Swiftfin/Documentation/players.md
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[Meta] Player Comparison Page (#1302)
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final version

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Actual last one

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HDR Section & Notes

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Requires AV1 for Dolby Vision 10

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AV1 disclaimer

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Co-authored-by: Ethan Pippin <ethanpippin2343@gmail.com>
2024-11-04 16:21:18 -07:00

6.6 KiB

Player Differences

Swiftfin offers two player options: Swiftfin (VLCKit) and Native (AVKit). The Swiftfin team recommends using Swiftfin (VLCKit) for optimal compatibility and features, though Native (AVKit) is also available for certain cases that benefit from Apple's native capabilities. All video, audio, and subtitle formats listed are supported for direct playback but may be repackaged based on container support. If transcoding is enabled on your server, any unsupported formats will be converted automatically.


Feature Support

Feature Swiftfin (VLCKit) Native (AVKit)
Framerate Matching
HDR to SDR Tonemapping [1] 🟡 Limited (MP4 only) [2]
Player Controls - Speed adjustment
- Aspect Fill
- Chapter Support
- Subtitle Support
- Audio Track Selection
- Customizable UI
- Speed adjustment
- Aspect Fill
Picture-in-Picture
TLS Support 1.1, 1.2 [3] 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Airplay Audio Output 🟡 [4]

Notes

[1] HDR to SDR Tonemapping on Swiftfin (VLCKit) may have colorspace accuracy variations depending on content and device configuration.

[2] In Native (AVKit), HDR playback works regardless of DirectPlay or MP4 container format. However, HDR to SDR Tonemapping requires DirectPlaying compatible MP4 files and may require Dolby Vision Profiles 5 & 8 for full support.

[3] Swiftfin (VLCKit) does not support TLS 1.3.

[4] Swiftfin (VLCKit) has a known bug that results in a significant audio delay.


Container Support

Container Swiftfin (VLCKit) Native (AVKit)
AVI 🟡 Limited support
FLV
M4V
MKV
MOV
MP4
MPEG-TS 🟡 Limited support
TS 🟡 Limited support
3G2
3GP
WebM

Notes

  • Unsupported containers will require transcoding or remuxing to play.
  • AV1 is disabled by default but can be enabled for Native (AVKit) using Custom Device Profiles.

Audio Support

Audio Codec Swiftfin (VLCKit) Native (AVKit)
AAC
AC3
ALAC
AMR NB
AMR WB
DTS
DTS-HD
EAC3
FLAC
MP1
MP2
MP3
MLP
Nellymoser
Opus
PCM 🟡 Limited support
Speex
TrueHD
Vorbis
WavPack
WMA
WMA Lossless
WMA Pro
  • Audio track selection is not currently supported in Native (AVKit) due to issues with HLS file incompatibilities.

Video Support

Video Codec Swiftfin (VLCKit) Native (AVKit)
AV1
H.264
H.265
MPEG-2
MPEG-4
VP8
VP9

Subtitle Support

Subtitle Format Swiftfin (VLCKit) Native (AVKit)
ASS
CC_DEC 🟡
DVBSub
DVDSub
PGSSub
SRT
SSA
Teletext
TTML 🟡
VTT 🟡
XSub

Notes

  • Subtitle track selection is not currently supported in Native (AVKit) due to issues with HLS file incompatibilities.

HDR Support

Format Swiftfin (VLCKit) Native (AVKit)
Dolby Vision Profile 5
Dolby Vision Profile 8 🟡 Compatible devices only
Dolby Vision Profile 10 🟡 Requires AV1
HDR10
HDR10+ 🟡 Limited support
HLG

Notes

  • HDR10+ support in Native (AVKit) is limited to certain devices, such as the Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation) and recent iPhones and iPads with compatible hardware.
  • HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) support in Native (AVKit) is limited and not currently supported in Swiftin.
  • Dolby Vision Profile 10 requires AV1 to be enabled to work in Native (AVKit).
  • Swiftfin (VLCKit) does not support HDR playback natively. HDR content may play back without the intended high dynamic range effect.