Architectural Overview of the DVD-Video API (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)

1/6/2010

The DVD-Video API design is based on the idea that middleware for a given media type should be a straightforward implementation of the media specification and the operations applied to it.

The DVD-Video API collectively implements the DVD Specifications for Read-Only Disc, Part 3, Video Specifications as defined by the DVD Forum. One of the goals of the DVD-Video API implementation is to provide access to all information found on the DVD-Video disc through the DVD-Video API interfaces.

Another DVD-Video API goal is to not restrict OEM-implemented capabilities that go beyond the standard DVD functionality. The DVD-Video API provides a framework to add custom capabilities to the DVD-Video API renderer and expose them to applications. This approach provides the maximum flexibility to DVD-Video player applications.

The following illustration show shows the architecture of the DVD-Video API.

API extensions that go beyond the DVD specification for media playback are also possible. If a given hardware implementation has special functionality, such as an on-screen display on the DVD decoder chip, it is possible to extend the DVD-Video API renderer and expose COM interfaces directly to the application.

This comes at no cost to the application. Once implemented in the renderer, all extension interfaces are automatically and immediately available to the application through COM aggregation. This makes it possible for OEMs to exploit the uniqueness of their hardware at the COM API level.

See Also

Concepts

Understanding the DVD-Video API