A powerful SDK for C#, Delphi, C++, VB.NET, Java and Qt to capture, process, record, stream and play video from webcams, IP cameras, capture cards, desktop screens and media files.
Datastead TVideoGrabber SDK is a complete video capture, recording, streaming and playback framework for Windows applications.
It allows developers to quickly integrate professional video capabilities into software written in C#, VB.NET, Delphi, C++Builder, Visual C++, Java or Qt without dealing with the complexity of multimedia pipelines.
The SDK is optimized for real-time video processing and supports multiple simultaneous video sources.
With just a few lines of code, developers can add professional video capture, recording, streaming and playback features to their applications.
TVideoGrabber provides a unified API to capture video from webcams, HDMI capture devices, IP cameras, desktop screens or media files, then preview, record, process, stream or play the content in real time.
Modular architecture
TVideoGrabber provides a powerful core SDK that can be extended with optional Datastead components for advanced capabilities.
- RTSP/RTMP/HTTP/ONVIF Source Filter – Adds support for IP cameras, ONVIF discovery and PTZ control.
- Multipurpose Encoder – Enables advanced recording, GPU encoding (H264/HEVC), streaming and transcoding.
This modular architecture allows developers to integrate only the components required for their application.
Why developers choose TVideoGrabber
- Fast integration into existing applications
- High-performance video capture and encoding
- Support for multiple programming languages and frameworks
- Flexible API supporting multiple simultaneous video instances
- Hardware-accelerated encoding with Intel QuickSync, NVIDIA NVENC or AMD AMF (Multipurpose Encoder)
Capture from almost any source
TVideoGrabber supports a wide range of video and audio sources:
- Webcams and USB capture devices
- HDMI and PCIe capture cards
- Blackmagic DeckLink devices
- IP cameras (RTSP / HTTP / ONVIF) (RTSP/RTMP/HTTP/ONVIF Source Filter)
- Desktop screen capture
- Media files
- Video mixer sources
Preview, record and stream in real time
The SDK enables applications to process video streams in real time:
- Live preview of video sources
- High-quality recording to MP4, AVI, MKV, ASF, WMV or MPEG-TS (Multipurpose Encoder)
- Hardware-accelerated H264 and HEVC encoding (Multipurpose Encoder)
- Live streaming to UDP, RTP, RTSP, RTMP or HLS (Multipurpose Encoder)
- On-the-fly transcoding and bitrate control (Multipurpose Encoder)
- Create new recording files during capture without losing frames
IP camera integration
With the optional Datastead RTSP/RTMP/HTTP/ONVIF Source Filter, the SDK provides advanced IP camera support:
- ONVIF device discovery
- RTSP and HTTP camera streams
- PTZ camera control
- Recording or re-streaming in the camera’s native format
- Real-time transcoding when required (Multipurpose Encoder)
Built-in media player
TVideoGrabber also includes a powerful media playback engine:
- Playback of most video and audio formats
- Frame-accurate seeking
- Playback speed control (forward or backward)
- Frame capture during playback
- Text and graphic overlays during playback
Real-time video processing
The SDK provides powerful processing capabilities directly in the video pipeline:
- Text and image overlays
- Picture-in-picture video
- Rotation, cropping and scaling
- Brightness, contrast, hue and saturation adjustments
- Chroma key and alpha blending
- Deinterlacing
Security and encryption
TVideoGrabber supports real-time AES-128 and AES-256 encryption for recorded or streamed media. Encrypted files can later be decrypted with full seeking support.
Multiple video pipelines
Applications can run multiple TVideoGrabber instances simultaneously, enabling advanced scenarios such as:
- Multi-camera monitoring systems
- Video recording with live preview
- Simultaneous playback and capture
- Multi-channel streaming applications
Typical use cases
- Video surveillance software
- Broadcast and streaming tools
- Industrial vision systems
- Medical imaging applications
- Video recording utilities
- Screen capture software
Supported platforms
- Windows 10 and Windows 11
- .NET (C#, VB.NET)
- Delphi / C++Builder (VCL)
- Visual C++
- Java
- Qt
TVideoGrabber helps developers save months of development time by providing a robust, ready-to-use video framework for professional Windows applications.