View source for Ffdshow

{{lowercase}}
{{short description|Open-source unmaintained codec library}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = ffdshow
| logo                   = ffdshow icon.svg
| screenshot             = Ffdshow.png
| caption                = ffdshow video decoder configuration on [[Windows 7]]
| author                 = Milan Cutka, Peter Ross
| developer              = clsid, XhmikosR, et al.
| released               = {{Start date|2002|05|20|df=yes}} (original ffdshow)<br />{{Start date|2006|09|11|df=yes}} (ffdshow tryouts)
| latest release version = 1.3.4531
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2014|06|28|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/download.php|title=ffdshow tryouts – Download}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow-tryout/files/Official%20releases/generic%20build%20%28stable%29/|title=ffdshow tryouts - Stable builds at SourceForge.net}}</ref>
| programming language   = [[Assembly language|Assembly]], [[C++]], [[C (programming language)|C]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/wiki/devel:building|title=ffdshow development information on SourceForge}}</ref>
| operating system       = [[Windows XP]] and later
| platform               = 
| size                   = 
| language               = 
| language count         = <!-- DO NOT include this parameter unless you know what it does -->
| discontinued           = yes
| license                = [[GNU General Public License]] 2.0
| website                = {{URL|ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net}}
}}

'''ffdshow''' is an open-source unmaintained [[codec]] library that is mainly used for decoding of [[video]] in the [[MPEG-4 ASP]] (e.g. encoded with [[DivX]] or [[Xvid]]) and [[H.264/MPEG-4 AVC]] [[video format]]s, but it supports numerous other video and audio formats as well. It is [[free software]] released under [[GNU General Public License]] 2.0, runs on [[Windows]], and is implemented as a [[Video for Windows]] (VFW) codec and a [[DirectShow filter]].

==Installation and configuration==
ffdshow does not include a media player or [[Container format (digital)|container]] [[Demultiplexer (media file)|parsers]]. Instead, after installation of ffdshow, compatible DirectShow or [[Video for Windows|VFW]] [[media player (application software)|media player]]s such as [[Media Player Classic]], [[Winamp]], and [[Windows Media Player]] will use the ffdshow decoder automatically, thus avoiding the need to install separate [[codec]]s for the various formats supported by ffdshow. The user configures ffdshow's audio and video settings by launching the ffdshow video decoder configuration program independently of any media player.

For playing [[MPEG transport stream|transport stream]] files such as AVC(H.264) an additional [[Demultiplexer (media file)|mediasplitter]] should also be installed. There are several free mediasplitters available such as the [[LAV Filters]].

==Format and filter support==
ffdshow can be configured to display subtitles, to enable or disable various built-in codecs, to grab screenshots, to enable keyboard control, and to enhance movies with increased [[image resolution|resolution]], sharpness, and many other post-processing [[filter (video)|video filters]]. It has the ability to manipulate audio with effects like an equalizer, a [[Dolby Laboratories|Dolby]] decoder, reverb, [[Winamp]] DSP plugins, and more. Some of the postprocessing is borrowed from the [[MPlayer]] project and [[AviSynth]] filters.

ffdshow uses the [[libavcodec]] library and several other free, open source software packages to decode video in most common formats, such as:

*[[MPEG-4 Part 2]] (including video encoded with [[Xvid]], [[3ivx]], and all versions of [[DivX]]).
*[[Flash Video]], [[H.263]] and [[VP6]] (used by sites such as [[YouTube]]).
*[[H.264/MPEG-4 AVC|H.264/AVC]], [[Theora]], [[Windows Media Video|WMV]] as well as numerous others.

ffdshow also decodes audio, such as:

*[[MP3]],
*[[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]],
*[[Dolby AC3]],
*[[Windows Media Audio|WMA]]
*[[Free Lossless Audio Codec|FLAC]], and
*[[Vorbis]] formats, among others.

The post-processing [[filter (video)|video filters]] of ffdshow can be used in video editors such as [[VirtualDub]] or [[AviSynth]], by configuring the VFW settings. In these editors, ffdshow can also be used to encode MPEG-4 video compatible with [[Xvid]], [[DivX]], or [[x264]] codecs, as well as lossless video and a few other formats supported by libavcodec.

==History==
The first versions of ffdshow were published in May 2002, as an alternative to the [[DivX#History|DivX&nbsp;;-)]]<!--DO NOT REMOVE THE SMILEY - "DivX ;-)" and "DivX" are two different things, the smiley was a part of the name.--> 3.11 and [[DivX]] 5.02 (which came bundled with [[Claria Corporation|Gator]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.divx.com/divx/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030401082827/http://www.divx.com/divx/|archive-date = 2003-04-01|title = Free DivX Video Software - Play, convert and cast video. Play DivX files}}</ref>) decoders of the time, and as a way to combine the speed and quality of [[MPlayer]] with popular Windows video players. It continues to support more formats, new and old, as [[FFmpeg]] developers add support for them.

The main developer was Milan Cutka. When he stopped updating the project in 2006, new maintainers opened the ffdshow tryouts as a fork, where bug-fixes, stability fixes, new features, and codec updates continued. Development of ffdshow tryouts was discontinued in 2012 with users recommended to use [[LAV Filters]] instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=120465|title=ffdshow tryouts project: Discussion & Development - Doom9's Forum|website=forum.doom9.org|language=en|access-date=2017-11-01}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}

*[[Comparison of video player software]]
*[[Open source codecs and containers]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|lcfirst=yes}}
*{{Official website|ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net}}
*[https://github.com/Nevcairiel/LAVFilters Nevcairiel/LAVFilters] on [[GitHub]] {{--}} A newer DirectShow codec set based on ffmpeg

{{Compression Software Implementations}}
{{Compression formats}}

[[Category:Free codecs]]
[[Category:Free software primarily written in assembly language]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C++]]
[[Category:Software that uses FFmpeg]]
[[Category:Video codecs]]
[[Category:Windows-only free software]]