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An Inside Look At Microsoft's DirectShow

by Terry E. Mercer, Pacific Buyer's Group (c) 1999
Published by Replication News
"Come on over talk to us about what you are planning... or invite us over and we'll even buy the pizza" was Microsoft's marketing push to developers regarding the new DirectShow program prior to Christmas '98. Pretty enticing, as most developers fit the stereotypical diet (pizza and caffeine) while hammering away long hours on a project. According to Microsoft's website, the company aimed to have at least 1,000 "programs" using DirectShow not developed by Microsoft staffers or large companies, and it was willing to help, advise, and suggest for little or no money. A DVD disc is available with examples, samples and tutorial-type information explaining the purpose, goals, advantages and implementation of DirectShow in a developer's latest creation. How can any serious DVD-ROM/CD-ROM publisher pass up Microsoft's invitation?
Microsoft DirectShow (formerly known, in part, as ActiveMovie) is touted as one of the most powerful multimedia tools made to date. DirectShow is designed to integrate Internet content viewing, computer-based training and desktop video conferencing. This is only the first step Microsoft is taking to improve existing tools, challenge the competition, and to give the end-users more of a reason to spend time with a computer. Microsoft envisions DirectShow will become the market leader and standard that other companies will have to beat. It's significant that Microsoft's MS Audio 4.0, its bid for a piece of the online audio downloading market came out of DirectShow R&D.
Many of the largest interactive movies on DVD-Video currently support DirectShow. Offering both the end-user and developer (any level--beginner thorough expert) greater control of the output and user interface. It will easily work with a wide variety of existing applications, even more seamlessly with both software and hardware in the future. DirectShow is designed to run on top of the DirectX video control as a "master filtering system." DirectX (now on version 6.x) is invisibly accessed by hundreds of programs and thousands of games without end-user intervention or awareness (providing a compatible version is installed).
From a technical standpoint (layman's version), the first thing to understand is the order in which information is processed. From last to first, the Hardware Layer or WDM (Windows Driver Model) will control the actual output of the video, audio and data to the screen, speakers, printer or elsewhere. It is the API (Application Interface), handled by DirectX (composed of DirectDraw, DirectSound, etc.), that interfaces between the hardware layer and the actual application (that is wanting to deal with data of a certain variety). Many types of data, particularly MPEG and high-resolution video/audio data, require another program between the actual application and the API, this is called a "codec" (COmpressor/DECompressor). A codec is either an additional hardware circuit or software routine (software codec running invisibly in the background) used to compress and decompress digitized audio, video or images. Popularized with MPEG video, codecs are a requirement in the DVD-Video world.
Remember the old Veg-a-Max commercials, well Microsoft has effectively brought that concept to the software world. First, you take different programs and filters... toss them into a blender, add some features, a few new problems (to be expected with any new program--but fewer because most of the programs previously existed), turn the switch, and out comes DirectShow. Microsoft has thrown ActiveMovie, ActiveX control, DVD Navigator, nearly 50 different filters (to pull video, graphics, and data information from virtually any major application--particularly Web-based products and Microsoft products) into the mix. Then, they added a run-time version "player" with royalty-free distribution (which will likely be integrated in Windows 2000). With DirectShow embedding and controlling the ActiveMovie, Video capture, ActiveX Control for universal playback via scripting languages, Visual Basic Scripting Edition, JavaScript Using COM interfaces from Visual C/C++. DirectShow features additional interactive DVD support. All types of local media files (word processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, still graphics, animated graphics, Java, HTML pages, and many other file types, styles, and formats are all ready to run through DirectShow. This includes DVD-Video and all popular types of streaming media (such as AVI, MOV, MPEG) NetShow, Real Audio, MS Audio, WAV, and MP3. There is a totally customizable user interface and ASF support. Data subsystems are separate entities in the PC Multiplexing schemes. DirectShow features additional interactive DVD support that does not exist in most programs.
MCI (Media Control Interface) has been abandoned by most of the movie studios (such as Warner Bros., and one of the world's largest DVD title developers, "Interactual" from Mountview, CA) because it was not flexible enough to deal with the expanding DVD needs. Hardware drivers from specific hardware manufacturers are still a little slow in coming; however, according to Hughes, the six most popular software decoders do support DirectShow. There are currently more than 100 different hardware decoders that support DirectShow. Hopefully the above information will give you a better understanding of both DirectShow and Microsoft's focus on the DVD
market.
When I was asked to research and write this article my editor raised a few interesting points, which I felt should be pointed out--as they are important, and the answers might be enlightening.
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First, "are there any "bugs" that might be responsible for a lack of wide-scale usage?" The answer is yes and no--yes, there are still a few bugs that are important. According to their online developer's network, Microsoft is busy solving them as quickly as the bugs are reported. Obviously, no program is perfect, and no developer thinks of everything. As a small developer with limited funds, I would be hesitant to replicate even 1,000 discs using their new technology for at least two or three more months. At the same point, I firmly believe that this new "tool" will be something that most developers will gobble up and actively incorporate into their software and DVD media.
Microsoft is not the best at everything; however, they do maintain an innovative technology base that no developer can ignore or overlook. At the writing of this article, all major problem tickets were addressed with updates and patches available on Microsoft's website. Yes, I believe that developers working for the future will make the move, and end-users will blindly be led down the path of DirectShow, currently one of the best and most powerfully flexible options available.
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The second question, "Has Microsoft re-thought the market and perhaps concluded that it's not worth going after (with other Web-based multimedia programs so entrenched)?" It's nearly impossible to guess whether they have simply continued down the path they initially planned or if they have actually "re-thought" the direction, commitment, and their marketing. Nearly 15 years ago I heard Bill Gates say that he had a vision of having a computer in every home. An estimated seven out of 10 people having access to a computer system at least once a week. Gates' strategy is to passively encourage users to WANT to upgrade, but not to require it for at least two or three years when the end-user could readily understand the benefits of more speed, power, automation, integration, memory and storage.
With the release of MS Front Page, many companies have virtually copied the point-and-click, theme-driven, easy-to-up-load design. Some have improved portions, but none have matched it thus far. Adding the spell checking, link processing, and synchronized uploading gives virtually all HTML designers (even the hard headed manual coders) reason to use FrontPage (despite its limitations and problems). Microsoft purchased Hotmail--one of the top free email companies. Add the Visual design packs, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual J++, IE 5, all of this points to a solid commitment to further develop the Internet. Back Office and Web page integration into the Windows OS is only the icing on the cake.
Kilroy Hughes, Microsoft's Direct Show DVD Evangelist, told Replication News that Microsoft's recent restructuring is related to moving to a consumer-driven company, rather than the technology-focused company, as had been the case in the past. According to Hughes, there will be a distinct division between home user needs and business needs.
Microsoft, as the world's leading software provider, has a substantial investment in research and development, along with nearly 30,000 people developing, supporting, writing and trying to stay ahead of the industry (in most cases ,"blazing the trails"). The company believes firmly in using customer feedback. "Integrated home entertainment and information systems are the wave of Microsoft's future," said Hughes, adding that DirectShow provides the technological support for this next generation of technology.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please direct them to Terry E. Mercer via email at: terry@helpus.com

Remember the old Veg-a-Max commercials, well Microsoft has effectively brought that concept to the software world. First, you take different programs and filters... toss them into a blender, add some features... turn the switch and out comes DirectShow.

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