How to access an audio stream using DirectShow.NET C#

Question

Hi,

What I would like to do is to pass an arbitrary audio file to a DirectShow filtergraph and receive a (PCM audio) stream object in the end using .NET 3.5 C# and DirectShow.NET. I would like to reach the point that I can just say:

 Stream OpenFile(string filename) {...}

and

stream.Read(...)

I have been reading up on DirectShow for a couple of days and think I have started to grasp the idea of filters and filtergraphs. I found examples (to file / to device) how to play audio or write it to a file, but cannot seem to find the solution for a Stream object. Is this even possible? Could you point me in the right direction in case I missed something, please?

Best,

Hauke

Answer 1

This (AVILibrary Wrapper) may lead you to a solution, it's not DirectSound based (which I get the feeling is very much biased to interfacing your code with the playback hardware) but could be the answer.

Another approach can be found here.

Answer 2

How about NAudio ? http://www.codeplex.com/naudio It has a stream implementation.

Answer 3

I would like to share my solution to my own problem with you (my focus was on the exotic bwf file format. hence the name.):

    using System;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Text;
    using DirectShowLib;
    using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
    using System.IO;

    namespace ConvertBWF2WAV
    {
        public class BWF2WavConverter : ISampleGrabberCB
        {
            IFilterGraph2 gb = null;
            ICaptureGraphBuilder2 icgb = null;
            IBaseFilter ibfSrcFile = null;
            DsROTEntry m_rot = null;
            IMediaControl m_mediaCtrl = null;
            ISampleGrabber sg = null;


            public BWF2WavConverter() 
            { 
                // Initialize
                int hr;
                icgb = (ICaptureGraphBuilder2)new CaptureGraphBuilder2();
                gb = (IFilterGraph2) new FilterGraph();
                sg = (ISampleGrabber)new SampleGrabber();

    #if DEBUG
                m_rot = new DsROTEntry(gb);
    #endif
                hr = icgb.SetFiltergraph(gb);
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);
            }

            public void reset()
            {
                gb = null;
                icgb = null;
                ibfSrcFile = null;
                m_rot = null;
                m_mediaCtrl = null;
            }

            public void convert(object obj) 
            {
                string[] pair = obj as string[];
                string srcfile = pair[0];
                string targetfile = pair[1];

                int hr;

                ibfSrcFile = (IBaseFilter)new AsyncReader();
                hr = gb.AddFilter(ibfSrcFile, "Reader");
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                IFileSourceFilter ifileSource = (IFileSourceFilter)ibfSrcFile;
                hr = ifileSource.Load(srcfile, null);
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                // the guid is the one from ffdshow
                Type fftype = Type.GetTypeFromCLSID(new Guid("0F40E1E5-4F79-4988-B1A9-CC98794E6B55"));
                object ffdshow = Activator.CreateInstance(fftype);
                hr = gb.AddFilter((IBaseFilter)ffdshow, "ffdshow");
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                // the guid is the one from the WAV Dest sample in the SDK
                Type type = Type.GetTypeFromCLSID(new Guid("3C78B8E2-6C4D-11d1-ADE2-0000F8754B99"));
                object wavedest = Activator.CreateInstance(type);
                hr = gb.AddFilter((IBaseFilter)wavedest, "WAV Dest");
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                // manually tell the graph builder to try to hook up the pin that is left
                IPin pWaveDestOut = null;
                hr = icgb.FindPin(wavedest, PinDirection.Output, null, null, true, 0, out pWaveDestOut);
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                // render step 1
                hr = icgb.RenderStream(null, null, ibfSrcFile, (IBaseFilter)ffdshow, (IBaseFilter)wavedest);
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                 // Configure the sample grabber
                IBaseFilter baseGrabFlt = sg as IBaseFilter;
                ConfigSampleGrabber(sg);
                IPin pGrabberIn = DsFindPin.ByDirection(baseGrabFlt, PinDirection.Input, 0);
                IPin pGrabberOut = DsFindPin.ByDirection(baseGrabFlt, PinDirection.Output, 0);
                hr = gb.AddFilter((IBaseFilter)sg, "SampleGrabber");
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);
                AMMediaType mediatype = new AMMediaType();
                sg.GetConnectedMediaType(mediatype);

                hr = gb.Connect(pWaveDestOut, pGrabberIn);
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                // file writer
                FileWriter file_writer = new FileWriter();
                IFileSinkFilter fs = (IFileSinkFilter)file_writer;
                fs.SetFileName(targetfile, null);
                hr = gb.AddFilter((DirectShowLib.IBaseFilter)file_writer, "File Writer");
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);

                // render step 2
                AMMediaType mediatype2 = new AMMediaType();
                pWaveDestOut.ConnectionMediaType(mediatype2);
                gb.Render(pGrabberOut);

                // alternatively to the file writer use the NullRenderer() to just discard the rest

                // assign control
                m_mediaCtrl = gb as IMediaControl;

                // run
                hr = m_mediaCtrl.Run();
                DsError.ThrowExceptionForHR(hr);


            }


            //
            // configure the SampleGrabber filter of the graph
            //
            void ConfigSampleGrabber(ISampleGrabber sampGrabber)
            {
                AMMediaType media;

                // set the media type. works with "stream" somehow...
                media = new AMMediaType();
                media.majorType = MediaType.Stream;
                //media.subType = MediaSubType.WAVE;
                //media.formatType = FormatType.WaveEx;

                // that's the call to the ISampleGrabber interface
                sg.SetMediaType(media);

                DsUtils.FreeAMMediaType(media);
                media = null;

                // set BufferCB as the desired Callback function
                sg.SetCallback(this, 1);
            }

            public int SampleCB(double a, IMediaSample b)
            {
                return 0;
            }

            /// <summary>
            /// Called on each SampleGrabber hit.
            /// </summary>
            /// <param name="SampleTime">Starting time of the sample, in seconds.</param>
            /// <param name="pBuffer">Pointer to a buffer that contains the sample data.</param>
            /// <param name="BufferLen">Length of the buffer pointed to by pBuffer, in bytes.</param>
            /// <returns></returns>
            public int BufferCB(double SampleTime, IntPtr pBuffer, int BufferLen)
            {
                byte[] buffer = new byte[BufferLen];
                Marshal.Copy(pBuffer, buffer, 0, BufferLen);
                using (BinaryWriter binWriter = new BinaryWriter(File.Open(@"C:\directshowoutput.pcm", FileMode.Append)))
                {
                    binWriter.Write(buffer);
                }
                return 0;
            }
        }
    }

Answer 4

streaming audio is really hard to accomplish...what ever the format be (stream or file) audio must have complete header info. good luck trying to make endless chnges to the audio header info....most of the time you'll end up doing this procedure PLAY NEW SOUND PLAY NEW SOUND PLAY NEW SOUND PLAY NEW SOUND PLAY....(there's just so much click sounds along the way)...im sure there's a bunch of guys who can create custom directshow filters that will act as network receivers...