VC-1 Everywhere! - Microsoft Media & Entertainment
VC-1 Everywhere! > VC-1 Encoder SDK
VC-1 Encoder SDK


Built on the same core Microsoft technology that major Hollywood studios have relied on to produce the vast majority of HD DVD titles, the new Microsoft® VC-1 Encoder was first released commercially within Sonic Solution's CineVision PSE, a powerful parallel encoding solution for HD DVD and Blu-ray, which delivers stunning cinematic quality, deep VC-1 parameter control, stream validation, and segment-based re-encoding.

After more than two years of close collaboration with Hollywood studios and the key facilities that service them, and a myriad of codec optimizations and new features, the Microsoft® VC-1 Encoder is now available as a Software Development Kit for third-party solution companies to incorporate into their commercial products. The Microsoft® VC-1 Encoder SDK allows for full API control over a large range of encoding parameters and has been designed for easy integration and upgrades. Licensees quickly benefit from the quality and performance of the SDK to provide new features and improved results to their customers.

The Microsoft® VC-1 Encoder SDK is available in versions targeted at specific end-user encoding scenarios, with special features and optimizations appropriate for each use.

Professional
Intended for both file-based or real-time encoding provided in general content creation toolsets or dedicated encoding software applications. Optimizations and features include:
  • Can output VC-1 Elementary Streams for delivery in HD Optical Disc applications
  • Performance improvements over the Windows Media FSDK11 for the latest generation of processors from Intel and AMD
  • Perceptual quality improvements over the Windows Media FSDK11
  • Ability to control all advanced settings programmatically through the API (no registry key settings required)
  • Native Hardware Acceleration API support
Licensing
The Microsoft® VC-1 Encoder SDK - Professional version is available to companies and individuals desiring to deliver products for the following Microsoft Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista. It is delivered via download and can be built into encoding applications for redistribution in accordance with the terms of the included End User License Agreement.
Professional version SDK
Enterprise and Hardware Acceleration Versions
Enterprise
Designed for robust, telco-class real-time and offline encoders, for high touch encoding scenarios (HD Optical Disc and Broadband creation) as well as for 24x7 transcoding operations with high output requirements. Enterprise includes:
  • Advanced support for closed captions and subtitles.
  • New one pass CBR rate control that provides better quality while adhering to strict network bandwidth requirements
  • Dynamic complexity balancing to optimize encoder complexity vs CPU usage; guarantees real time encoding with full utilization of up to four CPU cores per stream
  • Support for progressive and interlaced encoding
  • No drop frame mode; insertion of skip frames in the bitstream
  • Support for user data insertion in the elementary stream to carry essential metadata such as closed captions
  • Segment grid encoding for simultaneous parallel processing of a project over multiple encoders
  • Assisted scene-based re-encoding with file stitching to help optimize quality/bit usage for challenging content
  • Elementary Stream Analyzer to help verify validity of the bitstream for various applications such as HD DVD
Hardware Acceleration
An API and protocols for designing acceleration hardware that can offload certain encoding algorithms and speed up software encoding. Products based on the Hardware Acceleration SDK are natively supported by all versions of the VC-1 Encoder SDK.
Licensing
The Microsoft® VC-1 Encoder SDK – Enterprise and Hardware Acceleration versions are available on a commercial basis to companies wishing to deliver encoding capability in products for the following Microsoft Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista.

Interested companies should contact their local Microsoft Representative and reference Windows Media Licensing Administrator, Entertainment & Devices Division.

Note that the Microsoft® VC-1 Encoder SDK does not include muxing or audio encoding features. Companies who wish to mux VC-1 streams into Advanced Systems Format (ASF) or include Windows Media Audio encoding in their products may do so by licensing the Windows Media Format 11 SDK or by other means.