Any cross platform video library?

[Pixel_Outlaw]

I sort of want to embed some video information in a project.
Are there some simple and powerful video library loading libraries?
It would also need to provide me some pixel level access to the video screen buffer for some fancy effects...

[Jim]

There's ffmpeg which can do everything.  But that's probably massive overkill for you.  Otherwise I don't know of anything cross platform and useful.

Jim

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Thanks Jim!
This looks pretty good I'll consider my options first I think before making a decision.
I don't recall what competition exactly, but I know some people have used video playing routines in the past in demos.

[Jim]

If you're just interested in Windows you can play most videos with a few lines of code using the avi, mci or directshow apis. I used that on my ASCII comp entry. But they're not at all cross-platform.

Jim

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Ah it was yours!
Unfortunately (or fortunately?)  I find myself using Linux more than Windows these days to accept a Windows only library.
I just have a Windows partition for games and of course demo development here.

Staying cross platform is quite a task sometimes...especially when it comes to a magic bullet like library that works across the big 3.