If you’re developing applications or devices that send real-time streaming video over the Internet, you can view—and preview—that video with any standard UVC capable system using the Skype Transport Stream Format and Skype Extension Unit (XU). These specifications enable you to add video calling capabilities to your applications or create real-time streaming video devices, such as webcams that connect directly to the Internet, to send your data to any Skype user.
Skype Transport Stream Format and Skype Extension Unit (XU) jointly define a method for transmitting both compressed video and preview data for real-time streaming applications, for example, Skype video conferencing. This low-latency compressed video transport sits on top of the existing standardized Universal Serial Bus (USB) Video Class (UVC) infrastructure.
The Skype Encoding Camera Extension Unit (SkypeECXU) library compliments the Skype Encoding Camera Specification (SECS) by providing:
- a parser for extracting video from Skype formatted data frames
- a driver to communicate with the USB UVC sub-system
- a device manager that provides a high-level interface to the driver and parser
In particular, the interface provided by the device manager abstracts the low-level details from the SECS driver, enabling developers to get started with an SECS device quickly and easily.
Downloads
Specifications
| Version | Release date |
|---|---|
| Skype Encoding Camera Specification 2.1 (PDF) | 15 September 2011 |
| Skype Encoding Camera Specification 2.2 (PDF) | 06 May 2013 |
Library
Skype Encoding Camera Extension Unit (SkypeECXU) library
(1.4 MB – Updated May 16, 2013)
| Note: The library is distributed as source code with CMake build instructions. While the library itself will build on Windows, Linux and Mac, the library driver is currently implemented for Linux only. |
| Currently, neither SkypeKit nor any of the Skype clients (Windows, Mac, and so forth) implement the SECS. You must use the SkypeECXU library and/or write your own test code in order to develop and test an SECS-compliant camera. |
Legal
THIS UVC EXTENSION UNIT SPECIFICATION FOR ENCODING CAMERAS IS MADE AVAILABLE "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL SKYPE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SPECIFICATION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
This library is covered by the Apache License, Version 2.0, which you can view at http://www.apache.org/licenses/.
Need help?
Please contact Skype Developer Support.