Unlocking the Windows Media Format SDK

[The feature associated with this page, DirectShow, is a legacy feature. It has been superseded by MediaPlayer, IMFMediaEngine, and Audio/Video Capture in Media Foundation. Those features have been optimized for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Microsoft strongly recommends that new code use MediaPlayer, IMFMediaEngine and Audio/Video Capture in Media Foundation instead of DirectShow, when possible. Microsoft suggests that existing code that uses the legacy APIs be rewritten to use the new APIs if possible.]

To access version 7 or 7.1 of the Windows Media Format SDK, an application must provide a software certificate, also called a key, at run time. This key is contained in a static library called wmstub.lib to which the application links at build time. An individualized key is only required for creating or reading DRM-protected files. Non-DRM files can be created using the static library provided with the Windows Media Format SDK. For details on obtaining the DRM key, see the Windows Media Format SDK. A DirectShow application provides its certificate to the WM ASF Writer when it is added to the filter graph. The application must register as a key provider using the COM IServiceProvider and IObjectWithSite interfaces. Using this technique, the application implements a key provider class derived from IServiceProvider. This class implements the three standard COM methods—AddRef, QueryInterface, and Release—along with one additional method, QueryService, which is called by the filter graph manager. QueryService calls the Windows Media Format SDK method WMCreateCertificate and returns to the filter graph manager a pointer to the certificate that was created. If the certificate is valid, the filter graph manager allows the graph-building process to proceed.

Note

To build an application, include Wmsdkidl.h for the prototype for WMCreateCertificate, and link to the Wmstub.lib library.

 

The following code example illustrates the basic steps in this process:

// Declare and implement a key provider class derived from IServiceProvider.

class CKeyProvider : public IServiceProvider {
public:
    // IUnknown interface
    STDMETHODIMP QueryInterface(REFIID riid, void ** ppv);
    STDMETHODIMP_(ULONG) AddRef();
    STDMETHODIMP_(ULONG) Release();

    CKeyProvider();

    // IServiceProvider
    STDMETHODIMP QueryService(REFIID siid, REFIID riid, void **ppv);
    
private:
    ULONG m_cRef;
};

CKeyProvider::CKeyProvider() : m_cRef(0)
{
}

// IUnknown methods
ULONG CKeyProvider::AddRef()
{
    return InterlockedIncrement(&m_cRef);
}

ULONG CKeyProvider::Release()
{
    ASSERT(m_cRef > 0);

    ULONG lCount = InterlockedDecrement(&m_cRef);
    if (m_cRef == 0) 
    {
        delete this;
        return (ULONG)0;
    }
    return (ULONG)lCount;
}

// We only support IUnknown and IServiceProvider.
HRESULT CKeyProvider::QueryInterface(REFIID riid, void ** ppv)
{
    if (!ppv) return E_POINTER;

    if (riid == IID_IUnknown) 
    {
        *ppv = (void *) static_cast<IUnknown *>(this);
        AddRef();
        return S_OK;
    }
    if (riid == IID_IServiceProvider) 
    {
        *ppv = (void *) static_cast<IServiceProvider *>(this);
        AddRef();
        return S_OK;
    }

    return E_NOINTERFACE;
}

STDMETHODIMP CKeyProvider::QueryService(REFIID siid, REFIID riid, void **ppv)
{
    if (!ppv) return E_POINTER;

    if (siid == __uuidof(IWMReader) && riid == IID_IUnknown) 
    {
        IUnknown *punkCert;
        HRESULT hr = WMCreateCertificate(&punkCert);
        if (SUCCEEDED(hr)) 
        {
            *ppv = (void *) punkCert;
        }
        return hr;
    }
    return E_NOINTERFACE;
}

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//
// These examples illustrate the sequence of method calls
// in your application. Error checking is omitted for brevity.
//
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

// Create the filter graph manager, but don't add any filters.
IGraphBuilder *pGraph;
hr = CreateFilterGraph(&pGraph);

...

// Instantiate the key provider class, and AddRef it
// so that COM doesn't try to free our static object.

CKeyProvider prov;
prov.AddRef();  // Don't let COM try to free our static object.

// Give the graph an IObjectWithSite pointer for callbacks and QueryService.
IObjectWithSite* pObjectWithSite = NULL;

hr = pGraph->QueryInterface(IID_IObjectWithSite, (void**)&pObjectWithSite);
if (SUCCEEDED(hr))
{
    // Use the IObjectWithSite pointer to specify our key provider object.
    // The filter graph manager will use this pointer to call
    // QueryService to do the unlocking.
    // If the unlocking succeeds, then we can build our graph.

    pObjectWithSite->SetSite((IUnknown *) (IServiceProvider *) &prov);
    pObjectWithSite->Release();
}

// Now build the graph.

Related topics

Creating ASF Files in DirectShow