Video Recorder API (S60 API, published in S60 3.0 SDK):
-What it can do: record audio & video (or video only) into a file (only a file). The application can choose the file format, the video codec and the audio codec. This API uses the Media Recorder API, so the combinations for file format, audio codec and video codec are the same.
-Advantages: high-level API, easy to use, in the public SDK
-Disadvantages: recording only to file, limited to the file format & codec combinations supported by the Media Recorder API

Media Recorder API (S60 API, published in S60 3.0 SDK plug-in):
-What it can do: record audio & video (or video only) into memory buffers. The application can choose the video and audio codecs:
Audio: AMR-NB, AAC-LC, QCELP (Qualcomm PureVoice)
-Advantages: simple (almost as simple as CVideoRecorderUtility), probably easy to use. Probably has better Audio-Video synchronization than what can be achieved by a 3rd party with MDF DevVideoRecord. It hides HW dependencies of the codecs it uses. Probably has better performance than what a 3rd party can do with MDF DevVideoRecord, as S60 has done device-specific tunings.
-Disadvantages: In the SDK plugin, no binary compatibility promise. A bit MMF-centric (audio source is an MDataSource class).

MDF DevVideoRecord (Symbian Partner API)
-What it can do: record video to memory (for audio recording DevSound should be used). It also requires CCamera API. It can record H.263 and MPEG-4 video (there are no other video encoders on phones). Together with DevSound API, more audio-video codecs combinations may be possible (e.g. H.263 and G.711).
-Advantages: in theory, it gives complete freedom to developers.
-Disadvantages: this is the most complex API from all 3. Audio recording and synchronization have to be done separately. Direct capture may be tricky on some HW platforms. Developer must join Symbian Platinum program to get access this API.[@more@]