Almost a 12 months after changing the getting older default participant was deemed a excessive precedence, GNOME Showtime is lastly slated to develop into the core video utility for the GNOME desktop. Only in the near past, GNOME Builders formally accomplished the merge request to combine Showtime into the core lineup.

This modification ushers out the long-serving Totem video participant, identified merely as “Video Participant” to many GNOME customers, in favor of the trendy substitute within the upcoming GNOME 49 launch anticipated in September 2025. Sadly, Showtime couldn’t make it in time for the GNOME 48 launch earlier this 12 months, however its inclusion is now confirmed.

The motivation behind changing Totem was clear: it relied on the older GTK3 toolkit. It had seen minimal upkeep or main function improvement lately, leaving it feeling more and more outdated throughout the evolving GNOME desktop. Showtime was constructed from the bottom up with trendy applied sciences, leveraging GTK4 and Libadwaita. This gives a extra up to date look that integrates easily with the remainder of the desktop and ensures higher adaptability throughout totally different system display sizes.

Showtime emerged from the GNOME Incubator program, geared toward bringing new, well-aligned purposes into the core assortment. Its improvement centered on delivering a easy and distraction-free video watching expertise. This philosophy is echoed within the utility’s description on Flathub:

Play your favourite motion pictures and video recordsdata with out problem. Showtime options easy playback controls that fade out of your means while you’re watching, fullscreen, adjustable playback velocity, a number of language and subtitle tracks, and screenshots — every little thing you want for a simple viewing expertise.

This design manifests in a minimalist interface the place controls conveniently fade away throughout playback, placing the main focus completely on the content material. In comparison with Totem, Showtime brings lively improvement and important playback options customers anticipate right this moment, like remembering the place you left off in a video, choices to leap ahead or backward utilizing the keyboard, the flexibility to seize screenshots, and simple switching between audio tracks and subtitles.