Struct Codec

Represents an FFmpeg codec descriptor. This structure provides managed access to the underlying native FFmpeg.AutoGen._AVCodec structure, exposing codec information, capabilities, and supported encoding/decoding configurations.

Implements

IEquatable<Codec>

Inherited Members

object.GetType()

object.Equals(object, object)

object.ReferenceEquals(object, object)

Namespace: FFmpeg.Codecs

Assembly: FFmpeg.dll

Syntax

public readonly struct Codec : IEquatable<Codec>

Remarks

A Codec instance does not own the underlying FFmpeg codec. The referenced codec descriptor is managed internally by FFmpeg and must not be freed manually.

Properties

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Capabilities

Gets the capabilities of the codec, represented by a set of flags indicating what the codec supports. These capabilities can include features such as hardware acceleration, variable frame rates, or support for certain compression techniques.

Declaration

public CodecCapabilities Capabilities { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
CodecCapabilities

View Source

ChannelLayouts

Gets the channel layouts supported by the codec. A channel layout describes the arrangement of audio channels, such as mono, stereo, or surround configurations.

Declaration

public ChannelLayoutConstList ChannelLayouts { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
ChannelLayoutConstList

Remarks

This information is only available for audio codecs that expose supported channel configurations.

View Source

CodecID

Gets the codec ID, which uniquely identifies the codec within the FFmpeg framework. The codec ID is used to match the codec with the corresponding media stream format or container, ensuring correct decoding or encoding.

Declaration

public CodecID CodecID { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
CodecID

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IsDecoder

Gets a value indicating whether this codec can be used for decoding.

Declaration

public bool IsDecoder { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
bool

Remarks

Decoder codecs consume compressed packets and produce raw frames.

View Source

IsEncoder

Gets a value indicating whether this codec can be used for encoding.

Declaration

public bool IsEncoder { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
bool

Remarks

Encoder codecs consume raw frames and produce compressed packets.

View Source

LongName

Gets the human-readable, descriptive name of the codec (e.g., "H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10"). This name is more verbose than Name and provides better clarity for end users.

Declaration

public string LongName { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
string

View Source

MaxLowResolution

Gets the maximum low-resolution decoding level supported by the codec. Higher values indicate that the decoder can operate on progressively lower resolution versions of the encoded stream.

Declaration

public byte MaxLowResolution { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
byte

View Source

MediaType

Gets the media type of the codec (e.g., video, audio, subtitle). This value indicates the kind of media data that the codec handles, allowing it to be categorized appropriately in multimedia processing workflows.

Declaration

public MediaType MediaType { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
MediaType

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Name

Gets the short, symbolic name of the codec implementation (e.g., "h264", "aac"). This name is typically used in code or configuration files to reference the codec.

Declaration

public string Name { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
string

View Source

Profiles

Gets the array of recognized profiles for the codec. Each profile defines a set of features or capabilities that the codec can use during encoding or decoding. This array lists the profiles that the codec supports, allowing you to choose the appropriate one for your use case.

Declaration

public ReadOnlyCollection<Profile> Profiles { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
ReadOnlyCollection<Profile>

View Source

SupportedFramerates

Gets the array of supported framerates for the codec. The framerates represent the possible frame-per-second (FPS) values that the codec can handle. These values are returned as an array of rational numbers, allowing precise representation of fractional framerates.

Declaration

public ReadOnlySpan<Rational> SupportedFramerates { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
ReadOnlySpan<Rational>

View Source

SupportedPixelFormats

Gets the array of supported pixel formats for the codec. This array defines the pixel formats the codec can encode or decode, which control how the image data is represented (e.g., RGB, YUV, etc.).

Declaration

public ReadOnlySpan<PixelFormat> SupportedPixelFormats { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
ReadOnlySpan<PixelFormat>

View Source

SupportedSampleFormats

Gets the array of supported audio sample formats for the codec. The sample formats specify how audio data is represented in memory (e.g., signed 16-bit, floating point, planar, etc.), and this array lists all formats that the codec can process.

Declaration

public ReadOnlySpan<SampleFormat> SupportedSampleFormats { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
ReadOnlySpan<SampleFormat>

View Source

SupportedSampleRates

Gets the array of supported audio sample rates for the codec. These are the sample rates (in Hz) that the codec supports for audio processing, which determine the frequency at which audio data is captured or played back.

Declaration

public ReadOnlySpan<int> SupportedSampleRates { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
ReadOnlySpan<int>

View Source

WrapperName

Gets the group name of the codec implementation. This is a short, symbolic name that identifies the codec's wrapper or implementation, such as a specific library or framework backing the codec. If the field is null, the codec is native to FFmpeg.

Declaration

public string? WrapperName { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
string

Methods

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Equals(Codec)

Determines whether the specified Codec is equal to the current instance. Two Codec instances are considered equal if they reference the same underlying FFmpeg codec.

Declaration

public bool Equals(Codec other)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
Codec	other	The Codec to compare with the current instance.

Returns

Type	Description
bool	true if the specified Codec is equal to the current instance; otherwise, false.

View Source

Equals(object?)

Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current Codec instance. Two Codec instances are considered equal if they reference the same underlying FFmpeg codec.

Declaration

public override bool Equals(object? obj)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
object	obj	The object to compare with the current Codec.

Returns

Type	Description
bool	true if the specified object is equal to the current instance; otherwise, false.

Overrides

ValueType.Equals(object)

View Source

FindDecoder(CodecID)

Finds a decoder by its codec ID. This method searches for a decoder codec that matches the provided codecID.

Declaration

public static Codec? FindDecoder(CodecID codecID)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
CodecID	codecID	The codec ID that uniquely identifies the desired decoder.

Returns

Type	Description
Codec?	An instance of Codec representing the decoder if found; otherwise, null.

View Source

FindDecoder(string)

Finds a decoder by its name. This method searches for a decoder codec by its symbolic name (e.g., "h264" for an H.264 decoder).

Declaration

public static Codec? FindDecoder(string name)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
string	name	The symbolic name of the decoder codec to search for.

Returns

Type	Description
Codec?	An instance of Codec representing the decoder if found; otherwise, null.

View Source

FindEncoder(CodecID)

Finds an encoder by its codec ID. This method searches for an encoder codec that matches the provided codecID.

Declaration

public static Codec? FindEncoder(CodecID codecID)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
CodecID	codecID	The codec ID that uniquely identifies the desired encoder.

Returns

Type	Description
Codec?	An instance of Codec representing the encoder if found; otherwise, null.

View Source

FindEncoder(string)

Finds an encoder by its name. This method searches for an encoder codec by its symbolic name (e.g., "aac" for an AAC encoder).

Declaration

public static Codec? FindEncoder(string name)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
string	name	The symbolic name of the encoder codec to search for.

Returns

Type	Description
Codec?	An instance of Codec representing the encoder if found; otherwise, null.

View Source

GetAllCodecs()

Retrieves a list of all available codecs, including both encoders and decoders. This method iterates through all registered codecs in FFmpeg and returns them as Codec instances.

Declaration

public static ReadOnlyCollection<Codec> GetAllCodecs()

Returns

Type	Description
ReadOnlyCollection<Codec>	A read-only collection of Codec instances representing all registered codecs.

View Source

GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat)

Determines the most suitable pixel format supported by this codec for converting from the specified source pixel format.

Declaration

public PixelFormat GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat src)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
PixelFormat	src	The source pixel format to convert from.

Returns

Type	Description
PixelFormat	The best supported pixel format for the conversion, or None if no suitable format is available.

View Source

GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat, out FFLoss)

Determines the most suitable pixel format supported by this codec for converting from the specified source pixel format.

Declaration

public PixelFormat GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat src, out FFLoss loss)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
PixelFormat	src	The source pixel format to convert from.
FFLoss	loss	Receives the information about quality losses introduced by the conversion.

Returns

Type	Description
PixelFormat	The best supported pixel format for the conversion, or None if no suitable format is available.

View Source

GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat, bool)

Determines the most suitable pixel format supported by this codec for converting from the specified source pixel format.

Declaration

public PixelFormat GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat src, bool alphaUsed)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
PixelFormat	src	The source pixel format to convert from.
bool	alphaUsed	Indicates whether the alpha channel must be preserved when selecting a format.

Returns

Type	Description
PixelFormat	The best supported pixel format for the conversion, or None if no suitable format is available.

View Source

GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat, bool, out FFLoss)

Determines the most suitable pixel format supported by this codec for converting from the specified source pixel format.

Declaration

public PixelFormat GetBestPixelFormat(PixelFormat src, bool alphaUsed, out FFLoss loss)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
PixelFormat	src	The source pixel format to convert from.
bool	alphaUsed	Indicates whether the alpha channel must be preserved when selecting a format.
FFLoss	loss	Receives the information about quality losses introduced by the conversion.

Returns

Type	Description
PixelFormat	The best supported pixel format for the conversion, or None if no suitable format is available.

View Source

GetHashCode()

Returns a hash code for the current Codec instance, based on the memory pointer of the underlying FFmpeg codec structure.

Declaration

public override int GetHashCode()

Returns

Type	Description
int	A hash code for the current Codec instance.

Overrides

ValueType.GetHashCode()

View Source

ToString()

Returns a string representation of the current Codec instance, including the codec's symbolic name, descriptive name, and codec ID.

Declaration

public override string ToString()

Returns

Type	Description
string	A string representation of the codec with its name, long name, and codec ID.

Overrides

ValueType.ToString()

Operators

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operator ==(Codec, Codec)

Determines whether two Codec instances are equal by comparing their underlying codec structures.

Declaration

public static bool operator ==(Codec left, Codec right)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
Codec	left	The first Codec to compare.
Codec	right	The second Codec to compare.

Returns

Type	Description
bool	true if the two Codec instances are equal; otherwise, false.

View Source

operator !=(Codec, Codec)

Determines whether two Codec instances are not equal by comparing their underlying codec structures.

Declaration

public static bool operator !=(Codec left, Codec right)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
Codec	left	The first Codec to compare.
Codec	right	The second Codec to compare.

Returns

Type	Description
bool	true if the two Codec instances are not equal; otherwise, false.

Implements

IEquatable<T>