Introducing the Dreamsocket Media Framework

I am pleased to announce the release of the Dreamsocket Media Framework for the Adobe Flash Player. The framework consist of a suite of native components and source code for Flash and Flex written in both Actionscript 2 and 3. That equates to 3 code bases, 3 suites of components, all wrapped into 1 product.

Flexibility

The framework has been built with flexibility in mind. So whether you need a robust low level video stream object, or you would like to use a drag and drop component, there is something for you. It is a enterprise level code library. You can build video players, image galleries, mp3 players, and more. Why is this type of framework important? Previously, building enterprise video players and media applications hasn't been a straight forward process. The existing components are difficult to extend, the Flash APIs aren't simple to use, the Flash player doesn't always work correctly and quite simply an enterprise framework or toolkit for developers to create these type of applications didn't exist.

Enterprise Battle-Tested

Since 2003, Dreamsocket has grown a business by fulfilling this niche. We have built an enterprise media framework that companies including Disney, Cartoon Network, TBS, PGA, NASCAR, Super Deluxe, and others use at the core of their custom video players. We have had to deal with so many CDNs, advertising vendors, backend services, and requirements, that sometimes it made our heads spin. Yet, at the same time, it has given us unparalleled experience. Our knowledge base on building video players has grown tremendously over the past 6 years. We know all the quirks, needs and elements that go into building enterprise media applications. Creating playbacks that work, ad engines, closed captioning and more our framework has been solidified over time.

Improved from experience

Despite our confidence in adding to and refactoring our existing code base, we made a bold decision to refactor from the ground up seven months ago. Our goal was simple: To create the best framework for building enterprise media applications. Not only were we looking to simplify our own work tasks and address the emerging changes in the video landscape, but we also wanted to enable others to do what we do. It just seemed like a natural progression and the right thing to do.

To start this project, we went back and researched all of the dominant media technologies over the past nine years. We did this in hopes of finding common threads in all of them and pulling out the superior elements from of some of them.

We examined the APIs for Silverlight, Windows Media, QuickTime, Real Player, Android, Flash, HTML 5 Video, VLC, and Move. In addition, we reinvestigated the specifications around subtitles (Timed Text, SRT, RealText, SMI, QText, 3gpp Time Text), playlists (SMIL, XSPF, MediaRSS, ASX, ATOM), and ads (VAST). Needless to say, we did a lot of reading and thinking, and it more than paid off, because it allowed us to see things from different perceptions and deliver an API that is extremely easy to use. Now, you simply code to an API without worrying about content type (FLV, JPEG, MP3, etc) or content delivery (live, DVR, progressive, range request, and ondemand streaming) in your application logic.

Though we were looking at everything from a high level, we also dug our heels into the details. We listed every issue that we've encountered over the years, and sought to fix them all. From writing our own sound buffering algorithms to time syncing seeks for ondemand streams, you now have a media API that behaves how you expect it should.

Last but not least, we focused on creating a common framework across platforms. It was obvious to us, that people choose to develop Flash applications in many different ways. So we mirrored all of our development efforts in both Actionscript 2 and 3, as well as Flash and Flex. As much as we could, we made every API exactly the same. We even went as far as rewriting AS2 to mimic AS3. Yes, there is an AS3 style event framework in AS2, along with AS3 emulated native objects like NetStream. No matter what your programming environment affinity for the Flash player is, we have you covered.

The Results and the Future

All said and done and seven exhausting months later, our new release is here. With years of battle testing our code base, we now present a remodeled version that stands on solid ground and looks to the future. With the primary focus on the base level architecture and playbacks, we have laid an extremely solid foundation for everything moving forward. In the months to come, the framework will grow to include all of the elements that we have developed over the years. It is an unbelievable offering, and we can't wait to start using it ourselves.

So why hesitate? Go and grab the Dreamsocket Media Framework today. We can't wait to see what you do with it .

Many thanks to class mate and buddy Trevor Vanbeater, of FlyGuy fame, for the awesome icons.