JETAUDIO BASIC

Overview

Picking the right media player for you could be confusing, because of the overwhelming number of options out there, but if you are all ready for a heavy dose of features and compatibility with a wide number of formats, then JetAudio Basic is a great choice.

Installation

The installer is a bit on the heavy side, weighing in at 38MB (Do not download from homesite->CNET installer - see our information page.). Unfortunately, like so many other media players, the installation procedure is not really straightforward. For instance, the installer asks whether you want to install Ask toolbar; however, you can deselect it. You might also select the option to add a shortcut on the desktop. Before you exit the main wizard after installation, don’t forget to deselect ‘free mp3’ and ‘trial pay’ check boxes.

During first time startup the media center asks, how you want to setup the player, for ‘file management’, ‘music listening’ or ‘simple music and video playback’. For our purposes, let’s select the option, ‘Video window only’. You can change the configuration afterwards at anytime. The installation also registered DirectShow splitters, audio encoders, video decoders, audio stream switchers on the system for playback, against my interest.

Interface

Clean, modern and very informative with lots of options but is not user friendly or simple. Starting from the top, the leftmost pane gives you access to all the menu options for playback and preferences. The check box next to it allows the media player window to be on top always. I couldn’t find an option for ‘playing file info’ but that was available by mouse hover on the top bar. Mouse hover on the topmost screen lets you change the window size through various options. The bottom bar lets you control playback and volume. 

Also, in the middle, two numbers exist, the first one lets you setup playlists & albums and the second one is for editing track properties with a useful menu that lets you auto-resume any video files that have been played before. In addition, you can bookmark the video at a specific time by clicking the 'playing time' displayed and the capture button on the right, to save the screenshot. The properties toggle once you insert a DVD. Finally, there is a dropdown arrow towards the very bottom, which is not very noticeable, for configuring subtitles, screen sizes, playback options and color controls. All in all, a very intuitive interface but difficult to get used to. There are a handy number of skins available.

Features

JADBasic is a very good, solid featured packed media player, that comes with a lot of goodies, to provide the best multimedia experience.

Codecs:

Played all the video formats, I threw against it without a hassle. The only problem was the audio where it failed to play AAC/AC3 audio, but that was easily remedied by enabling S/PDIF passthrough (right click->Configure DirectShow options->Sound). JetAudio is a very good platform for playing and watching DVD movies and VCDs.

Video/Subtitles: 

The quality of the video is awesome. The player provides 3 different renderers, very basic A-B repeat and DirectX video acceleration. Also, you can set the color controls as well as provide video effects to sharpen or denoise. You can make instant video capture with the capture button. JetAudio has powerful subtitle configuration capabilities by pre-buffering and you can: fix various positions, transparency, shadowing, colors, fonts, delay and switching multiple languages.

Audio/Visualizations:

The audio quality is average, but can be enhanced by sound effect filters and also provides audio stream switching. It plays best on speakers. There are different equalizers and presets available and also, a few cool visualizations packed inside with internal & external spectrum viewers. There is a synchronized lyric viewer available and convenient album & playlist management.

Feature packed:

When I meant feature packed, I really meant it. JetAudio supports: Audio CD burning, Ripping, Recording, Creation, Converting audio and video to different formats, Internet radio and includes an Inbuilt Youtube downloader. There is a timer and clock available which comes in handy when you nap while watching videos or hear songs. And lots more!

Verdict

Since this section is all about multimedia players, tested mainly against video files, this review may not be enough for you to discover all the diverse functions of JetAudio Basic. This includes, music management capabilities providing you with a rich, fun and engaging experience.

Installation: 

Interface: 

Features: 

Usability: 

Help and Support: 

Updates: 

JetAudio Basic scores 4/5  on Gizmo's reviews for Best Free Media Player .

Download JetAudio Basic now

****Version Reviewed 8.0.16