Create a C# Console App in Visual Studio

This topic describes the steps needed to configure a C# console application in Visual Studio. These steps have been verified to work with Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition, on Windows 11 Pro (22H2).

Create the Visual Studio project

1. Create a C# console application in Visual Studio.

   • Name the project simple-converter.

   • Select Place solution and project in the same directory

   • Choose .NET 6.0 (Long-term support) for Framework

2. In Visual Studio, select Build | Configuration Manager from the menu, then add the x64 platform to the solution platforms.

3. Replace the contents of Program.cs with this code:

   using PrimoSoftware.AVBlocks;
   
   namespace SimpleConverter
   {
       class Program
       {
           static void Main(string[] args)
           {
               Library.Initialize();
   
               var inputInfo = new MediaInfo();
               
               inputInfo.Inputs[0].File = "Wildlife.wmv";
               if (inputInfo.Open())
               {
                   var inputSocket = MediaSocket.FromMediaInfo(inputInfo);
                   var outputSocket = MediaSocket.FromPreset(Preset.Video.Generic.MP4.Base_H264_AAC);
                   outputSocket.File = "Wildlife.mp4";
   
                   using (var transcoder = new Transcoder())
                   {
                       transcoder.Inputs.Add(inputSocket);
                       transcoder.Outputs.Add(outputSocket);
   
                       if (transcoder.Open())
                       {
                           transcoder.Run();
                           transcoder.Close();
                       }
                   }
               }
   
               Library.Shutdown();
           }
       }
   }
   

4. Download the Windows version of AVBlocks for .NET (net60). The file you need will have a name similar to avblocks-net60-v3.1.0-demo.1-windows.zip - the version number may differ.

5. Unzip in a location of your choice, then copy the file AVBlocks.clrcore.x64.dll and AVBlocks64.dll to the project’s directory.

6. Switch to the project in Visual Studio and add a reference to AVBlocks.clrcore.x64.dll.

7. Add the AVBlocks64.dll to your project simply as a file, open file properties, and set the ‘Copy to Output Directory’ to ‘Copy if newer’, so it is copied to the output directory automatically. The AVBlocks.clrcore.x64.dll needs AVBlocks64.dll and will not work without it.

8. Build the project (Ctrl + Shift + B)

Run the application

1. Download the Wildlife.wmv HD movie from the Internet Archive and save it in bin/x64/Debug/net6.0 under the project’s directory.

2. Run the application in Visual Studio. Wait a few seconds for the Transcoder to finish. The converted file Wildlife.mp4 will be in the bin/x64/Debug/net6.0 directory.

Troubleshooting

• You may get a 'DllNotFoundException' exception: Unable to load DLL 'AVBlocks64.dll': The specified module could not be found. To fix that, copy the file AVBlocks64.dll to bin/x64/Debug/net6.0 under the project’s directory.

• Transcoder.Open may fail if there is already a file Wildlife.mp4 in the bin/x64/Debug/net6.0 directory. Delete Wildlife.mp4 to solve that.