DirectShow
DirectShow is a multimedia framework and API developed by Microsoft for Windows that enables applications to capture, process, and render audio and video streams. It provides a modular architecture based on filters (components) that can be connected in a graph to handle tasks like decoding, encoding, and playback. Originally part of DirectX, it is widely used for media playback, streaming, and video editing in Windows applications.
Developers should learn DirectShow when building Windows desktop applications that require robust multimedia handling, such as media players, video editing software, or streaming applications. It is particularly useful for scenarios involving real-time audio/video capture from devices (e.g., webcams), custom processing of media streams, or integrating with legacy Windows media systems. However, for modern development, Microsoft recommends newer alternatives like Media Foundation for most use cases.