overview.md

July 14, 2026 · View on GitHub

Overview

The component library hides FFmpeg C API complexity and provides a familiar Delphi style: TComponent, properties, methods, events, and design-time editors.

Status: alpha — see Components README.

Platforms

Area	Delphi Win32/Win64	FPC Win64	Linux64 (FPC / Delphi)
Bindings `source/`	✓	✓	✓
Non-visual components	✓	✓	✓
`TFFVideoPlayer` (VCL)	✓	–	–
`TFFFMXVideoPlayer` (FMX)	✓	–	✓ (PAServer)
Audio output	WaveOut	–	ALSA → SDL2 fallback

FFmpeg 8.1.x shared libraries must be next to the executable (bin/win64/, bin/linux64/).

Installation

Build rtpFFMPEG (bindings).
Build rtpFFMPEGComponents (runtime components).
Install dclFFMPEGComponents in the IDE (FFmpeg palette).

Copy FFmpeg DLL/SO into the .exe directory or use TFFLoader / tools/setup_dev_environment.ps1.

IDE palette components

Component	Purpose
`TFFLoader`	Load FFmpeg DLLs
`TFFLogger`	Capture `av_log`
`TFFReader`	Demux, `AutoPump`, custom I/O
`TFFDecoder`	Decode, preview, graph sink/source
`TFFEncoder`	Encode, transcode pipeline
`TFFWriter`	Mux / remux
`TFFMemoryAccessAdapter`	`AVIOContext` over `TStream`
`TFFBitmapEncoder`	BGRA / `TBitmap` → video file
`TFFMediaInfo`	Metadata probe
`TFFThumbnailExtractor`	Frame preview
`TFFTranscodeJob`	Preset-based transcode
`TFFRemuxJob`	Stream-copy remux
`TFFFrameFilter`	libavfilter node (scale, fps, …)
`TFFVideoPlayer`	VCL player
`TFFPlayerControl`	Player + transport bar
`TFFFMXVideoPlayer`	FMX player
`TFFSubtitleDecoder`	Subtitle decode for overlay

Helper modules (not on palette): uFFPlaybackEngine, uFFLinkedPlayback, uFFSubtitleOverlay, uFFSubtitleBitmap, uFFSubtitleAss, uFFHardwareDecode.

Player modes

Mode	Condition	Core
Engine	`FileName` set, `VideoDecoder` = nil	`TFFPlaybackEngine`
Linked	`VideoDecoder` assigned	`TFFLinkedPlayback` + graph

See Playback.