Media Overview for Windows Phone

You can use the following features to consume media in a Windows Phone application:

• Use the MediaPlayerLauncher class for Windows Phone to embed audio or video using the device media player. As a best practice, use the MediaPlayerLauncher class with XNA applications.

• Use the Silverlight MediaElement API to embed audio or video using a more customizable interface. For an example of how to use this API in your application, see How to: Play or Stream a Video File for Windows Phone. As a best practice, use the MediaElement API with Silverlight applications.

  MediaElement for Windows Phone has a few differences than MediaElement for the desktop. For a full list of these differences, see Media for Silverlight for Windows Phone.

• Add sound effects using XNA Game Studio. For an example of how to add a sound effect, see Making Sounds with XNA Game Studio.

• Use the MediaStreamSource class for adaptive streaming solutions. For more information, see Silverlight Audio and Media Overview. For a list of differences between the mobile and desktop versions of MediaStreamSource, see Media for Silverlight for Windows Phone.

• Use Microsoft.Phone.BackgroundAudio to create a media application that will continue playing audio when another application is in the foreground. For more information, see How to: Play Background Audio for Windows Phone.

Windows Phone supports a wide range of audio, video, and image codecs. For a full list, including maximum capabilities for each codec, see Supported Media Codecs for Windows Phone.

Windows Phone supports PlayReady Digital Rights Management (DRM). For more information, see Media for Silverlight for Windows Phone.

Use the Microphone class from the XNA Framework to get audio input from the Windows Phone microphone. For more information, see How to: Access the Microphone in a Silverlight Application for Windows Phone.

Windows Phone includes support for an FM radio that you can use to access FM radio stations in your application. For more information, see How to: Set up and Tune the FM Radio for Windows Phone.

Note:
The 7x27a processor does not allow accessing the FM radio and microphone simultaneously.

Windows Phone enables applications to integrate closely with the Music + Videos Hub. By doing so, your application name will be displayed in the Music + Videos Hub. Additionally, you can choose to display a history of what has been played in your application, including the most recent item that was played. For more information, see How to: Integrate with the Music and Videos Hub for Windows Phone.

You can also use several Launcher APIs to access Windows Phone Marketplace. For more information, see Launchers for Windows Phone.

Other Resources