Phonon

TODO

• API to allow applications to implement their own effects (independent from the backend)
• encoding to files (or any QIODevice)
• Hardware Mixer API
• kded module to handle tasks like:
  • react on plugged new (never seen before) media device
  • manage software volume controls
  • implement policy like muting/lowering volume of selected applications/categories depending on special events (e.g. incoming call)

Junior Jobs

• Exchange K_D with Q_D since they are absolutely the same (except for a stinky whitespace in Q_D ;))

Done as GSoCs

• High level capture API (needs maturing for Phonon proper)
• Low level PCM I/O

Standing Issues

Effects API returning random identifier namers

Amarok finds an Equalizer by looking at the names of the available effects, for xine that would be KEqualizer (which is what Amarok looks for), Gstreamer however uses completely different names...

3 Approaches suggested:

1. Introduce categories - does not resolve original problem, since a consumer still needs a way to differ between devices, introduces additional complexity

1. Fixed Enum - not very dynamic WRT additional magic supported by specific backends. The capabilities would just return enum values and the consumer then issues creation of e.g. Phonon::Effect::Equalizer

1. Standardize on names.

Apps switching on backend switch

This issue is difficult to describe since it has multiple incarnations. The most occurring one is that at backend switch we can only partially destruct the path, leaving it in an inconsistent state from our POV and implicitly depend on the backend to nuke all nodes (only xine does that). In general the whole backend switching business is difficult to support because at every point in time different parts are (or needed) to be responsible for path deconstruction leading to multiple issues.

In an IRC discussion it was concluded that the backend switching is not a terribly important usecase and that we will stop supporting it.

• The KCM's part for switching needs to be moved to an own KCM that is not listed in systemettings
• Switching will only take effect on app restart, the KCM needs to tell the user about this

DVD Menus (how Dragon should not link against xine)

Currently Phonon does not provide the means for a video player to access the menu of its media (think DVD). This lead to a situation where dragonplayer links against xine to provide (primitive abilities of menu switching). A situation that can easily be prevented. The following implementation was considered: have MediaController get an enum of menus, introduce an interface to allow players to query what menus are available (neverminding if the backend or the medium does not support one). The player can then query what menus are there, since there is a fixed amount of supported menus it then can map the supported ones to (e.g.) QActions and upon action issues MC to instruct the backend to switch the menu. Possible menu types: main, title, root, audio, angle, chapter, subtitle.

State mess

States are a mess right now, not very well defined and attached to some very weird signals (like aboutToFinish)... nothing is reliable and it causes crappy implementations (see Amarok EngineController why that is bad). In particular discussion with some of our major API consumers should be conducted to find a solution. Suggested discussion partners: Amarok, Dragon, Bangerang

Release Schedule

4.4.4 (git 4.4) - dev name: iguanos

Estimated release: soonish

Changes

• New build system magic to facilitate independent backend building
• GStreamer and Xine released independently with build system changes
• Otherwise only bug fixes

4.5.0 (git master) - dev name: spitfire

Estimated release: before Randa 2011 dev sprint

Changes

• AbstractMediaStreams used for all URLs except file: (i.e. KIO streaming)
• Stabilize effects API to resolve random-naming issue (see above)
• Eliminate runtime backend switching (see above)
• Add DVD menu support (see above)
• Add subtitle support
• Mature Capturing API to move out of experimental
• Fix states (see above)

Getting Involved

If you want to get involved with Phonon backend development please subscribe to [email protected]. If you want to contribute, make comments or useful suggestions you can also write to the KDE Multimedia mailinglist. You can join the mailinglist using the web interface or take a look at the archives.

There's also a #phonon channel on freenode where you may find developers.