My application currently uses the VMR9 with a custom allocator writing frames onto Direct3D texture surfaces.

What would the advantages be to moving to the Elecard decoder instead? (I don't like the VMR9's lack of control over threads and its use of the 3D engine)

I know in advance the multicast group, port and TS pids that I need to receive.  Is it possible to set up the receive graph completely before receiving any data from the network?