Medialooks — xMedia SDK
A cross-platform media runtime
for broadcast infrastructure
xMedia SDK is a developer-first platform for building media applications, server-side media workflows, and distributed media nodes — from ingest and processing to remote-controlled output.
Beta — core layers available, active development
Trusted by Medialooks customers
NEP ENCO Systems RUSHWORKS Green Hippo Axel Technology Medal
xMedia SDK — built on 20 years of experience in broadcast infrastructure Architecture
Three layers.
One platform.
xMedia SDK is not a finished product — it is a composable foundation. Build local media components or distributed multi-node systems on the same unified stack.
03
XNetwork Learn more → Remote control, web preview, and the foundation for distributed multi-node xMedia workflows. Separates command transport from execution, enabling WebSocket-based remote control today and multi-host media exchange in the next stage.
In Dev
02
xMediaStreams Learn more → High-level stream/group/feed/processor/sink runtime built on top of xMedia Core. The primary surface for ingest, monitoring, synchronized reading, clipping, recording, and delay workflows.
Ready
01
xMedia Core Learn more → Handler-based media processing layer. Every component — decoder, encoder, muxer, scaler, mixer, overlay — is a MediaHandler that accepts and emits MediaUnit objects. Handlers compose into containers via configurable schemes.
Ready
Layer Detail
What each layer provides
01 — xMedia Core Handler-based processing The lowest-level, most flexible layer. Build any media processing topology by composing handlers into containers. Suited for OEM and ISV scenarios that require full pipeline control.
Source and file handlers
Demuxers, decoders, encoders, muxers
Scalers, converters, mixers
Overlay and HTML overlay components
Playlist and writer-oriented blocks
Serial, parallel, free, and selector container types
Node-configurable container schemes
Wrapper layer for extending handler behavior
02 — xMediaStreams Stream-oriented runtime The most complete layer of the SDK. Introduces a workflow-level abstraction over handlers: streams, groups, feeds, processors, and sinks with full time-domain semantics and synchronization.
IMediaStream — timeline, boundaries, peek/read/write
IMediaGroup — topology-aware multi-stream collections
IMediaFeed / IMediaFeedHub — source track inventory and materialized streams
IMediaProcessor — top-level orchestration object
IMediaSink — capture, pause, switch, rotation, UTC semantics
Non-destructive mode via peek
Stable node-based public representation
03 — XNetwork Remote control & distribution Enables xMedia to operate not only as a local C++ SDK, but as a remotely controlled media backend — and, in the next stage, as a node in a distributed media infrastructure.
WebSocket-based remote control
Transport-independent command model (name + body + target_path)
Executor / dispatcher / transport separation
INode — stable public representation with JSON and binary payload support
Web preview integration layer
Use Cases
What you can build
xMedia SDK is the foundation, not the product. These are typical workflows developers and system integrators build on top of it.
01 Preview & Monitoring Build multi-channel monitoring systems with web-based preview. Use xMediaStreams for stream management and XNetwork to expose preview surfaces to remote clients via browser or custom UI.
02 Clipping & Replay Implement low-latency clip extraction and replay workflows. The sink model supports segment capture, non-destructive peek mode, and precise stream-time and UTC-based boundary definitions.
03 Delay & Timeshift Build delay or timeshift services using the stream group model and synchronized read semantics. xMediaStreams provides the time-domain model; xMedia Core handles the underlying encoding and output pipelines.
04 Web-Controlled Media Backend Deploy xMedia as a server-side media backend and control it entirely via WebSocket commands. INode provides a stable public representation; custom web or desktop clients interact with the running instance without touching the C++ layer.
05 Distributed Media Nodes Design multi-node broadcast infrastructure where one node handles ingest, another transcoding, another output or archiving — all remotely managed as a unified system. Roadmap: shared clock and inter-node media stream exchange.
06 Custom Ingest & Output Pipelines Compose any ingest or output topology from MediaHandler building blocks. Mix file sources, device inputs, network streams, decoders, scalers, encoders, and writers within configurable container schemes — without rewriting core logic.
Platform Status
What's ready today
xMedia SDK is in active development. Below is a transparent view of the current state of each layer and capability area.
Capability
Notes
Status
Handler / Container Architecture
Core model working. Serial, parallel, free, and selector containers. Node-configurable schemes.
Ready
Basic Media Processing
Decoders, encoders, scalers, mixers, muxers, overlay, HTML overlay, writer pipelines.
Ready
xMediaStreams Runtime
Streams, groups, feeds, processor, sink. Time-domain model, read/peek semantics. Most production-ready layer.
Ready
Remote Control (WebSocket)
Command model, transport-independent executor/dispatcher, INode public representation.
Ready
Web Preview
Available as practical integration layer on top of XNetwork remote control.
Beta
Cross-platform Support
Windows, Linux, macOS. Core architecture designed for all three from the start.
Beta
Professional Device I/O
Blackmagic, AJA, DeltaCast, and other broadcast-grade capture cards.
In Dev
WebRTC Transport
Part of XNetwork roadmap for bi-directional media transport.
Roadmap
Distributed Nodes / Shared Clock
Inter-node media exchange and synchronized clock across xMedia instances.
Roadmap
Our software uses code of FFmpeg licensed under the LGPL version 2.1 and it's source can be downloaded here. FFmpeg is a trademark of Fabrice Bellard, originator of the FFmpeg project. Blackmagic Design, Deltacast, Stream Labs, AJA, Magewell, DecTek, Bluefish444 and other trademarks are property of their respective owners. NDI® is a registered trademark of NewTek, Inc.
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