Multimedia

Multimedia support in Qt is provided by the Qt Multimedia module. The Qt Multimedia module provides a rich feature set that enables you to easily take advantage of a platform's multimedia capabilities such as media playback and the use of camera and radio devices.

Features

Here are some examples of what can be done with Qt Multimedia APIs:

  • Access raw audio devices for input and output
  • Play low latency sound effects
  • Play media files in playlists (such as compressed audio or video files)
  • Record audio and compress it
  • Tune and listen to radio stations
  • Use a camera, including viewfinder, image capture, and movie recording
  • Play 3D positional audio with Qt Audio Engine
  • Decode audio media files into memory for processing
  • Accessing video frames or audio buffers as they are played or recorded

Multimedia Components

Qt's multimedia APIs are categorized into four main components. More information (including background information and class references) is available here:

Multimedia Recipes

For some quick recipes, look at the overviews above and consult this table:

Use caseExamplesQML TypesC++ Classes
Playing a sound effectQSoundEffect
Playing low latency audioaudioinput, spectrumQAudioOutput
Playing encoded audio (MP3, AAC etc)playerAudio, MediaPlayerQMediaPlayer
Accessing raw audio input dataspectrum, audioinputQAudioInput
Recording encoded audio dataaudiorecorderQAudioRecorder
Discovering raw audio devicesaudiodevicesQAudioDeviceInfo
Video Playbackplayer, qmlvideo, qmlvideofxMediaPlayer, VideoOutput, VideoQMediaPlayer, QVideoWidget, QGraphicsVideoItem
Video ProcessingqmlvideofxMediaPlayer, VideoOutputQMediaPlayer, QAbstractVideoSurface, QVideoFrame
Listening to the radiodeclarative-radioRadio, RadioDataQRadioTuner, QRadioData
Accessing camera viewfindercamera, declarative-cameraCamera, VideoOutputQCamera, QVideoWidget, QGraphicsVideoItem
Viewfinder processingCamera, VideoOutputQCamera, QAbstractVideoSurface, QVideoFrame
Capturing photoscamera, declarative-cameraCameraQCamera, QCameraImageCapture
Capturing moviescamera, declarative-cameraCameraQCamera, QMediaRecorder
3D sound sourcesAudio EngineAudioEngine, Sound

Limitations

The Qt Multimedia APIs build upon the multimedia framework of the underlying platform. This can mean that support for various codecs or containers can vary between machines, depending on what the end user has installed.

Advanced Usage

For developers wishing to access some platform specific settings, or to port the Qt Multimedia APIs to a new platform or technology, see Multimedia Backend Development.

Changes from Previous Versions

If you previously used Qt Multimedia in Qt 4, or used Qt Multimedia Kit in Qt Mobility, please see Changes in Qt Multimedia for more information on what changed, and what you might need to change when porting code.

Reference Documentation

QML Types

The QML types are accessed by using:


  import QtMultimedia 5.8

Video

A convenience type for showing a specified video

The following types are accessed by using Qt Audio Engine:


  import QtAudioEngine 1.1

Multimedia Classes