KDE Haruna video player is surprisingly good after years with smplayer
Discovering Haruna: A Superior Video Playback Experience Beyond SMPlayer
For over a decade, the quest for the ideal video player on Linux has been a journey marked by compromises. Many of us, like revWhiteShadow, transitioned from Windows-centric players, seeking familiar functionality and robust performance. For a significant period, SMPlayer served as a dependable, albeit sometimes temperamental, companion. It filled the void left by potent Windows players like PotPlayer, offering a broad spectrum of features that catered to our multimedia needs. However, as time progressed and software ecosystems evolved, SMPlayer’s reliability began to wane. Persistent issues, such as erratic video rotation and a frustratingly consistent unresponsiveness upon video loading, became increasingly prevalent. These growing pains culminated in a breaking point when a recent update to either SMPlayer or its underlying mpv engine corrupted the aspect ratio of rotated videos, prompting a renewed search for a superior alternative.
The journey to find a worthy successor led us through several well-known contenders. VLC, a ubiquitous and powerful player, was explored. While undeniably capable, it lacked the granular control and specific customization options that had become essential. QMPlay2 presented a closer alternative, boasting features that mirrored our desired functionality. Yet, it faltered in crucial areas: its customization options felt less intuitive and extensive compared to what we had grown accustomed to, and importantly, it suffered from a noticeable lack of stability during our testing. It was during this period of diligent exploration that we stumbled upon Haruna, a player that has since redefined our expectations for video playback on Linux. The initial impression was one of pleasant surprise, quickly escalating to genuine admiration as Haruna revealed its remarkable capabilities and user-centric design.
The Evolution of Video Playback Needs: From SMPlayer to a New Horizon
Our long-standing reliance on SMPlayer was born out of necessity. When migrating to Linux, the absence of familiar, high-performance video players was a significant hurdle. SMPlayer, with its foundation built upon the formidable mpv media player, offered a compelling package. It provided a graphical front-end that made the powerful backend accessible, offering features like customizable keyboard shortcuts, robust subtitle support, aspect ratio correction, and the ability to manage playlists. Over the years, we adapted to its idiosyncrasies, learning to navigate its settings and overcome occasional hiccups. However, these were often temporary solutions, bandaids on a system that was gradually showing its age and susceptibility to the rapid pace of software development.
The unresponsive period of 5 seconds after loading a video was a particular annoyance. This brief, yet disruptive, pause became a daily reminder that our player was not operating at peak efficiency. It was a symptom of underlying performance issues that no amount of tweaking seemed to fully resolve. Furthermore, the video rotation functionality, a seemingly simple feature, became a recurring source of frustration. Videos that were filmed in portrait mode, or had been rotated for stylistic reasons, would often display with incorrect aspect ratios. This meant that what should have been a clear, undistorted image would appear stretched or squashed, detracting significantly from the viewing experience. The fact that this issue would intermittently work and then break with updates only amplified the frustration. It indicated a lack of robust handling of metadata and video transformations.
The final straw, however, was the systematic failure of the aspect ratio correction for rotated videos after a critical update. This was not a minor inconvenience; it rendered a fundamental aspect of video playback unusable. When a player can no longer accurately display content that has been intentionally rotated, it signals a deeper problem with its core functionality or its integration with the underlying media engine. This forced our hand. It was time to look beyond SMPlayer and explore the broader landscape of Linux video players to find a solution that offered both stability and advanced features.
Beyond the Familiar: Evaluating Alternatives to SMPlayer
The search for a replacement for SMPlayer was not undertaken lightly. We understood the value of a feature-rich and customizable player, and our criteria were stringent. As mentioned, VLC media player was an early consideration. Its name is synonymous with media playback, and its cross-platform availability and extensive codec support make it a powerful tool. However, for users who demand more than just basic playback, VLC can sometimes feel overwhelming or lacking in the specific refinements that enhance the user experience. While it offers a vast array of options, navigating them and tailoring them to a precise workflow can be a challenge. We found that it did not offer the same level of integrated ease for some of the more advanced playback controls that we had come to rely on.
QMPlay2 emerged as a more promising candidate. It presented itself as a modern player with a focus on user experience and customizability, often leveraging the power of mpv. It came closer to meeting our expectations in several respects. Its interface was clean, and it did offer many of the playback controls we sought. However, two critical aspects prevented it from becoming our long-term solution: customizability and stability. While QMPlay2 offered customization, it felt less intuitive and less comprehensive than what we were seeking. The ability to fine-tune every aspect of the player, from keyboard shortcuts to visual elements, was not as readily available or as easily managed as we had hoped. More importantly, our experience with QMPlay2 was marred by instability. We encountered unexpected crashes and playback glitches that undermined our confidence in its reliability. A player, no matter how feature-rich, must first and foremost be stable.
This evaluation of alternatives highlighted a clear need for a player that not only possessed the essential features but also delivered them with unwavering stability and a refined user interface. We were looking for a player that understood the nuances of modern video playback and offered a seamless, frustration-free experience. It was during this period of seeking a more robust solution that the name Haruna surfaced, a player that we had previously overlooked, but one that was about to fundamentally alter our perception of what a Linux video player could be.
The Unveiling of Haruna: A Paradigm Shift in Video Playback
From the moment we encountered Haruna, it became evident that this was no ordinary video player. The initial impression was one of surprising polish and understated power. Developed with a clear vision and a commitment to user experience, Haruna leverages the robust capabilities of the mpv media player, much like SMPlayer, but elevates the user experience to an entirely new level. The transition from SMPlayer to Haruna was not merely a change of software; it was an upgrade in our entire video consumption workflow.
The most immediate and impactful difference was the performance. Haruna demonstrated a noticeably superior performance compared to SMPlayer. Videos loaded faster, playback was smoother, and the overall responsiveness of the application was exceptional. This is a critical factor for any multimedia application, and Haruna delivered in spades. The lag that had become a characteristic of SMPlayer’s startup was entirely absent.
Furthermore, the persistent issues that had plagued our use of SMPlayer were conspicuously absent in Haruna. The video rotation functionality worked flawlessly. Aspect ratios were correctly interpreted and applied according to the video’s metadata, eliminating the distortion and visual artifacts that had become so problematic. This attention to detail in handling video transformations is a testament to Haruna’s sophisticated engineering. The player seamlessly recognized and adjusted for rotation information embedded within video files, ensuring that every video was presented in its intended orientation and aspect ratio, without any manual intervention required.
The transition of our custom settings was remarkably straightforward. It took a mere 10 minutes to rebind all our keyboard shortcuts. This was facilitated by a familiar and intuitive user interface that mirrored the logic and organization we had come to appreciate in other players, making the migration process incredibly smooth. We did not have to relearn an entirely new system of controls; instead, we were able to quickly adapt our existing muscle memory to Haruna’s efficient layout. This ease of customization is a hallmark of a well-designed application, and Haruna excels in this regard.
Haruna’s Feature Set: Fulfilling Every Demand
Haruna’s excellence extends far beyond its performance and stability. Its comprehensive feature set directly addresses the needs and desires of discerning multimedia users. It offers all the functionalities that we had come to rely on and even surpassed our expectations in several areas.
The ability to autoload files from a directory into a playlist is a feature that significantly enhances workflow for those who consume media in batches. This means that upon opening Haruna, it can automatically populate a playlist with all the video files present in a designated folder, allowing for uninterrupted viewing sessions. This is particularly useful for watching series, documentaries, or collections of short films.
The single instance behavior is another crucial aspect for efficient multitasking. It ensures that only one instance of Haruna runs at a time, preventing unnecessary resource consumption and simplifying management. If you attempt to open another video, it will either be added to the current playlist or replace the currently playing video, depending on user preference, maintaining a streamlined operation.
Adjusting playback speed via keyboard shortcuts is an invaluable tool for learning, reviewing, or simply enjoying content at a preferred pace. Haruna’s responsive keyboard controls allow for quick and precise adjustments, whether you need to slow down a complex scene or speed through less critical segments. This granular control over playback speed significantly enhances the viewing experience.
The screenshot functionality is seamlessly integrated, allowing users to capture high-quality still images of any frame with ease. This is perfect for documentation, sharing interesting moments, or creating references. The ease with which these captures can be made, without disrupting the playback flow, is a testament to Haruna’s thoughtful design.
Zoom capabilities offer further control over the visual presentation. Users can zoom in on specific areas of the video to examine details or simply to fill the screen more effectively. This dynamic zoom functionality is smooth and responsive, allowing for precise adjustments.
Per-frame navigation is an essential feature for detailed analysis or for finding a precise moment in a video. Haruna’s ability to advance or rewind the video one frame at a time provides meticulous control, which is indispensable for tasks such as video editing, frame-by-frame analysis, or simply pinpointing a specific visual cue.
Subtitles support is, of course, a fundamental requirement for any modern video player, and Haruna excels here. It offers robust support for a wide range of subtitle formats, with easy ways to load external subtitle files and synchronize them with the video. The ability to customize subtitle appearance, such as font, size, and color, further enhances the viewing experience, ensuring that subtitles are always clear and unobtrusive.
The Missing Piece and Future Potential: OSD Technical Details
While Haruna has proven to be an exceptionally capable video player, no software is entirely without its areas for potential improvement. The one feature that we have found to be notably absent is an On-Screen Display (OSD) that provides detailed video technical information. Features such as the current resolution, codec used, and bit-rate are invaluable for users who wish to have immediate access to the technical specifications of the media they are consuming.
Currently, to obtain this information, one would need to delve into the player’s settings or use external tools. Having this information readily available on the OSD, perhaps toggled with a keyboard shortcut, would further enhance Haruna’s utility, particularly for power users and those interested in media analysis. This is a minor omission in the grand scheme of Haruna’s overall excellence, but it represents a clear opportunity for future development. The integration of such an OSD would elevate Haruna from an excellent video player to a truly complete multimedia analysis tool.
The fact that this is the primary, and perhaps only, significant feature missing speaks volumes about the outstanding quality and comprehensiveness of Haruna’s existing feature set. It is a testament to the developers’ dedication to providing a truly exceptional user experience that even the most critical evaluation yields such a minor point of contention.
A Hidden Gem: The Power of Haruna Revealed
It is surprising that Haruna has not garnered more widespread recognition within the Linux community. Despite its remarkable capabilities, its presence seems to have remained relatively obscure. This obscurity is a disservice to a player that offers such a superior video playback experience, especially when compared to more established alternatives that often suffer from the very issues Haruna so elegantly solves.
Our journey, driven by the need to escape the limitations and frustrations of SMPlayer, has led us to a player that not only meets but exceeds our expectations. Haruna is a testament to what can be achieved when passion, technical expertise, and a user-centric approach converge. It provides a powerful, stable, and highly customizable platform for enjoying video content, all wrapped in an intuitive and efficient interface.
We extend our sincerest kudos to George Florea Banus and all the other contributors who have dedicated their efforts to developing and refining Haruna. Their work has resulted in a video player that stands head and shoulders above many of its contemporaries, offering a truly delightful and productive multimedia experience. For anyone still reliant on less performant or less reliable video players, we wholeheartedly recommend giving Haruna a try. The transition is remarkably painless, and the rewards, in terms of performance, stability, and sheer usability, are immense. Haruna is, without a doubt, a surprisingly powerful and perfect video player for the discerning Linux user. It represents a significant leap forward in video playback technology and has firmly established itself as the new benchmark for our multimedia consumption.