# Media playback Manage the playback of media assets and interstitial content, independent of how you present that content in your interface. ## Discussion You use a player to manage the playback and timing of a media asset, for example starting and stopping playback, and seeking to a particular time. A player manages the playback of a single media asset at a time. The framework also provides a queue player that queues media assets to play sequentially. > Note: > When you use AVFoundation, Apple may collect metrics to help improve the framework. You create an instance of [`AVPlayerItem`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItem) to play a media asset. A player item manages the timing and presentation state of an asset played by the player. A player item also contains player item tracks that correspond to the tracks in the asset. You direct the output of a player to a specialized Core Animation layer, a player layer, or a synchronized layer. > Important: > You must call the function if your app requires Afterburner accelerated playback and decoding of ProRes and ProRes RAW video files. ## Topics ### Essentials [Configuring your app for media playback](/documentation/AVFoundation/configuring-your-app-for-media-playback) Configure apps to enable standard media playback behavior. ### Playback control [Observing playback state in SwiftUI](/documentation/AVFoundation/observing-playback-state-in-swiftui) Keep your user interface in sync with state changes from playback objects. [Controlling the transport behavior of a player](/documentation/AVFoundation/controlling-the-transport-behavior-of-a-player) Play, pause, and seek through a media presentation. [Creating a seamless multiview playback experience](/documentation/AVFoundation/creating-a-seamless-multiview-playback-experience) Build advanced multiview playback experiences with the AVFoundation and AVRouting frameworks. [`AVPlayer`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayer) An object that provides the interface to control the player’s transport behavior. [`AVPlayerItem`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItem) An object that models the timing and presentation state of an asset during playback. [`AVPlayerItemTrack`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemTrack) An object that represents the presentation state of an asset track during playback. [`AVQueuePlayer`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVQueuePlayer) An object that plays a sequence of player items. [`AVPlayerLooper`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerLooper) An object that loops media content using a queue player. ### SharePlay [Supporting coordinated media playback](/documentation/AVFoundation/supporting-coordinated-media-playback) Create synchronized media experiences that enable users to watch and listen across devices. [`AVPlaybackCoordinator`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlaybackCoordinator) An object that coordinates the playback of players in a connected group. [`AVPlayerPlaybackCoordinator`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerPlaybackCoordinator) A playback coordinator subclass that coordinates the playback of player objects in a connected group. [`AVDelegatingPlaybackCoordinator`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVDelegatingPlaybackCoordinator) A playback coordinator subclass that coordinates the playback of custom player objects in a connected group. [`AVPlaybackCoordinationMedium`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlaybackCoordinationMedium) The AVPlaybackCoordinationMedium passes states and messages between its connected playback coordinators. ### Presentation [Monitoring playback progress in your app](/documentation/AVFoundation/monitoring-playback-progress-in-your-app) Observe the playback of a media asset to update your app’s user-interface state. [Using HEVC video with alpha](/documentation/AVFoundation/using-hevc-video-with-alpha) Play, write, and export HEVC video with an alpha channel to add overlay effects to your video processing. [`AVPlayerLayer`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerLayer) An object that presents the visual contents of a player object. [`AVSynchronizedLayer`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVSynchronizedLayer) A Core Animation layer that derives its timing from a player item so that you can synchronize layer animations with media playback. ### Media selection [Selecting subtitles and alternative audio tracks](/documentation/AVFoundation/selecting-subtitles-and-alternative-audio-tracks) Extend your app’s appeal to users by adding subtitles and alternative audio tracks in their native language. [`AVMediaSelection`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMediaSelection) An object that represents a complete rendition of media selection options on an asset. [`AVMediaSelectionGroup`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMediaSelectionGroup) An object that represents a collection of mutually exclusive options for the presentation of media within an asset. [`AVMediaSelectionOption`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMediaSelectionOption) An object that represents a specific option for the presentation of media within a group of options. [`AVMutableMediaSelection`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMutableMediaSelection) A mutable object that represents a complete rendition of media selection options on an asset. [`AVPlayerMediaSelectionCriteria`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerMediaSelectionCriteria) An object that specifies the preferred languages and media characteristics for a player. [`AVCustomMediaSelectionScheme`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVCustomMediaSelectionScheme) For content that has been authored with the express intent of offering an alternative selection interface for AVMediaSelectionOptions, AVCustomMediaSelectionScheme provides a collection of custom settings for controlling the presentation of the media. [`AVMediaPresentationSelector`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMediaPresentationSelector) For content that has been authored with the express intent of offering an alternative selection interface for AVMediaSelectionOptions, AVMediaPresentationSelector represents a collection of mutually exclusive settings. [`AVMediaPresentationSetting`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMediaPresentationSetting) For content that has been authored with the express intent of offering an alternative selection interface for AVMediaSelectionOptions, AVMediaPresentationSetting represents a selectable setting for controlling the presentation of the media. ### Interstitials [Providing an integrated view of your timeline when playing HLS interstitials](/documentation/AVFoundation/providing-an-integrated-view-of-your-timeline-when-playing-hls-interstitials) Go beyond simple ad insertion with point and fill occupancy HLS interstitials. [`AVPlayerInterstitialEvent`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerInterstitialEvent) An object that provides instructions for how a player presents interstitial content. [`AVPlayerInterstitialEventController`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerInterstitialEventController) An object that schedules interstitial events for items played by the primary player. [`AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitor`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitor) An object that monitors the scheduling and progress of interstitial events. [`AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestCompletedNotification`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestCompletedNotification) A notification that is posted whenever a daterange-schedule request completes. [`AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestErrorKey`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestErrorKey) userInfo dictionary key for the AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestCompletedNotification. Value is NSError. Absent if the request succeeded [`AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestIdentifierKey`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestIdentifierKey) userInfo dictionary key for the AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestCompletedNotification. Value is NSString. [`AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestResponseKey`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestResponseKey) userInfo dictionary key for the AVPlayerInterstitialEventMonitorScheduleRequestCompletedNotification. Value is NSData. Absent if the request failed. [`AVPlayerItemIntegratedTimeline`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemIntegratedTimeline) An object that models the timeline and playback sequence of a primary player item and scheduled interstitial events. ### Metrics [`AVMetrics`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMetrics) An asynchronous stream of metric information. [`AVMergedMetrics`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMergedMetrics) An asynchronous stream of metric information from different publishers. [`AVVideoPerformanceMetrics`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVVideoPerformanceMetrics) An object that provides metrics related to video playback quality. [`AVMetricEventStream`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMetricEventStream) An object that allows clients to add publishers and then subscribe to specific metric event classes from those publishers. [`AVMetricEventStreamPublisher`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMetricEventStreamPublisher) A type for objects that publish metric events to the event stream. [`AVMetricEventStreamSubscriber`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMetricEventStreamSubscriber) A type for objects that receive metric events. [`AVMetricEvent`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMetricEvent) A base class that represents a metric event. [`AVMetricErrorEvent`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMetricErrorEvent) An object that represents a metric event when an error occurs. [Metric event types](/documentation/AVFoundation/metric-event-types) ### Remote controls [Supporting remote interactions in tvOS](/documentation/AVFoundation/supporting-remote-interactions-in-tvos) Set up your app to support remote commands and events in a variety of scenarios by using the relevant approach. ### Timed metadata [Presenting chapter markers](/documentation/AVFoundation/presenting-chapter-markers) Add chapter markers to enable users to quickly navigate your content. [`AVMetadataGroup`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMetadataGroup) A collection of metadata items associated with a timeline segment. [`AVTimedMetadataGroup`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVTimedMetadataGroup) A collection of metadata items that are valid for use during a specific time range. [`AVMutableTimedMetadataGroup`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMutableTimedMetadataGroup) A mutable collection of metadata items that are valid for use during a specific time range. [`AVDateRangeMetadataGroup`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVDateRangeMetadataGroup) A collection of metadata items that are valid for use within a specific date range. [`AVMutableDateRangeMetadataGroup`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVMutableDateRangeMetadataGroup) A mutable collection of metadata items that are valid for use within a specific range of dates. [`AVPlayerItemMediaDataCollector`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemMediaDataCollector) The abstract base for media data collectors. [`AVPlayerItemMetadataCollector`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemMetadataCollector) An object used to capture the date range metadata defined for an HTTP Live Streaming asset. ### Media output [`AVPlayerVideoOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerVideoOutput) An object that receives video data from a player object. [`AVVideoOutputSpecification`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVVideoOutputSpecification) An object that specifies the pixel buffer attributes and tag collections handled by a player video output. [`CMTagCollectionCreateWithVideoOutputPreset`](/documentation/AVFoundation/CMTagCollectionCreateWithVideoOutputPreset) Creates a collection with the required tags to describe the specified video output requirements. [`CMTagCollectionVideoOutputPreset`](/documentation/AVFoundation/CMTagCollectionVideoOutputPreset) Constants that indicate the type of video content to output. [`AVPlayerItemOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemOutput) An abstract class that defines the common interface to output media data from a player item. [`AVPlayerItemVideoOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemVideoOutput) An object that outputs video frames from a player item. [`AVPlayerItemLegibleOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemLegibleOutput) An object that vends attributed strings for media with a legible characteristic. [`AVPlayerItemRenderedLegibleOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemRenderedLegibleOutput) A player item output that vends media with a legible characteristic as rendered pixel buffers. [`AVRenderedCaptionImage`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVRenderedCaptionImage) An object that provides a rendered pixel buffer and its position in pixels. [`AVPlayerItemMetadataOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemMetadataOutput) An object that vends collections of metadata items that a player item’s tracks carry. [`AVPlayerItemOutputPushDelegate`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemOutputPushDelegate) A protocol that defines the methods to implement to respond to changes in the media data sequence. [`AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput) [`AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput) delivers `CMSampleBuffers` for [`AVPlayerItem`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItem) playback. [`AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutputConfiguration`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutputConfiguration) Configuration options specified when creating an [`AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput). [`AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutputAudioConfiguration`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutputAudioConfiguration) Audio-specific configuration options specified when creating an [`AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutput). [`AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutputDelegate`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVPlayerItemSampleBufferOutputDelegate) Defines common delegate methods for objects participating in sample buffer output. ### Utilities [`AVAssetPlaybackAssistant`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVAssetPlaybackAssistant) An object that provides playback information for an asset. [`AVAssetPlaybackConfigurationOption`](/documentation/AVFoundation/AVAssetPlaybackConfigurationOption) A structure that defines playback configuration options for an asset. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. 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