Webcam to AVI File Recording in .NET C# Applications

Video Capture SDK .Net

Overview

This tutorial demonstrates how to capture video from a webcam and save it directly to an AVI file format in your .NET applications. The implementation uses asynchronous programming techniques for smooth UI responsiveness and provides a clean architecture approach suitable for professional software development.

Video Walkthrough

Watch our detailed video tutorial covering the implementation process:

Source Code Repository

Access the complete source code from our official GitHub repository:

Source code on GitHub

Required Dependencies

Before implementing this solution, ensure you have installed the necessary dependencies:

• Video capture redistributables:
• x86 Version
• x64 Version

Implementation Details

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

• Visual Studio with .NET development tools
• A webcam connected to your development machine
• Basic understanding of Windows Forms applications

Code Implementation

The following example demonstrates a complete implementation for webcam capture to AVI file:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows.Forms;

// Import VisioForge SDK namespaces
using VisioForge.Core.VideoCapture;
using VisioForge.Core.Types;
using VisioForge.Core.Types.Output;
using VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoCapture;

namespace video_capture_webcam_avi
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        // Declare the VideoCaptureCore object that will handle all capture operations
        private VideoCaptureCore videoCapture1;

        public Form1()
        {
            // Standard Windows Forms initialization
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // Initialize the VideoCaptureCore object and bind it to the VideoView control
            // VideoView1 is a control that displays the video preview
            videoCapture1 = new VideoCaptureCore(VideoView1 as IVideoView);
        }

        private async void btStart_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // Set the video capture device - using the first available camera
            // videoCapture1.Video_CaptureDevices() returns a list of available video devices
            videoCapture1.Video_CaptureDevice = new VideoCaptureSource(videoCapture1.Video_CaptureDevices()[0].Name);

            // Set the audio capture device - using the first available microphone
            // videoCapture1.Audio_CaptureDevices() returns a list of available audio devices
            videoCapture1.Audio_CaptureDevice = new AudioCaptureSource(videoCapture1.Audio_CaptureDevices()[0].Name);

            // Set the output filename to "output.avi" in the user's Videos folder
            videoCapture1.Output_Filename = Path.Combine(Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.MyVideos), "output.avi");

            // Configure output format as AVI
            // By default, this uses MJPEG codec for video and PCM for audio
            videoCapture1.Output_Format = new AVIOutput();

            // Set the mode to VideoCapture (other modes include ScreenCapture, AudioCapture, etc.)
            videoCapture1.Mode = VideoCaptureMode.VideoCapture;

            // Start the capture process asynchronously 
            // Using async/await pattern for non-blocking UI
            await videoCapture1.StartAsync();
        }

        private async void btStop_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            // Stop the capture process asynchronously
            await videoCapture1.StopAsync();
        }
    }
}

Key Implementation Points

Device Selection

The example automatically selects the first available video and audio devices. In a production application, you might want to present users with a list of available devices for selection.

File Output Configuration

The example saves the output to an AVI file in the user's Videos folder. You can customize the path and filename according to your application requirements.

Asynchronous Operation

The implementation uses async/await pattern to prevent UI freezing during capture operations, which is critical for maintaining a responsive application experience.

Advanced Customization Options

The SDK provides numerous customization options including:

• Video resolution and framerate settings
• Audio quality configuration
• Codec selection for different output requirements
• Video effects and transformations

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Visit our GitHub page to get more code samples and explore additional implementation scenarios.