Couldn't agree more on the C API. The time I had to use it was a nightmare. There's almost no documentation, and the interface changes so often it's nearly impossible to find working sample code.
Its a start, but missing the point nonetheless. The grand idea is to have all the codecs and formats unified into one API, but the reality is that said API has become a gigantic dump yard. Redundant options and variables with one codec using one set and a different codec another. Not to mention to have stuff fail because a particular codec does not like a specific configuration.
To be honest, the biggest problem I had was that searches would return too many out of date code snippets and sample code on other sites that didn't match the exact version I was using, so it wouldn't work for me.
Other than that, once I got it working, it was awesome.
