VLCLR

Experimental project. Do not use it in production.

VLC + CLR = VLCLR is a framework for authoring VLC 4.x plugins in C# and publishing them as Native AOT libraries that VLC loads directly—without a separate C shim.

Current target: Windows x64, .NET 10, VLC 4.0.6.

flowchart LR
    CS["C# plugin"] --> GEN["VLCLR source generator"]
    GEN --> AOT["Native AOT DLL"]
    AOT --> VLC["VLC 4"]
    VLC --> VIDEO["Video filters"]
    VLC --> TEXT["Text renderers"]
    VLC --> AUDIO["Audio filters / sub-sources"]

• Attribute-based modules with generated exports, callbacks, configuration, exception boundaries, and instance lifecycle.
• Base classes and ABI wrappers for video, subtitle, audio, player, and playlist integration.
• Low-level fluent module registration for advanced or multi-module plugins.
• Unit, ABI, Native AOT export, VLC integration, visual, and benchmark coverage.

Each sample owns its setup, commands, parameters, examples, architecture, and troubleshooting documentation.

• .NET SDK 10.0.102
• Windows x64 with an MSVC C++ toolchain
• vswhere.exe in PATH
• A VLC 4 development build compatible with plugin API 4.0.6
• lib/libvlccore.lib when publishing plugins
• Git Bash for visible VLC runs on Windows

Large model and runtime binaries are intentionally excluded from Git.

From the repository root:

dotnet build vlclr.sln -c Release
dotnet test src/VLCLR.Tests -c Release
dotnet test tests/VLCLR.ObjectDetection.Tests -c Release
dotnet test tests/SubtitleTranslator.UnitTests -c Release
dotnet test tests/LiveAudioTranslator.ProtocolTests -c Release

Publish a Native AOT sample:

$env:PATH += ';C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer'
dotnet publish samples/VideoOverlay -c Release -r win-x64

Model-free builds and unit tests do not download model assets.

using VLCLR.Plugin;

[VLCModule("my_filter")]
[VLCCapability("video filter", Score = 0)]
[VLCDescription("My C# video filter")]
public partial class MyFilter : VLCVideoFilterBase
{
    protected override void ProcessFrame(VLCFrame frame)
    {
        // Inspect or modify the negotiated VLC picture.
    }
}

The source generator supplies vlc_entry, module registration, native callbacks, exception handling, and per-instance state. Advanced plugins can use VLCLR.Module.ModuleBuilder directly.

• This README is the concise project entry point.
• Each sample README is the operational guide for that plugin.
• Planning documents remain local and are intentionally excluded from Git.
• Benchmark result files retain machine-specific measurements.

See individual source files and model manifests for licensing information.