Input Devices¶

Cameras and Capture Hardware¶

USB webcams and capture devices (up to 4K)
DV and HDV MPEG-2 camcorders
Professional PCI capture cards
Television tuners (with and without MPEG encoder)

Network and IP Cameras¶

RTSP-enabled IP cameras
JPEG/MJPEG HTTP cameras
RTMP streaming sources
ONVIF-compatible cameras
SRT and NDI sources

Browse our IP camera brands directory for brand-specific RTSP URLs and connection guides covering 60+ manufacturers.

Professional and Industrial Equipment¶

Blackmagic Decklink capture devices
Microsoft Kinect and Kinect 2
GenICam / GigE Vision / USB3 Vision industrial cameras

Audio Sources¶

System audio capture devices and sound cards
Professional ASIO audio devices
Audio loopback (system sound) capture

Output Formats and Encoders¶

The SDK supports multiple output containers and codecs. GPU-accelerated encoding (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF, Intel Quick Sync) is used automatically when available.

Format	Video Codecs	Audio Codecs	Use Case
MP4	H.264, H.265 (HEVC)	AAC	General purpose, widest compatibility
WebM	VP8, VP9, AV1	Vorbis, Opus	Web delivery, royalty-free
AVI	MJPEG, custom codecs	PCM, MP3	Legacy compatibility
MKV	H.264, H.265, VP9	AAC, Vorbis, FLAC	Flexible container, multiple tracks
GIF	Animated GIF	—	Short clips, previews

For detailed codec configuration, see Output Formats and Video Encoders.

Platform Support¶

Platform	UI Frameworks	Notes
Windows x64	WinForms, WPF, MAUI, Avalonia, Console	Full feature set including DirectShow sources
macOS	MAUI, Avalonia, Console	AVFoundation camera access
Linux x64	Avalonia, Console	V4L2 camera access
Android	MAUI	Via MAUI camera integration
iOS	MAUI	Via MAUI camera integration

Migrating from DirectShow Video Capture¶

If you're currently using DirectShow (DirectShow.NET) for video capture in C#, the Video Capture SDK provides a modern replacement. Instead of manually building filter graphs with IGraphBuilder, connecting pins, and managing COM objects, you use typed settings classes and async methods.

DirectShow Concept	Video Capture SDK Equivalent
`IGraphBuilder` filter graph	Managed automatically by `VideoCaptureCoreX`
`ICaptureGraphBuilder2`	Not needed — source and output configured via properties
Device enumeration via `DsDevice`	`DeviceEnumerator.Shared.VideoSourcesAsync()`
`ISampleGrabber` for frame access	`Snapshot_SaveAsync()` or `OnVideoFrameBuffer` event
Manual pin connection	Automatic — or use Media Blocks SDK for explicit pipelines
COM cleanup / `Marshal.ReleaseComObject`	Standard `IAsyncDisposable` pattern

For a detailed migration guide with side-by-side code examples, see Migrate from DirectShow.NET.