Overlay Mixer 2 Filter

[The feature associated with this page, DirectShow, is a legacy feature. It has been superseded by MediaPlayer, IMFMediaEngine, and Audio/Video Capture in Media Foundation. Those features have been optimized for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Microsoft strongly recommends that new code use MediaPlayer, IMFMediaEngine and Audio/Video Capture in Media Foundation instead of DirectShow, when possible. Microsoft suggests that existing code that uses the legacy APIs be rewritten to use the new APIs if possible.]

The Overlay Mixer 2 filter is identical to the Overlay Mixer filter, except:

  • It supports only media types with VIDEOINFOHEADER2 formats.
  • It has a higher merit, which enables it to be added to a filter graph automatically.

The Overlay Mixer 2 is provided so that the Filter Graph Manager will add it to the graph when it renders non-DVD MPEG-2 video. The choice of whether to use the Overlay Mixer or the Overlay Mixer 2 is handled by the component that builds the graph, either the Filter Graph Manager, the Capture Graph Builder, or the DVD Graph Builder. From an application perspective, they are the same filter, with the same interfaces and functionality.

The following table contains information specific to the Overlay Mixer 2. For all other filter data, refer to the documentation for the Overlay Mixer.

Label Value
Input Pin Media Types Format Type: Format_VIDEOINFO2
Filter CLSID CLSID_OverlayMixer2
Merit
  • MERIT_UNLIKELY
  • Windows Vista or later: MERIT_DO_NOT_USE

 

In Windows Vista or later, the merit of the Overlay Mixer 2 filter is MERIT_DO_NOT_USE, because the newer video renderers (VMR-7, VMR-9, and EVR) all support VIDEOINFOHEADER2 formats, and therefore it is not necessary to use the Overlay Mixer.

DirectShow Filters