Thoughts on Managed Directshow (and why it doesn't exist) Comments?

From: nadadeperos (nadadeperos_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 03/02/04 

Date: 2 Mar 2004 13:23:26 -0800

I've written several directshow filters in C++ and the obvious
question is why isn't there any C# DirectShow classes. However, as
far as I can see, its obvious why. I have never gone to any PDC, or
talked with anyone at MS...but I can see the issues just by looking at
what is there...here are some observations:
-------
1) DirectShow from a C++ looks to me like a 3rd party COM library, and
is quirky as hell....its works, but wasn't very cleanly designed. It
uses some manual/ancient registration techniques.

2) The C++ class library that comes with it is a mess. It works, but
its a mess. It is unnecessary complex, and looks like a bad hack job.
 But it works...I've used it.

3) There are a bazillion complex C++ interfaces.

4) The graph editor is simplistic, and feels old to me.

5) The who Microsoft media platform is based on these filters. They
has been a TON of filters developed that are mission critical...Mounts
of extremely complex code, half C++ half assembly.

6) DirectShow has to be extremely fast, especially to do video
processing (most filters are optimized with assembly in them 

----
CONCLUSION: to get DirectShow right...it would have to be *completely*
REDESIGNED from scratch and from ground zero with managed interfaces.
You could see they started down this path before C# with those DMO's
(which is dead in the water now as I see it)
How the heck do you back out of years of Complex assembly languge
code?  How do you redesign all of those filters?  All those
interfaces?  Will it be fast enough in C#? How do you embedd assembly
in C#???  The work is enormous to redesign it!!
These are HUGE questions that even Microsoft, as big as it is, is
having trouble dealing with.  Im sure, if there is priority for it, it
will be done, because if they can't do it, no one can.
In light of this, its obvious why we don't have a C# implementation
for direshow, but I bet one will be forthcoming.
Any thoughts???

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