After more than six months of development, the Clapper 0.8 media player has just arrived, marking a significant milestone for the project, as it is the very first release to offer a dedicated installer for Microsoft’s operating system.
But wait, let me first say a few words about the app since you may not have heard it. In short, it is a free and open-source modern media player designed with simplicity in mind.
Built for the GNOME desktop using the GTK 4 toolkit and powered by GStreamer, the app provides a clean, stylish interface. Its design philosophy centers on offering a video player’s essential features without unnecessary complexity.
As I said at the beginning, Clapper 0.8 is a significant release for the project, as it is the first version to offer a dedicated installer for Microsoft Windows. According to the developers, getting started on Windows is a breeze—just unpack the provided installer and run the setup.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that your first startup on Windows might take a little extra time, so don’t worry if you need to wait a bit.
Moreover, Clapper 0.8 introduces an all-new plugin system based on libpeas, paving the way for features beyond GStreamer’s current capabilities. To avoid mixing up terminology, these additions are called “enhancers,” and the development team plans to keep expanding them over time.
In addition to the headline features, the devs have rolled out some noteworthy updates. For starters, the media player now uses Playbin3 by default, potentially boosting efficiency for a broad range of media files.
On top of that, users can take advantage of newly added APIs for media caching: Clapper can now download content to local storage for smoother playback and better performance. There is also a fresh set of command-line options that allow tech-savvy users to specify custom GStreamer filter and sink elements.
Another noteworthy enhancement is the “New Window” functionality in the user interface. This addition makes it easy to handle multiple media items at once without juggling multiple instances of the entire player.
Further refinements include a “clear playback queue” feature, the ability to resize the application window to match the aspect ratio with a simple middle click or keyboard shortcut, plus a new option to exit fullscreen mode via a dedicated keyboard command.
Users on Windows may also appreciate the inclusion of high-resolution clock support for smoother playback and timekeeping.
A highlight for streaming enthusiasts is the newly introduced adaptive streaming bitrate control, which automatically optimizes video quality based on your current network conditions.
Furthermore, the Clapper media player can now remember and restore your optimal bitrate setting when you restart the application, which is especially handy if you frequently switch between different Wi-Fi networks or use mobile hotspots.
Beyond these core updates, various internationalization improvements have been made, such as making the desktop file translation-friendly and adding a new video placeholder widget in the Clapper GTK interface. The developers have also confirmed a host of other tweaks and bug fixes, along with freshly updated translations for users worldwide.
To check the list of all changes, see the release’s changelog. For easy installation and access to all dependencies and codecs, Clapper is available as a Flatpak package.
In conclusion, I want to highlight that Clapper is an exceptionally polished piece of software with a sleek and visually appealing interface that I really like. It provides everything you need to cover the basics of playing media files.
Paired with, for example, the Amberol music player, which also embraces the GTK 4 and Libadwaita design philosophy, these two applications can create a unified and delightful multimedia experience for anyone who bets on the GNOME desktop. So, go ahead and give Clapper a try. You won’t be disappointed.
