Usually, when a Linux user is configuring a fresh distro installation, they install VLC to handle media playback, and there's a good reason behind that. It's one of the best open source video players around, providing a reliable, feature-rich experience with support for a wide range of media formats.
However, the pre-installed video players in desktop environments like GNOME are quite capable for basic media playback. While most people ignore it, having such a utility as part of the stock experience is a great thing.
That being said, GNOME has decided to replace the aging Totem video player with the newer Showtime video player for its future releases.
They have been doing this for the past few releases. They replaced the legacy terminal, text editor and document viewer with a new breed of applications. It's time for the video player now.
Newly included in the Core Apps suite, Showtime is set to replace Totem as the default video player on the upcoming GNOME 49. The reasoning behind this move is quite straightforward.
Totem was getting old, both in terms of its GTK3-based codebase and lack of active development. This put it at odds with GNOME's push towards more modern, maintainable applications built with GTK4 and Libadwaita.
As with other GNOME Core Apps, Showtime will be renamed to “Video Player” when it is officially included in a GNOME release. This generic naming scheme helps with consistency across the GNOME ecosystem and makes it more accessible for new users.
Totem on the left, Showtime on the right.
I took a quick look at both Totem and Showtime, and I must say, Totem looks so dated. While it works fine, Showtime felt more intuitive, and its minimal, distraction-free design ensured that I didn’t have to stumble around looking for options.
Though, Totem does support DVD playback, while Showtime doesn't. This feature can still be useful for users who rely on physical media.
Want to Try it Out?
Showtime is available on Flathub for easy installation on Linux systems, with the source code being hosted over at GNOME's GitLab instance.
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Ankush Das
