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Windows Media Player and the open source VLC player are the most widely used multimedia players. However, they lack some functionalities which can be acquired in other free media players. In this post I will provide you with 10 best alternative media players which can be used as free alternatives to Windows Media Player and VLC. The below mentioned players come with rich features like YouTube and SopCast integration, wide range of codec support and much more.
VLC, the reference to play multimedia content. VLC media player is possibly the most popular media player and framework. Developed by VideoLAN, it is a free, open-source and free application, compatible with a large number of computer operating systems (Windows, Mac OS, Linux) such as mobiles (Android, iOS). The Media Player Classic Home Cinema player has been with us for many years, with the. Full list of the top Media Player apps that are similar to Windows Media Player 12, including Kodi, Google Play Music Desktop Player, Foobar2000, GOM Audio, CherryPlayer, MusiCHI Lite, Windows.
KMPlayer
Design greeting card templates 2 1. When it comes to VLC alternatives, KMPlayer is arguably the best player. It has a sleek and stylish design as well as support for a wide range of codecs. Like VLC it can play damaged files and comes with built in skins to change it’s look. Other features are as follows:
- HTTP Streaming (AVI etc including none-streaming media)
- Directshow playback (MKV, AVI, etc)
- Real Engine + Directshow (needs Real Player or Alternative)
- QuickTime Engine + Directshow (needs QuickTime player or Alternative)
- Mplayer Engine Support
- Winamp Input Plugin(decoder) Support
- Compressed Audio Album Support(zip, RAR)
- DVD playback
- DTS Wave and AC3 files
- WDM device support like TV or Camera
- CD Image File (BIN/ISO/IMG/NRG) ; NRG needs mplayer.dll
- Shoutcast (Including NSV)
- AAC, OGG parser/decoder
- Built-in Codec/Filters
- Plugins:
· Winamp Input Plugins, Winamp DSP Plugins (Can Stack), Winamp Visual Plugins (Can Stack), Winamp General Plugins , Media Library etc Support), KMP Video Plugins by SDK (Can Stack) and DScaler Filter Support (Can Stack).
Media Player Classic
Mplayerx – Alternative Media Player Software
Another media player which comes packed with codecs is Media Player Classic. It is an enhanced version of Windows Media Player 6.4. It allows you to play DVDs with the help of external decoders like WinDVD and it can also play Real media files, provided Real Player one is installed. The best part of this software is the ability to modify the filters when playing videos.
MPlayer Cascadia 1 4 5 esv.
The MPlayer is a cross-platform ,media player for Windows, Mac and Linux based operating system, which provides native support for more than 192 Video and 85 Audio codecs. For maximum performance, the installer includes optimized builds for different CPU types. Moreover, the Full-Package includes the Binary Codec Package, while the Light-Package does not. It is an open source media player like Media Player Classic with improved version of MPUI front-end.
UMPlayer
UMPlayer is a VLC alternative with supported for a large array of codecs and YouTube integration. This cross platform media player can fulfill all your media playback needs with over 270 built-in Audio and Video codecs. The supported codecs include commonly used codecs such as: AAC, AC3, ASF, AVI, DIVX, FLV, H.263, Matroska, MOV, MP3, MP4, MPEG, OGG, QT, RealMedia, VOB, Vorbis, WAV, WMA, WMV, XVID as well as audio support for CDs, DVDs, (S) VCDs. With UMPlayer You can also get TV / Radio cards, SHOUTcast Radio streams. Like VLC, this open source player can even play incomplete or damaged media files. It contains built-in YouTube and SHOUTcast search integration which allows searching and streaming SHOUTcast and YouTube streams from within UMPlayer. To learn more about UMPlayer, see my post here.
GOM Player
Gom Player is a multimedia player that can play most of the differently encoded video formats that include AVI, MPEG, DivX, XviD, WMV, ASF or DAT with its own built-in codec system. GOM Player is capable of playing incomplete and/or damaged AVI files by skipping the damaged frames. It can also play locked or partially downloaded media files. It’s other features include drag-and-drop support, HTTP streaming, editable skins, subtitling, overlay mixer, key remapping, enhanced filter rendering, real-time index rebuilding for AVI files and Unicode support.
SMPlayer
SMPlayer is a complete front-end for MPlayer. It has basic features like playing videos, DVDs, and VCDs to more advanced features like support for MPlayer filters and more. One of the most interesting features of SMPlayer is that it remembers the settings of all files which you play. It is available for Windows and Linux operating systems.
Zoom Player
Real Alternative Media Player
Zoom Player is a customizable Media Player for Windows. With Zoom Player, you can instantly Convert any PC into a Home Media Center or Home Theater PC (HTPC) with no requirement for specialized hardware or operating system (Zoom Player runs on every version of Windows). Utilizing Zoom Player’s customizable and flexible design, you can easily create a safe viewing environment for the entire family, while at the same time, you can also tweak it and use power features.
- Install Center
Zoom Player’s Install Center scans your system for missing or outdated components and presents you with a list of digitally signed and verified recommended updates and patches to install. Using Zoom Player’s Install Center technology, you can rest assure your system is up to date with the most recent components without compromising security. Zoom Player Install Center, removing the burden of searching and installing updates.
- Smart Play Technology
- Smooth playback of DivX HD video (720p and 1080p)
- Plays all DivX video files and most other common media formats including QuickTime and Windows Media Video
- New playback performance improvements, especially for HD videos
- Enjoy 5.1 channel, room-rattling MP3 surround sound and manipulate and improve the quality of the audio in your videos with DFX Audio EnhancerÂ
- Watch DivX videos with .srt subtitles
- Create video playlists
- Pause and progressively play video downloads
- Burn videos to disc from within DivX Player for playback on millions of DivX Certified devices
- Activate and manage DivX Certified devices from within the DivX Player
DIVX Player
![Mplayerx Mplayerx](https://images.sftcdn.net/images/t_app-cover-l,f_auto/p/919607a4-9b26-11e6-a54b-00163ec9f5fa/1052318469/mplayerx-screenshot.jpg)
DIVX Player is a cross-platform player for Windows and Mac, which play almost any format in high quality audio and video. Some of it’s main features include:
Great playback from DivX, AVI, MKV, MP4 and MOV videos
Whether it’s a DivX, AVI, MKV, MP4 or MOV file, DivX Plus Player is built to give you the best video playback performance and media management on your PC. And with the addition of DivX To Go, DivX Plus Player is the easiest way to transfer your videos to a DivX Certified device.
Whether it’s a DivX, AVI, MKV, MP4 or MOV file, DivX Plus Player is built to give you the best video playback performance and media management on your PC. And with the addition of DivX To Go, DivX Plus Player is the easiest way to transfer your videos to a DivX Certified device.
DivX To Go: Easily transfer videos
DivX Plus Player now includes DivX To Go, a new feature that lets you automatically format videos to play on any DivX Certified device. Now you can easily transfer your movies, TV shows or home videos to your DVD player, gaming console or more by easily burning a disc or saving to a USB drive. DivX To Go:
– Automatically prepares your videos to play beyond your computer
– Ensures your videos are formatted properly to play on DivX devices
– Saves your preferences for easy transferring
DivX Plus Player now includes DivX To Go, a new feature that lets you automatically format videos to play on any DivX Certified device. Now you can easily transfer your movies, TV shows or home videos to your DVD player, gaming console or more by easily burning a disc or saving to a USB drive. DivX To Go:
– Automatically prepares your videos to play beyond your computer
– Ensures your videos are formatted properly to play on DivX devices
– Saves your preferences for easy transferring
Manage your video library
DivX Plus Player also serves as a full-featured video library manager. Now you can create video playlists (by genre, date, etc.) as well as manage your downloads, as well as purchased movies.
DivX Plus Player also serves as a full-featured video library manager. Now you can create video playlists (by genre, date, etc.) as well as manage your downloads, as well as purchased movies.
Kantaris Media Player
Kantaris Media Player is a free and open source media player which plays almost all multimedia formats without the need for installing any separate codecs. Connects to an online subtitle database, finds subtitles that are a perfect fit to the played media. Plays RAR-archives without first extracting the media. Beautiful music visualizations.
XMBC Media Player
XBMC is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media player and entertainment hub for digital media. XBMC is available for Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, and the original Xbox. XBMC can be used to play almost all popular audio and video formats.
![Free Free](https://dhwwtar19mmjy.cloudfront.net/videograbber/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/kmplayer.jpg)
Windows 10 is another version of the Windows operating system. Microsoft really made great a deal of changes compared to other previous versions. One of the biggest changes is that Windows 10 is getting rid of the Windows Media Player, despite of a huge amount of popularity among the users. The main reason behind the thought of killing media player is that people can now watch live streaming with the help of numerous media players available for free download. The competition has increased for the media Player by leaps and bounds. Also, watching videos or songs in smart phones and tablets do not require the Media player. The dependency on the Media Player has decreased a lot and this is the main reason behind Microsoft Corporation's thinking of killing the Media player in the new operating system named Windows 10.
In return Microsoft Corporation is introducing the XBOX and XBOX LIVE. If, by any chance, people think of loading Media Player separately with Windows 10, then they better forget that, as Windows Media Player is not compatible with Windows 10. Life goes on and never stops for anything that has been killed. Similarly, with the departure of Windows Media Player comes the introduction of new media players that are compatible with windows 10. The 5 great alternatives to Windows Media Player are:
1. XBMC/Kodi:
This is the first alternative for Windows media Player that comes to mind. Kodi is the new name for XBMC which actually started as a hack for Xbox. Later on, with the advent of Xbox 360, the XBMC was developed into a fully functional media centre application that could easily run on Linux and Windows machines. This media player application gives the opportunity to the user for changing the skins and plugins for a better look and feel. Kodi has got a big fan base of its own and it is very much sensible to replace Windows Media Player with this application.
2. Plex:
This is another great alternative to Widows media player. It is very easy to install and plays the role of the media server and player with absolute ease. Plex being a media server has the capability to store locally and externally. Internet Explorer acts as the user interface for this media player where many channels such as Vimeo and the Soundcloud can be added. This media player also manages the video library within the machine without much fuss. This application also plays TV shows, but it can be a bit tricky to organize the shows properly.
3. MediaPortal:
This is another alternative that can be considered parallel to Kodi. Although there is little to choose between MediaPortal and Kodi, they still both have been rivals for a long time. Media Portal is an open source application and is available free of cost. Numerous plugins and skins are available in this application for users to choose from. This application supports recording, playing and pausing of live TV. It also plays locally stored videos and music. It can be considered as a complete home entertainment setup that will make viewing a great experience.
4. VLC Media Player:
This is another great application that can be considered as an alternative to Windows Media Player. This is absolutely free to download and install. It is also an application that runs with ease in Windows, Mac and Linux. The best part is that this application supports videos and audios in all formats and so there is never any need for downloading codec. The file size of this application is also very small. This application is the only application that allows a preview to be seen while the file is still getting downloaded. The user interface is very easy to use and the response to any command is very fast.
5. Emby:
This is another awesome replacement for Windows Media Player. This application is also free for use in Windows operating system. This application has got a lot of great features embedded in it that can make it a stand out replacement for Windows Media Player. Live TV streaming and media player management is only a few important functionality that makes it the dark horse among all the media players discussed here.
The above five media players can easily replace Window Media Player. In all probability these five applications are better than Windows media Player rom several angles. So there is nothing to feel sad about the loss of Windows Media Player.
Windows 10 Simple Introduction
Windows 10 is the new version in the series of Windows operating system that is going to get launched on 29th July 2015. It is the last version of Windows operating system that is going to replace all other previous versions of operating system released by Microsoft Corporation. Windows 10 is supposed to operate in personal computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones etc. For those people that are going to upgrade their present operating systems from Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1, the new operating system will remain free for the first year. Windows 10 has got rid of several unpopular things of Windows 8.1, like the repeat introduction of the 'Start' menu button. Windows 10 is very similar to Windows 7, but a lot more upgraded.
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