14 DAY TRIAL // Today, you can find so many video players around that choosing the right one could really mean trouble. There are a lot of free and commercial video players, and their quality ranges from bad to excellent. As always, lowest price is a winner, so part of my choice for today should be obvious by now.
We're going to have four free video players as guests today, but the review is going to be different this time. We're not going to talk about performance or image quality; the target will be the most important area of most programs today, the features.
I know there are a lot of other free excellent players around, and maybe we'll have another race with different ones in the future. Each of today's programs is a winner in its own way, so let's get moving!
Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 build 11.0.5358.4827
If anybody is wondering why Microsoft is on top of the list, the answer is pretty simple. I am not a Media Player or Microsoft fan, but everybody should agree that Windows Media Player is one of the most used players around.
The reason is very simple: it comes with Windows, it starts automatically when watching video files, so most people will use it at least two or three times before switching to something else.
A thing that some people will like a lot with Windows Media Player and others won't (I don't like it at all, for example) is its ability to manage all your media content easily. The interface is evolving with each version and soon it will be more a work of art than just a simple interface. Everything comes with its price, and the problem here is the amount of system resources necessary to run the program in optimal conditions.
Let's see a bit more about the content management feature...
Now, the Media Library has an Explorer-like look that makes it easier to manage and play your favorite content. In order to make it easier for you, Windows Media Player has borrowed the WordWheel feature from Vista to provide fast and accurate results.
Other features concerning media management are the ratings that can be awarded to your files (from one to five stars) and the library type's available (music, pictures, video, recorded TV and other). Of course there's even more about it, and this may be a drawback for this program.
What other features and goodies we have here? Well, with Windows Media Player you can rip and burn CDs, watch media streams, and the enhancements panel includes eight settings that you can use to personalize your experience with the program: color chooser, crossfading and auto volume leveling, graphic equalizer, media link for e-mail, play speed settings and quiet mode.
What don't I like about Windows Media Player? It's too complicated and eats too much of your system's resources when thinking about what it should do. People who like using a helicopter to cross the street instead of their own feet should love it, but I just can't like it yet.
What do I like? Windows Media Player has some nice skins and the play buttons are - finally - large and easy to use for everybody. I also like the automatic codecs download feature...when it works properly.
Why try it? Maybe you don't have anything better to do, or you've just started your new computer and want to index your 200GB of media to be easily accessible and nicely sorted...but even if you have a favorite player, you can spare three minutes to check this out, you can love it or hate it, there's no middle way here!
Media Player Classic 6.4.9.0
While Windows Media Player tried to get everything possible into the picture, Media Player Classic gets back to the roots. It's easy to use, small and fast. Let's see more about it!
I keep thinking about what to say and I don't have any brilliant idea for now. Maybe this is one of the best features of this program: you don't have to learn how to use it. It just works and that's all!
While basic use of the program is just as easy as handling a hammer, its options are advanced and can help improving your viewer experience a lot. Let's check them out before drawing the conclusions...
The Player area allows you to setup general program options, file associations, keyboard shortcuts, and the logo displayed inside the video area or play with the Web interface that is still under development.
The Playback options handle general audio and video output, DVD/OGM specific options and output options for DirectShow, RealMedia, QuickTime Video and more.
Internal and External Filters help you get the maximum out of your system's hardware and software in order to achieve best play quality. The program has a built in audio switcher that can normalize and boost sound or map audio channels the way you like them.
At last, we have all the needed subtitles options and some tweaks, such as the ability to send "Now Playing" info to MSN Messenger. Pretty good for such a simple program, I must say...
What don't I like? Worst thing about this program is that you have to download and install all needed codecs manually, while Microsoft Windows Media Player can grab and install them automatically.
What do I like? Media Player Classic's simplicity, speed, ease of use and advanced options available make this program a "great small" video player!
Why use it? It contains built-in MPEG2, AC3 and DTS codecs so playing DVDs becomes a child's play! Media Player Classic brings back the simple interface of the past combined with the powerful features and customization options of the present.
Zoom Player Standard 5.00 Beta Preview 6
Next stop today, Zoom Player Standard edition.
It's obvious what this program should do, and that is playing media files, of course. The interface is easy to handle, all necessary buttons are easily accessible and you also get paths to the equalizer and playlist from the main player's window.
A very pleasant feature of Zoom Player is its dual options window, which has two completely different looks for beginners and advanced users. The basic options interface has seven areas available, while the advanced one has no less than fifteen.
The advanced options interface is heaven for every power user out there, allowing you to set up everything you can think of, starting with interface, playback or keyboard shortcuts and finishing with active language pack, OSD settings or color controls.
A problem that I noticed with the advanced options is that there are features here only available in the Professional version, such as DVD or Smart Media Playback.
For people who like to keep their players shiny, there are a lot of skins available, so the only problem left is which one to choose.
Once you manage to figure out what can be set and from where, you actually have to check the theory in practice and see what each setting really does. This will take up a really serious amount of time, so prepare yourselves for it!
What don't I like? There are so many options available only in the Professional version, that the only conclusion that you can draw is that the advanced features don't come for free...
What do I like? Zoom Player supports many codecs, and can tell you what you're missing and where to get it, just like Media Player Classic. Unlike MPC, Zoom Player has a really nice interface, while keeping it simple.
Why use it? The main reason apart from its speed, ease of use and reliability could be that you heard so many about it and you're curious, or somebody recommended it, and you won't waste your time with this program, believe me. ...but don't forget to spare some money for the Professional version first!
MV2Player 07 RC2
The last video player that I will introduce now is called MV2Player, it gets close to the final 0.7 release, but don't let yourselves fooled by this small version number!
The interface of this program is skinnable and can change a lot depending on the skin you are using, but its elements will be the same every time. From the main interface you can adjust saturation, contrast and brightness, but everything can be set using the keyboard shortcut.
MV2Player has a lot of media management features, being able to keep a catalogue with your files/discs and even add covers to each of them. Unfortunately the interface of the catalog and playlist has a long way to go until it becomes nice, but the shortest way I see out of this is to make them skinnable too, just like in Winamp or Windows Media Player, for example.
Just like Zoom Player, MV2Player has a changeable Options area, but we have three levels here: Basic, Normal and Expert. Let's name some of the features of the Expert mode but since using them is really easy, so I won't get much into it.
MV2Player can enable auto play for individual optical drives, capture movie frames as JPEG, PNG or BMP image files, use custom aspect ratios, use advanced audio and sound effects depending on the installed codecs, manage installed image and audio filters, configure control using mouse or multimedia keyboard and, of course, set up subtitles the way you want them.
This program can handle a lot of tasks, but it doesn't come with any installed codecs and filters. Using it with a good codec pack can give you absolute power over your video playback in the shortest time, rather than picking the needed add-ons one by one.
What don't I like? The options windows are really ugly and they can't be skinned. It doesn't have any internal codecs, so your system has to be up to date with the required codecs for watching certain movies.
What do I like? It's free, it has a lot of skins available and speed is on its side. It handles subtitles well and has a lot of useful options and features, like the system tray control buttons, for example.
Why choose it? I can't remember how I got to use it, but MV2Player is one of my favorites. Once you get your hands on it, you feel like home, and this program combines advanced features, nice looks and speed the way all video players should.
Conclusions
Today's conclusion is short: we have four winners. The choice is up to you, and I hope you will find this article useful, but you have to check all these before making a decision. Download, install, set up the programs the way you like them and don't forget to enjoy your movies!
