Dave has been a busy boy (if this is one of his babies)..................
biz.yahoo.com
Wednesday December 10, 9:00 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft Releases DirectShow SDK - Universal Playback for DVD,
Digital Video And Audio, and the Internet
Leading Industry Vendors Announce New DirectShow-Based Products; Broad Support For
DirectShow Exploits Sophistication and Ease of Use
NEW YORK - Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- At Fall Internet World '97, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) today
released its DirectShow(TM) API SDK, a universal architecture for capture, control, processing and playback of
multimedia streams, including digital audio and video, and animation data. DirectShow provides a much-needed universal
infrastructure for next-generation PC digital devices such as DVD players, DV cameras, and PC television tuner cards, in
addition to providing a standard application programming interface (API) for a variety of industry software developers
creating applications that take advantage of these devices. DirectShow also includes an ActiveX(TM) Control that can
be embedded in Web pages and applications for instant playback of audio and video data in a variety of popular formats,
including Intel Indeo Video, Intel Indeo Audio, MPEG, AVI, MOV, WAV, AIFF and AU.
The DirectShow run time is available now for the Windows(R) 95 and Windows NT(R) version 4.0 operating systems
and is integrated into Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0. DirectShow will ship with the upcoming Windows 98 and
Windows NT 5.0, ensuring wide compatibility for playback of all types of content from over the Internet, intranets and
next-generation PC devices.
''By providing a universal playback architecture, DirectShow enables the industry to move forward in a compatible way
and lowers the risk for developers to innovate a new genre of features and creative applications,'' said Leslie Evans,
product manager for DirectX at Microsoft. ''In addition, DirectShow provides developers with a standard interface, a
host of software drivers and a broad distribution platform to ease development and ensure the widest customer reach for
applications and devices.''
DirectShow is a key component of Microsoft's newly released DirectX(TM) 5.1 Media SDK for Intel Architecture,
which, along with DirectX 5.0 Foundation, comprises the unified family of DirectX 5 multimedia APIs. DirectShow
works in concert with DirectX Foundation to deliver accelerated multimedia playback to the PC. DirectShow has
already earned broad adoption, with many top vendors of consumer electronics and computer products announcing
DirectShow-enabled products, including The Duck Corp., FutureTel, Intel Corp. [Nasdaq:INTC - news], Mediamatics,
MGI Software, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Sonic Foundry Inc., Ulead Systems Inc., and White Pine Software.
Support for Next-Generation Technologies
The contemporary design of DirectShow offers a comprehensive, versatile approach for developing next-generation
hardware and software solutions. Today, developers can take advantage of built-in support for the latest devices,
standards, codecs and file formats, including these:
DVD. DirectShow provides an easy-to-use standard API for playback of DVD-video content. DirectShow frees
developers from MCI extension incompatibilities and insulates developers from differences in various DVD
playback configurations such as hardware-only, software-only or hybrid decode. DVD-specific DirectShow filters
eliminate the need for developers to use proprietary navigators or other nonstandard components. This ensures the
widest possible compatibility of DVD titles for the PC, while still enabling third-party content enhancements
through the DirectShow filter graph.
Digital Video (DV). DirectShow support for the DV standard opens the door for software developers to broaden
high-quality video authoring solutions from the professional market to the business presentation and consumer
market. Today's plug-in support and Windows 98 direct support for the IEEE 1394 standard lower the price
barriers for users to connect DV video cameras to their PCs for recording, playback and editing. Time-stamped
DirectShow streaming media can be layered in multiple video tracks, composited with animation, or enhanced with
DirectSound for multitrack audio and spacial sound effects.
Broadcast PC. Equipped with DirectShow, a television tuner card and Windows 98, the broadcast-enabled
computer will blend television with a new world of interactive entertainment and information possibilities. The
extremely flexible ''filter'' architecture of DirectShow manages the process of receiving, decoding, transforming,
scheduling and displaying interdependent video, audio, and data streams. With nearly all the technology and
infrastructure currently in place, applications are being authored to allow users to interact with shows, express
opinions, test knowledge and game skills, and obtain stock quotes, sports scores, news, software upgrades and
whatever else they choose to subscribe to.
Popular codecs and file formats. DirectShow supports cutting-edge codecs such as Intel's Indeo Video
Interactive, The Duck Corp.'s TrueMotion 2.0 video, and a variety of third-party MPEG-2 video and AC3 audio
decoders, such as Mediamatics' DVDExpress A/V Pak, for theater-quality movie playback via DVD. The
DirectShow run time natively supports a variety of popular formats, including MPEG, AVI, WAV AIFF, AU, and
plays Apple QuickTime (MOV) files in place.
Internet playback. The DirectShow client-side optimization becomes increasingly important as streaming media
technology continues to evolve on the Internet and intranets. DirectShow will become the universal client for the
Advanced Streaming Format (ASF) supporting future versions of NetShow(TM) Player and other Internet
streaming players. DirectShow provides a solution to bandwidth limitations for richer multimedia playback. The
ability to take advantage of progressive download, client-side hardware acceleration and devices like CD and
DVD greatly expands the breadth of hybrid Internet applications and vastly enriches end-user experience.
Comprehensive Media Processing Architecture
DirectShow provides title developers and tools vendors with a versatile, easy-to-use ''filter'' architecture for processing
streaming media at all stages from capture to rendering. DirectShow enables capture of video and audio data streams
with support for both Video for Windows-based capture and Windows Driver Model-based capture. Using the DirectX
Media 5.1 SDK, developers can custom-design or use third-party DirectShow filters for specialized tasks, which makes
it easy to add differentiating features to products and develop plug-ins for DirectShow-compatible applications. With a
common infrastructure in place, end users can capture multimedia data from peripheral devices such as VCRs, cameras
and MIDIs, then view it, listen to it, or save it to their hard drive for use with an expanding market of innovative image
video- and audio-editing applications.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide
range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and
more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
NOTE: Microsoft, DirectShow, ActiveX, Windows, Windows NT, DirectX, NetShow and Direct3D are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and
company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Industry Leaders Applaud DirectShow
Leading vendors of hardware and software products announced support for DirectShow and new DirectShow-enabled
products:
"Adaptec is very excited about DirectShow and we are committed to
supporting our strategy around DV and 1394 technology."
- Adam Silver
Marketing Manager
Advanced Media Products Group
Adaptec Inc.
''The DirectX APIs help ATI Technologies combine multiple media types together to bring comprehensive multimedia
solutions together on the PC. With DirectShow for video capture and TV streaming and Direct3D(R) for gaming, ATI
has transformed the PC into the ultimate entertainment platform for consumers.''
- Alfonse Licata Product Marketing Manager Graphics and Multimedia Software ATI Technologies Inc.
''DirectShow support for our TrueMotion 2.0 video codec means that PC users everywhere can now enjoy full-color,
full-screen, full-motion video for games, streaming applications and other multimedia applications. This is a great
opportunity for game developers and multimedia content creators to deliver compelling titles for a broad target audience
of Windows users. Microsoft and The Duck Corp. have made this possible in an authoring environment that allows for
problem-free development and accelerated time-to-market.''
- Stan Marder Chief Executive Officer The Duck Corp.
''FutureTel is advancing products like the multimedia suite, Video Sphinx Pro for business and Internet professionals, that
depend on standards -- and Microsoft lays the standards foundation with DirectShow. DirectShow eliminates proprietary
bottlenecks and enables plug-and-play capability for FutureTel customers, from consumers who wants to add video to
their Web pages to professionals sending their multimedia presentations back to the home office.''
- Max Hata CEO FutureTel
''With DirectShow, users of the acclaimed Hitachi MPEG Camera are able to easily play back MPEG video clips taken
by the camera without a separate run time under the Windows 95 and Windows NT platform. The combination of
Hitachi's MPEG Camera and DirectShow makes the production and viewing of MPEG video clips easier and
cost-effective.''
- Yoshi Sakurai Product Marketing Manager Hitachi Home Electronics (America) Inc.
"The integration of Matsushita's DV software Codec into DirectShow will create
a standard for DV cameras on the PC platform, enabling customers to author or
edit DV video and audio while maintaining very high quality for professional
use. I am convinced that the fusion of DV with PCs will vastly broaden the
range of customers to take advantage of audio and video on the PC."
- Dr. Masaaki Kobayashi General Manager AVC Products Development Laboratory Matsushita Electric
''Microsoft turned to Mediamatics to bring software DVD functionality to the DirectShow API. As a result of our
long-term relationship with Microsoft, our DVDExpress software decoder fully supports DirectShow 2.0 and provides
OEMs, for the first time, with complete flexibility to design cost effective DVD-enabled Entertainment PCs.''
- Prem Nath President Mediamatics
''Microsoft DirectShow provides an essential decoding function in MGI VideoWave allowing novice users to easily
produce and play back professional-quality video on their PCs and the Internet. Adoption of video publishing is
dependent on universal video file support and media distribution. Microsoft DirectShow delivers the technology to make
video publishing a widespread reality among home and business users.''
- Ihor Petelycky Director of Product Management MGI Software
''Rockwell continues to support and work with Microsoft on key video initiatives. Our Bt48 and Bt829 video drivers
provide the basis for Microsoft's WDM driver development kit (DDK) and support the new DirectShow software
developers kit. Video-based applications are becoming increasingly popular, and computer and add-in card makers now
have a solid foundation for creating a wide range of innovative PC video products.''
- Dana Witt Software Product Manager Digital Infotainment Division Rockwell Semiconductor Systems
''We expect the DirectShow open standard and the SDK, through broadened availability and ease of integration, to
positively improve all aspects of media delivery, including Web development and streaming media technology. Because
of this, DirectShow will have far-reaching impact on the Internet's media convergence effort. Sonic Foundry itself has
been one of the early adopters of this new and emerging open standard. We feel DirectShow goes a long way in defining
a universal specification for the entire development community.''
- Rimas Buinevicius CEO Sonic Foundry Inc.
''We believe DirectShow is a major advancement for the digital video market. DirectShow eliminates several technology
limitations and restrictions, making the entire video editing and production process significantly easier and more
productive. And we're very excited about its open architecture, which makes it easier for Ulead to develop and
implement third-party plug-ins, and thus offer more options to end users.''
- Steve Stautzenbach Director of Sales and Marketing Ulead Systems Inc.
''DirectShow easily integrates into our group videoconferencing client, CU-SeeMe. By offering a standard method for
handling video services, DirectShow simplifies video technology. We can now quickly add new features to CU-SeeMe
using the DirectShow SDK.''
- Forrest Milkowski Director of Product Marketing White Pine Software
SOURCE: Microsoft Corp. |
