Phonon
An early screenshot of Phonon's setting manager
Developer	Matthias Kretz u.a.[citation needed]
Initial release	January 11, 2008; 17 years ago (2008-01-11)[1]
Stable release	4.12.0 / November 2, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-11-02)[2]
Repository	invent.kde.org/libraries/phonon
Written in	C++
Operating system	Linux,BSD,macOS,Solaris,Windows
Type	Multimedia framework
License	GNU Lesser General Public License 2.1
Website	userbase.kde.org/Phonon

Phonon is the multimediaAPI provided byKDE and is the standard abstraction for handling multimedia streams withinKDE software and also used by severalQt applications.

Phonon was originally created to allow KDE and Qt software to be independent of any single multimedia framework such asGStreamer orxine and to provide a stable API for a major version's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simpleKDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks onWindows andmacOS, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API orABI instability.

For example, a file can be played in four lines ofC++ code,^[3] compared to 30 lines in the old audio framework for KDE (aRts)^[4]

Phonon::MediaObject*media=newPhonon::MediaObject(this);createPath(media,newPhonon::AudioOutput(Phonon::MusicCategory,this));media->setCurrentSource(QUrl("/tmp/example.wav"));media->play();

Phonon is not designed to have every conceivable multimedia feature, but rather as a simple way to perform common functions of computer media players. Developers that require more control over a given media backend than Phonon can provide are recommended to use the native media API or the GStreamer API on systems for which it is available.^[4]

The idea behind Phonon started ataKademy 2004 in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart (Germany), where a new multimedia API had to be chosen to replace aRts. No consensus was reached but a few developers got together and decided to try to develop a new framework with multiple backends. The earliest version was called KDEMM (KDE MultiMedia) and was only supported byJuK andAmarok. Matthias Kretz continued to work single handed on the project as part of his university thesis, The project changed name once more but in February 2006 the name Phonon was finally chosen. The first official release was part of KDE 4.0 in January 2008, the same year Phonon was adopted byQt and released as part of Qt 4.4. Even though support for Phonon in Qt will continue for the 4.x series, Qt has already replaced Phonon with QtMultimedia and QtMobility.^[5][6][7]

• Phonon interfaces with various backends with what developers call "engines"; each engine works with one specific backend. Each backend will let Phonon control basic functions like play, pause, and seek. Phonon will also support higher level functions such as how tracks fade into each other.^[8]
• Phonon can switch multimedia frameworks on the fly. The user can switch between frameworks even while listening to music, with only a slight pause during the switch. This change will also be system wide, affecting all applications that use Phonon, so changing frameworks will be much easier.
• UsingSolid, Phonon gives users greater control over accessories like headsets, speakers, and microphones. An example was given that one could have aVoIP conversation only be played through one's headset, but have all other sounds come out through speakers.^[8]

• Supported backends on mostUnix-like systems areGStreamer andVLC.
• Supported backends under Windows includeDirectShow,VLC andMPlayer.
• Supported backend under macOS isQuickTime.
• xine andMPlayer backends are deprecated on Linux and no longer being developed.^[9]

• PulseAudio – prevailing sound server for desktop use
• JACK Audio Connection Kit – prevailing sound server for professional audio production

• Phonon home page
• Phonon code (hosted in invent.kde.org)

• Free software programmed in C++
• KDE Frameworks
• KDE Platform
• Multimedia frameworks

• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from February 2012