Webcam and Microphone Support

The System.Windows.Media namespace exposes several classes for hardware device capture. The CaptureDeviceConfiguration class’s AllowedDeviceAccess property returns true if the user has already granted access to the devices during the current session. The CaptureDeviceConfiguration.RequestDeviceAccess method requests access to the devices from the user.

Old pal Nick Kwiatkowski, one of Michigan’s finest, wrote a detailed tutorial for Developer Connection: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/flex/articles/using_mic_api.html This example shows you how to record sound with your microphone and store it in the local file system as a wav file.

Among the several useful AIR 2.0 sample apps Rich Tretola profiles on his blog, you’ll find a useful AIR 2.0 Microphone recorder. Take a look at the 3rd app in the list — the one that looks like Windows’ sound recorder. Installer and source are provided.

If you’ve built a cool microphone recorder app or example, let us know by commenting below.

1. Flash Player 10.1 WILL HAVE microphone access! According to a post by Justin Everett-Church (http://www.adobe.com/devnet/logged_in/jchurch_flashplayer10.1.html), an API for accessing sound data coming from the microphone will be available in 10.1.

“New requests started coming in pretty quickly with great ideas for how the microphone data could be used to make entertainment, communication, and productivity applications. In Flash Player 10.1, you will now have access to the same sort of data that you get from MP3 files today—but coming from the microphone. For right now, this new API will be available on desktop computers only.”

2. The Flash to iPhone compiling solution in CS5 WILL NOT allow Microphone Access. According to the specs released for this long awaited ability, where Flash devs can easily build apps/games for the iPhone, we learn that Microphone Access is one of only a few features that didn’t make this port. Read more here: http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Applications_for_iPhone

“As a general rule, Flash Player 10 and Adobe AIR 2.0 APIs are available when developing content for the iPhone. However, there are a number of exceptions, including, but not limited to: Embedded HTML content (via webkit in Adobe AIR), RTMPE, Dynamically loading SWFs that contain ActionScript, PixelBender Filters, Microphone Access, Video Camera Access”

3. AIR 2.0 WILL HAVE Microphone Access — As we unofficially learned a few weeks ago around FOTB. This feature was not only made official at MAX 2009, but was also demonstrated during the day 1 keynote.

4. New Microphone access in Flash Player and AIR will be limited to mono — still no stereo. Due to a codec and architecture limitation with both Flash Player and AIR, the microphone access we now have will be mono only. getMicrophone will continue to lobby for this feature.

Together, as a community, we got it done. Thanks to all at Adobe for pushing this feature across. I’ve personally thanked a bunch of folks here at MAX responsible for this feature!

As these releases become public and available on labs.adobe.com, we’ll post links and ask for you to share your examples.

http://theflashblog.com/?p=1426

No word yet on this feature in Flash Player, Lee points out, but with MAX so close, I’m so glad to see this feature getting its due!

Read more about the tour here and here.

I look forward to seeing everyone from the Ribbit & Flash communities, as well as all those aspiring to do more with Flash microphone, at one or more of these awesome events!

While I’ve not yet gone back to package up the demo code for distribution, the videos tell the story of what we’re try to do here at getMicrophone.com.

First up is a demo on using Merapi, in conjunction with AS3 and AIR to capture Microphone, store it in a local file, and play it back.

Second is a demo on using Red5, in conjunction with AS3 and Flash Player to stream Microphone data to a remote server (it was simulated for the demo), record the stream and play it back.

I’ll be revisiting these demos and more, adding some more visual aspects to them as well, for the upcoming Flash on the Beach conference.

As always, if you’ve got a cool project for us to showcase that uses Flash Microphone in any way, let us know via twitter!

Tutorial Hero has a nice, simple code sample on putting together a Microphone Graph. The example draws a line to the activityLevel of your microphone as you talk or make silly noises. The post includes the easy code and breaks it down in segments pretty nicely.

http://www.tutorialhero.com/click-56307-microphone_graph.php

If you have a cool example of playing with the Microphone, DM us on Twitter (@getMicrophone) and we’ll post it!

You can collect them all and view cut & paste code here.

Please post and help us all getMicrophone()!

Watch shiny, colorful, 2D balls bounce to the beat of your voice at http://www.neave.com/bounce/. The app, designed by Paul Neave, features an interface so fun and interactive, my 2-year-old is addicted to ‘talking’ to it. I turned my music up and the app’s balls even bounced to the beat.

Paul submitted the app to us via our Twitter @getMicrophone. What have you worked on with microphone? Send it to us and we’ll probably post it!

The thing we love most about Paul’s Bouncing Balls app? He shared the source code with all of us!

Justin confirmed that community support, such as getMicrophone.com, your votes and video posts can really help get this feature in sooner. Let’s get it done!