Conversion of free Mac media player IINA: Plugin system and more
The alternative playback tool IINA for macOS has been given a new internal look. Extensions and user scripts can be tested.
IINA media player on the Mac: It doesn't always have to be QuickTime.
(Image: IINA-Projekt)
By default, macOS does not come with a single app that can play all common movie and audio formats. QuickTime, for example, is not able to play MKV files –, nor is the Finder or Apple's TV application. If you want to enjoy more multimedia formats, you will need additional tools. Alongside the VLC player, IINA from the open source project of the same name is probably the most popular application. The software, which is itself based on mpv, is now facing major changes: There is to be a new plugin system as well as user scripts.
Plugins are easy to create
The functions can now be tried out for the first time in the beta version of IINA 1.4.0, which is available on GitHub. Thanks to a powerful yet easy-to-use API, plugins should be quick to create and use.
The first examples include an OpenSubtitles plugin for obtaining subtitles –, which is easier to use than the previous integration –, and an online media plugin. The latter makes it possible to download videos while they are already running and to quickly switch between quality levels. The new user scripts are themselves implemented as plugins.
Developers hope for many plugins
The IINA creators hope that even better tools will be added by opening up the interface. The possibilities are broad, so plugins can also manage streams, handle events or make playlists easier to edit. The IINA makers have published documentation on the web.
IINA 1.4.0 also comes with more languages – such as Hebrew and Croatian –, better shortcut management and various bug fixes. IINA also has a browser extension for web videos. The supported playback formats are extensive, in principle there is nothing common that the app itself cannot handle. Operation is pleasant and the app feels like a real macOS application thanks to coding in Swift. IINA is free of charge and is licensed under a GPLv3 license. It is not yet clear when the final version of IINA 1.4.0 will be released. However, if you are interested in creating your own plugins, you should hurry – and you may be able to use it right from the start.
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