News

Microsoft Announces Resources for Windows Media Developers

• By Scott Bekker
• 11/11/1999

The Windows Media SDK consists of a collection of existing tools as well as the Windows Media Format SDK beta component. The Windows Media SDK includes several components.

The Windows Media Format SDK, currently in beta release, enables ISVs to integrate Windows Media into their own applications. This component replaces the Windows Media Audio SDK released in August and adds video support, richer audio support, and allows applications to directly edit audio and video in Windows Media format. The Windows Media Format SDK beta also contains the Windows Media Device Manager (WMDM) and is supported by a range of software and hardware manufacturers.

The Windows Media Services SDK provides management tools, giving Web site developers, content developers and system administrators the ability to configure, monitor, log and manage Windows Media server components. It also delivers integration of Windows Media Services components with Web site management applications.

Windows Media Player SDK enables developers to build their own custom media players using the Windows Media Player AcitveX Control. This SDK also enables developers to embed the Windows Media Player into a Web site, application or document, allowing the playback of streamed media. The Windows Media Encoder SDK allows Web site developers or administrators to do batch processing of large amounts of content encoding via a batch process on a server, or, through the development of a custom application, automate encoding of audio and video into a Windows Media stream for playback from a Windows Media-based server.

To support this initiative and to optimize developers' use of Windows Media SDK, Microsoft is launching the new MSDN Windows Media Developer Center. The Web-based resource is devoted to digital media developers as part of the MSDN developer program.

The MSDN is a Web-site-based resource center, located at http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmedia. It offers application and content developers a central location where they can find the tools and resources that Microsoft provides to help successfully incorporate support for Windows Media into their applications and Web sites. MSDN Windows Media Developer Center also contains articles, hints and tips on developing and deploying streaming media, online training, code samples, FAQ lists, and other technical information. An eight-hour Windows Media Technical Training Seminar, presented by developers using Windows Media, will be available on demand from MSDN Windows Media Developer Center using Windows Media.