About the Audio and Video SDK Components
Microsoft provides a family of Software Development Kit (SDK) components that are designed to enable application developers, Web developers, and systems administrators to develop audio and video programs and to create Windows Media–compatible applications and Web sites.
You can learn about and download the following components:
- New Audio and Video SDKs
- Windows Media 9.5 and 10 SDKs
- Windows Media 9 Series SDKs
For information about licensing the Windows Media SDK components, see the Windows Media Licensing and Logos page.
New Audio and Video SDKs
Versions of new audio and video SDKs are now available. You can get the latest headers, libraries, and samples for these SDKs by installing the Windows SDK from the Microsoft Download Center. The following list describes the components and some of the new features that each supports.
Purpose: Integrate online stores with Windows Media Player (which requires an agreement with Microsoft), rip and burn CDs, and work with multiple libraries.
Audience: Skin developers, plug-in developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), online store service providers, Web developers
Supported operating systems: Windows XP or Windows Vista and Windows Media Player 11 are required for the new features.
Purpose: Work with the local license store directly by using the new Windows Media DRM Client Extended application programming interfaces (APIs). The Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile codec has been updated to produce a compressed bit stream that is compliant with the published SMPTE VC-1 standard. The Windows Media Audio 10 Professional codec features improved quality at lower bit rates. Create thumbnail images for video files without opening the file for playback.
Audience: ISVs
Supported operating systems: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Purpose: Work with the next-generation multimedia platform and infrastructure for Microsoft Windows. This release of Media Foundation focuses on content protection, audio and video quality, and interoperability for digital rights management (DRM).
Audience: ISVs
Supported operating system: Windows Vista
Purpose: A new way to communicate with media and storage devices. This system supersedes both Windows Media Device Manager and Windows Image Acquisition by providing a flexible, robust way for a computer to communicate with media players, storage devices, mobile phones, cameras, and many other types of connected devices.
Audience: ISVs
Supported operating system: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Core Audio APIs in Windows Vista
Purpose: Develop low-level audio applications to access audio endpoint devices, such as headphones and microphones. Achieve minimum latency by obtaining exclusive access to audio hardware. Implement features that might not be entirely supported by high-level audio APIs, such as DirectSound or Media Foundation.
Audience: ISVs
Supported operating system: Windows Vista
Windows Media 9.5 and 10 SDKs
Windows Media 9.5 and 10 SDKs are now available. The following list describes the components and some of the new features that each supports.
Purpose: Manage synchronization of content with portable devices, integrate premium services with Windows Media Player (requires an agreement with Microsoft), and work with new metadata attributes for portable devices, TV, and photo content.
Audience: Skin developers, plug-in developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), premium service providers, Web developers
Supported operating system: Windows XP and Windows Media Player 10 are required for the new features.
Purpose: Stream content to network devices, such as digital audio receivers, and support features such as playlist burning. Use the new Windows Media Video 9 Image v2 codec for improved image quality and complex transitions, and use the new Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile codec to encode content from a variety of professional video formats.
Audience: ISVs
Supported operating system: Windows XP only
Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK
Purpose: Work with devices that support the new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), devices that support a modified Windows CE (Pocket PC) class driver, and mass storage devices exposed by the new Microsoft Cluster (MSC) class driver. Distributed with Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK.
Audience: ISVs, portable player manufacturers
Supported operating system: Windows XP only
Windows Media Rights Manager 10.1 SDK
Purpose: Use the new rights supported by Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) 10.1.
Audience: Content providers, service providers, solution providers
Supported operating system: Windows Server 2003
Windows Media 9 Series SDKs
The following list describes the Windows Media 9 Series SDK components.
Windows Media Encoder 9 Series SDK
Purpose: Automate the encoding process for custom applications and solutions, and enable remote encoding.
Audience: Content providers, service providers, ISVs, Web developers
Supported operating systems: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003
Windows Media Services 9 Series SDK
Purpose: Configure, manage, and administer servers distributing Windows Media files or streams.
Audience: Web developers
Supported operating systems: Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003