Sun releases updated Java Media Framework
JMF 2.0, codeveloped with IBM, incorporates streaming audio and video into Java apps
November 24, 1999 — Sun Microsystems Inc. today released version 2.0 of the Java Media Framework (JMF) application programming interface (API), which is designed to help software developers incorporate streaming audio, video and other media types into Java applications, Sun officials said.
An API provides an interface through which a software program accesses an operating system, and is an essential layer for ensuring code portability. The JMF API, which was developed jointly with IBM Corp., can be used to write programs such as remote sales training or customer service applications that can run on virtually any operating system using a Java-enabled browser.
The new JMF API will be demonstrated at the upcoming Java Business Conference, scheduled to take place Dec. 7 to Dec. 9 in New York City (for more on the Java Business Conference, see Resources).
The new API aims to extend the Java platform by adding more advanced media processing capabilities, including media capture, compression and transmission, and support for media types and codecs such as MP3, Flash, Realtime Transport Protocol and Realtime Streaming Protocol (RTP/RTSP), IBM’s HotMedia, and Beatnik’s Rich Media Format (RMF), Sun said.
JMF API 2.0 also supports media types such as QuickTime, Microsoft’s AVI format, and MPEG-1. It also includes an “open media architecture” designed to allow developers to access and manipulate various components of the media playback and capture process, such as effects, tracks, and renders, or to make use of their own, custom plug-in components, Sun said.
JMF 2.0 technology is available as an optional package to the Java 2 platform.
