Multimedia

A set of APIs for working with audio, video, radio and camera devices.

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:

• Audio Overview

• Video Overview

• Camera Overview

• Radio Overview

Multimedia Recipes

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

Use case	Examples	QML Types	C++ Classes
Playing a sound effect			QSoundEffect
Playing low latency audio	audioinput , spectrum		QAudioOutput
Playing encoded audio (MP3, AAC etc)	player	Audio , MediaPlayer	QMediaPlayer
Accessing raw audio input data	spectrum , audioinput		QAudioInput
Recording encoded audio data	audiorecorder		QAudioRecorder
Discovering raw audio devices	audiodevices		QAudioDeviceInfo
Video Playback	player , qmlvideo , qmlvideofx	MediaPlayer , VideoOutput , Video	QMediaPlayer , QVideoWidget , QGraphicsVideoItem
Video Processing	qmlvideofx	MediaPlayer , VideoOutput	QMediaPlayer , QAbstractVideoSurface , QVideoFrame
Listening to the radio	declarative-radio	Radio , RadioData	QRadioTuner , QRadioData
Accessing camera viewfinder	camera , declarative-camera	Camera , VideoOutput	QCamera , QVideoWidget , QGraphicsVideoItem
Viewfinder processing		Camera , VideoOutput	QCamera , QAbstractVideoSurface , QVideoFrame
Capturing photos	camera , declarative-camera	Camera	QCamera , QCameraImageCapture
Capturing movies	camera , declarative-camera	Camera	QCamera , QMediaRecorder
3D sound sources		Audio Engine	AudioEngine , 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

qml-qtmultimedia-video.html	A convenience type for showing a specified video.
qml-qtmultimedia-audio.html	Add audio playback to a scene.
qml-qtmultimedia-mediaplayer.html	Add media playback to a scene.
qml-qtmultimedia-camera.html	Access viewfinder frames, and take photos and movies.
qml-qtmultimedia-cameracapture.html	An interface for capturing camera images.
qml-qtmultimedia-cameraexposure.html	An interface for exposure related camera settings.
qml-qtmultimedia-cameraflash.html	An interface for flash related camera settings.
qml-qtmultimedia-camerafocus.html	An interface for focus related camera settings.
qml-qtmultimedia-cameraimageprocessing.html	An interface for camera capture related settings.
qml-qtmultimedia-camerarecorder.html	Controls video recording with the Camera.
qml-qtmultimedia-qtmultimedia.html	Provides a global object with useful functions from Qt Multimedia.
qml-qtmultimedia-playlistitem.html	Defines an item in a Playlist.
qml-qtmultimedia-playlist.html	For specifying a list of media to be played.
qml-qtmultimedia-radio.html	Access radio functionality from a QML application.
qml-qtmultimedia-radiodata.html	Access RDS data from a QML application.
qml-qtmultimedia-torch.html	Simple control over torch functionality.
qml-qtmultimedia-soundeffect.html	The SoundEffect type provides a way to play sound effects in QML.
qml-qtmultimedia-videooutput.html	Render video or camera viewfinder.

The following types are accessed by using Qt Audio Engine :

qml-qtaudioengine-attenuationmodellinear.html	Defines a linear attenuation curve for a Sound.
qml-qtaudioengine-attenuationmodelinverse.html	Defines a non-linear attenuation curve for a Sound.
qml-qtaudioengine-audiocategory.html	Control all active sound instances by group.
qml-qtaudioengine-audioengine.html	Organize all your 3d audio content in one place.
qml-qtaudioengine-audiolistener.html	Control global listener parameters.
qml-qtaudioengine-audiosample.html	Load audio samples, mostly .wav.
qml-qtaudioengine-playvariation.html	Define a playback variation for sounds. So each time the playback of the same sound can be a slightly different even with the same AudioSample.
qml-qtaudioengine-sound.html	Define a variety of samples and parameters to be used for SoundInstance.
qml-qtaudioengine-soundinstance.html	Play 3d audio content.

Multimedia Classes

qaudio.html	The QAudio namespace contains enums used by the audio classes.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioBuffer	The QAudioBuffer class represents a collection of audio samples with a specific format and sample rate.
QAudioBuffer.StereoFrame	The StereoFrame class provides a simple wrapper for a stereo audio frame.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioDecoder	The QAudioDecoder class allows decoding audio.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioDeviceInfo	The QAudioDeviceInfo class provides an interface to query audio devices and their functionality.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioFormat	The QAudioFormat class stores audio stream parameter information.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioInput	The QAudioInput class provides an interface for receiving audio data from an audio input device.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioOutput	The QAudioOutput class provides an interface for sending audio data to an audio output device.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioProbe	The QAudioProbe class allows you to monitor audio being played or recorded.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAbstractAudioDeviceInfo	The QAbstractAudioDeviceInfo class is a base class for audio backends.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAbstractAudioOutput	The QAbstractAudioOutput class is a base class for audio backends.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAbstractAudioInput	The QAbstractAudioInput class provides access for QAudioInput to access the audio device provided by the plugin.
QAudioSystemPlugin	The QAudioSystemPlugin class provides an abstract base for audio plugins.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QSound	The QSound class provides a method to play .wav sound files.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QSoundEffect	The QSoundEffect class provides a way to play low latency sound effects.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCamera	The QCamera class provides interface for system camera devices.
QCamera.FrameRateRange	A FrameRateRange represents a range of frame rates as minimum and maximum rate.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCameraExposure	The QCameraExposure class provides interface for exposure related camera settings.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCameraFocusZone	The QCameraFocusZone class provides information on zones used for autofocusing a camera.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCameraFocus	The QCameraFocus class provides an interface for focus and zoom related camera settings.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCameraImageCapture	The QCameraImageCapture class is used for the recording of media content.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCameraImageProcessing	The QCameraImageProcessing class provides an interface for image processing related camera settings.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCameraInfo	The QCameraInfo class provides general information about camera devices.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QCameraViewfinderSettings	The QCameraViewfinderSettings class provides a set of viewfinder settings.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaContent	The QMediaContent class provides access to the resource relating to a media content.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaPlayer	The QMediaPlayer class allows the playing of a media source.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaPlaylist	The QMediaPlaylist class provides a list of media content to play.
	The QMediaPlaylistReader class provides an interface for reading a playlist file.
	The QMediaPlaylistNavigator class provides navigation for a media playlist.
	The QMediaPlaylistProvider class provides an abstract list of media.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaResource	The QMediaResource class provides a description of a media resource.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaBindableInterface	The QMediaBindableInterface class is the base class for objects extending media objects functionality.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaControl	The QMediaControl class provides a base interface for media service controls.
qmediametadata.html	Provides identifiers for meta-data attributes.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaObject	The QMediaObject class provides a common base for multimedia objects.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaService	The QMediaService class provides a common base class for media service implementations.
	The QMediaServiceProviderHint class describes what is required of a QMediaService.
	The QMediaServiceProvider class provides an abstract allocator for media services.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaTimeInterval	The QMediaTimeInterval class represents a time interval with integer precision.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaTimeRange	The QMediaTimeRange class represents a set of zero or more disjoint time intervals.
qmultimedia.html	The QMultimedia namespace contains miscellaneous identifiers used throughout the Qt Multimedia library.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QRadioData	The QRadioData class provides interfaces to the RDS functionality of the system radio.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QRadioTuner	The QRadioTuner class provides an interface to the systems analog radio device.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioRecorder	The QAudioRecorder class is used for the recording of audio.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAudioEncoderSettings	The QAudioEncoderSettings class provides a set of audio encoder settings.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QVideoEncoderSettings	The QVideoEncoderSettings class provides a set of video encoder settings.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QImageEncoderSettings	The QImageEncoderSettings class provides a set of image encoder settings.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QMediaRecorder	The QMediaRecorder class is used for the recording of media content.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAbstractVideoBuffer	The QAbstractVideoBuffer class is an abstraction for video data.
QAbstractPlanarVideoBuffer	The QAbstractPlanarVideoBuffer class is an abstraction for planar video data.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAbstractVideoFilter	The QAbstractVideoFilter class represents a filter that is applied to the video frames received by a VideoOutput type.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QVideoFilterRunnable	The QVideoFilterRunnable class represents the implementation of a filter that owns all graphics and computational resources, and performs the actual filtering or calculations.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QAbstractVideoSurface	The QAbstractVideoSurface class is a base class for video presentation surfaces.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QVideoFrame	The QVideoFrame class represents a frame of video data.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QVideoProbe	The QVideoProbe class allows you to monitor video frames being played or recorded.
PySide2.QtMultimedia.QVideoSurfaceFormat	The QVideoSurfaceFormat class specifies the stream format of a video presentation surface.
PySide2.QtMultimediaWidgets.QGraphicsVideoItem	The QGraphicsVideoItem class provides a graphics item which display video produced by a QMediaObject.
PySide2.QtMultimediaWidgets.QVideoWidget	The QVideoWidget class provides a widget which presents video produced by a media object.