Author Topic: What Media Player do you recommend? (Read 3564 times)

RayB · « **on:** February 17, 2009, 11:56:41 am »

Another thread where someone got a virus via Media Player reminded me why I stopped using it. I recently got a new harddrive and did a fresh windows install, all up to date, and updated the software I use most to latest versions too. Right as we type this, I'm listening to music using Media Player, and I encountered that thread that refreshed my memory!

So... What do you recommend as the best media player? (I just want to play music, movies and internet streaming. No bloat, no extra crap I'll never use...) Or am I fine with Media Player provided Windows Update is constantly updated?

Ginsu Victim · « **Reply #1 on:** February 17, 2009, 12:00:11 pm »

I love GOMplayer.
http://www.gomlab.com/eng/

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #2 on:** February 17, 2009, 12:04:15 pm »

ahofle · « **Reply #3 on:** February 17, 2009, 12:06:02 pm »

Media Player Classic

saint · « **Reply #4 on:** February 17, 2009, 12:20:25 pm »

VLC or Media Player, with good antivirus installed

shmokes · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2009, 01:20:52 pm »

Here's another vote for Media Player Classic. Small. Light. Elegant. Fast. Great UI.

Here's another vote for VLC. Built-in codecs. Every once in a blue moon I'll get a file Media Player Classic can't play in spite of my supposedly having the correct codec; it's good to have a backup, and VLC makes an excellent backup.

Hoopz · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2009, 01:31:22 pm »

4th vote for VLC. Nothing flashy but I've yet to find a file that it can't play without any problems.

drventure · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2009, 01:56:59 pm »

I've used J River Media Center for quite some time now (v12, but I know they just reved to v13)

I really like it's tagging functionality (very easy to batch tag MP3's, etc), and it also supports integrating with TIVO over HMO, which is very nice.

It costs a few $, but their support is pretty good, and their forums are quite active.

It's also somewhat programmable (you can write plugins pretty easily).

It's also got a full "theater" mode if you're running it on a media PC in your living room, but I don't do that so I've never really used those aspects of it.

SavannahLion · « **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2009, 12:06:10 am »

+1 for VLC

It's not my media player of choice though. Despite that, it's one of the few media players that, once I get my codecs squared away, I have almost zero problems playing any files. It's got features up the whazzoo. Every time I play with it, I find something new about it.

My player of choice? Media Player. I like to live dangerously.

It's media support is crummy and needs heavy supplementation for it to be even remotely usable. It's bulkier than I like and media file management is annoying as hell. It borders on iTunes annoying but ever so less useful. Why the ---fudgesicle--- MP can't sort the ---smurfing--- music files properly is beyond me. Despite all of that, MP sports support for the media controls on my laptop. VLC can support the additional keys, but the support is kind of flaky. $:-\$

Blanka · « **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2009, 01:48:10 am »

VLC, mainly for their excellent subtitle and syncing support. The program even supports video-delay when the sound has to travel a bit on a wireless transmission like Airport!
The only drawback is the bad fastforward/backward when clicking in the time-bar.

boykster · « **Reply #10 on:** February 22, 2009, 01:25:58 am »

I use ZoomPlayer for my movie needs. For music, I don't use a PC for playback, I use my Sonos system instead

richms · « **Reply #11 on:** February 23, 2009, 04:20:25 am »

Music - foobar2000 but for movies/tv eps - media player classic home cinema edition - its the best at h.264 I have found so far, beats the codec nightmare that is anything that uses directshow.

rovingmind · « **Reply #12 on:** February 23, 2009, 02:39:18 pm »

VLC on most machines, Nero Showtime for some on my laptop or VLC,

for music - i use itunes for ipod support but Media Monkey is my preferred.

battletoads · « **Reply #13 on:** February 23, 2009, 10:42:32 pm »

I've played everything with vlc. Mkv, wmv, xvid, you name it. Even mp3s, 1080p video, whatever. I've abandoned WMP altogether. Plus the (relatively) new GUI is nice.

saint · « **Reply #14 on:** February 24, 2009, 10:41:56 am »

Only thing I don't like with VLC is support of ripped DVDs. I ripped all my DVDs to my media server, but while VLC will play the individual VOB files, it won't play the whole thing like a DVD (menus, chapter selection, etc). PowerDVD will. I end up using a mix of Media Player, VLC, and PowerDVD.

rovingmind · « **Reply #15 on:** February 24, 2009, 01:14:12 pm »

Quote from: saint on February 24, 2009, 10:41:56 am

Only thing I don't like with VLC is support of ripped DVDs. I ripped all my DVDs to my media server, but while VLC will play the individual VOB files, it won't play the whole thing like a DVD (menus, chapter selection, etc). PowerDVD will. I end up using a mix of Media Player, VLC, and PowerDVD.

if i'm not putting them back onto a dvd i usually convert them so i don't have that problem. Plus i dont have powerdvd.

battletoads · « **Reply #16 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:45:17 pm »

I play ripped DVDs with menus in VLC without any issues. Media --> Open Disc --> Browse to Video_TS folder. Or, I just open the VTS_01.ifo in VLC.

Menus and all work perfectly. Maybe that's only in newer versions? Idk. VLC also plays full DVD iso's with menus and all.

saint · « **Reply #17 on:** February 24, 2009, 03:40:51 pm »

Quote from: battletoads on February 24, 2009, 02:45:17 pm

I play ripped DVDs with menus in VLC without any issues. Media --> Open Disc --> Browse to Video_TS folder. Or, I just open the VTS_01.ifo in VLC.

Menus and all work perfectly. Maybe that's only in newer versions? Idk. VLC also plays full DVD iso's with menus and all.

Hm. Let me try again. One thing I like with VLC is that it's updated constantly. I haven't tried DVD rips for many revisions now.

battletoads · « **Reply #18 on:** February 24, 2009, 04:45:35 pm »

Lol I understand. It used to bug me that if in VLC you enabled 'always on top' and then fullscreened, the window of vlc would stay on top of the full screen video (you would then have to minimize the window).

Also, when video was full screen, there was no on screen controls like you find in PowerDVD or other programs. After not updating for like a year, I was glad to find all those issues resolved. For audiophiles, it even plays flac (although I'd stick with video files).

wooowman93 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 04, 2009, 10:42:18 pm »

VLc make look like crap but works amazing

sju4sju · « **Reply #20 on:** March 07, 2009, 05:58:16 pm »

XBMC

Dunno if it streams from the Internet, but I use it on both my laptops, and both my XBOXes, streaming music+videos perfectly from my server - mediaplayer & vlc had problems with skipping picture/sound over wireless samba shares, but somehow XBMC plays everything just perfect!

SavannahLion · « **Reply #21 on:** March 08, 2009, 01:45:16 am »

Quote from: battletoads on February 24, 2009, 04:45:35 pm

Lol I understand. It used to bug me that if in VLC you enabled 'always on top' and then fullscreened, the window of vlc would stay on top of the full screen video (you would then have to minimize the window).

I've got one, just came across it last week. In a dual monitor setup, 0.9.8 only allows full screen on the main monitor. No full screen on a second monitor (aka TV) for those of us who want to play uh.. home movies on the big screen. Laptops don't allow monitor order reassignment, so we're basically stuck with it.

Strangely enough, the most recent Media Player also exhibits this behavior citing that I don't have the appropriate playback license

Buuut, VLC 0.9.6 does not exhibit this behavior at all.

Number of complaints on forums, but no resolution. Mayhaps VLC developers are actually honoring MPAA wishes?

Hoopz · « **Reply #22 on:** July 07, 2009, 10:12:43 am »

VLC 1.0.0 has been released. Some interesting additions to it.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/


Main	Restorations	Software	Audio/Jukebox/MP3	Everything Else	Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements	Monitor/Video	GroovyMAME	Merit/JVL Touchscreen	Meet Up	Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing	Woodworking	Software Support Forums	Consoles	Project Arcade	Reviews
Automated Projects	Artwork	Frontend Support Forums	Pinball	Forum Discussion	Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board	controls.dat	Linux	Miscellaneous Arcade	Wiki Discussion	Old Archives
Lightguns	Arcade1Up	Try the site in https mode		Site News


Unread posts \| New Replies \| Recent posts \| Rules \| Chatroom \| Wiki \| File Repository \| RSS \| Submit news