Filmerit is a freeware application for cleaning and managing the DirectShow filters. Directshow is a very nice concept that Microsoft introduced in DirectX. With directshow, the multimedia applications become a great construction play, where elementary bricks, called filters, are connected together, each one producing an elementary treatment on the streams of video or audio.

Download Filmerit

Many useful filters are delivered originally with DirectX (see here the filters delivered by DirectX) , but each application may install its proper filters, eventually replacing some original ones, and finally this process may create conflicts, and in some extreme cases block all multimedia applications. Some packs of codecs install dozens of filters with insufficient precautions, bringing some trouble in your system. With Filmerit you may control exactly what they do, and correct what is not adequate.

Several utilities do already offer possibilities for cleaning and managing directshow filters. For instance a freeware called Codec Sniper [not listeded by codecs.com]. It is a funny program due to its sound effects, but it is very poor in functionnality and not very comfortable to use. For instance the filters are not shown in alphabetic order, so it's very difficult to find the filter you're looking for. Besides, it is rather dangerous, because it deletes not only the filter record in the registry, but also the associated server file. Well then a server file may contain many filters, and if the file is deleted, all its filters will show a BROKEN link to the server file, and will be out of order.

Filmerit is in fact the Rolls-Royce of directshow filter management, with powerful functions:

- display the list of all directshow filters registered in your system, with all their properties, and the version information of the associated server file. Filters are displayed in alphabetical order, grouped by filter categories. The program tests the integrity of the filters and colors in red the lines with errors.
- save this list in a LOG file with all its informations, in order to archive the informations for a future comparison, or to send it to someone by mail for an analysis...
- display in a second panel, the data from a saved LOG file, in order to see the differences with the current system. Two log files may also be compared. This is very useful when installing an application or a pack of codecs: you take a snapshot before and after installation and see exactly what changes have been made.
- modify the Merits of one or several filters. Merits are numeric values attached to filters, which define their priority level in multimedia applications. Modify them if you want to fine tune your applications. Often some new added filters have a too high Merit, hiding better filters which can no more operate. Decrease their Merit with Filmerit is sometimes a good solution, better then to snipe them.
- save and load "Merit configurations". If you have modified some Merits on your system in order to fine tune a multimedia application, you may save them in a log file, and then restore the original system. Filmerit can later load the saved merits again and assign them to your filters when your mutimedia application needs it. So you may create temporarly configurations, or various configurations for your various applications, and resolve by this way even the most inextricable conflicts.
- delete erroneous filters. Filmerit deletes carefully all obsolete, erroneous filters, but without deleting useful files or data, for instance data that is necessary for other filters or for a future reinstallation of filters. When Filmerit deletes values or keys, you may be sure that it is unusable data, or data which will create confusion in your registry. Filmerit never deletes files, but only keys and values in the registry.
- reinstall correctly filters which were deleted when the corresponding server file is still available. The server files are files (often with extension .ax) which contain the filter code. Usually to install a filter when a server file is known you call something like "regsvr32.exe server.ax". Filmerit launches automatically this command for the filters which are selected for beeing repaired.
- finally, Filmerit has a "magic button" . If you click on it, all erroneous records of filters are deleted from the registry, and the corresponding server files are reinstalled. It is the simplest way to maintain a clean and healthy system!

CAUTION: Filmerit has an important limitation in its version 2 : it processes only "native directshow" filters, and not filters of type DirectX Media Object (DMO) , Kernel Streaming (KS proxy), Compression manager (ACM/ICM) or Plug and Play (Pnp) device filter. If you know GraphEdit, it means that it processes only filters written in black when you type CTRL+F.

Filmerit is freeware, but only for personal use. Professional use by a company, an administration or during any professional activities is ILLEGAL. If you need to use it in such circumstances, please contact the author for a licence.

Changes in Filmerit 3.0.8 :

- operations with the clipboard are secured. The paste and copy operation should no more lock with other programs.
- server files can be installed even if they call dll libraries (at least if these libraries are in the same folder)
- the program should no more hang when launched under Windows 98
- coordination of buttons is better between merit, server and panel buttons.
- some english text has been fixed