Best Free Media Player

Finding an all-in-one media player used to be impossible.  In the past you needed to use several separate programs to play MP3 files, streaming media from Real, Mpeg files, Quicktime movies, CDs and DVD discs, but with the advent of Microsoft's Windows Media Player (WMP), all of these media types could be played in one player.  Over a period of time, however, WMP for XP and Vista has become bloated and isn't compatible with all of the available file formats.  WinAmp, which began as an mp3 player, now plays almost everything, although it uses a lot of system resources and may contain adware if you aren't careful on the installation.  iTunes has become more prevalent on many PCs due to the almost universal reach of the IPod, but it also uses a lot of resources and is processor intensive.  So I've done some major research to find alternative media players capable of playing all of these media formats, including digital music, video, CD, and DVD, while still being light on resources.  I was impressed with what I found.  Not only do these programs replace WMP ITunes and WinAmp,  but they also exceeded their functionality.  The products that I've reviewed here are capable of playing multiple types of media files, including various digital audio and video formats, CDs, and DVDs.  They are also easy to install and use and are light on system resources.

NOTE:  Some of these programs may require additional codecs for expanded functionality.  For more information about codecs, including what they do, legal issues and download links, see the article, "Understanding Codecs".

My personal favorite is Media Player Classic. Available for Windows (95 through Vista), MPC looks like the old Windows Media Player v6.4, but that's where the similarity ends.  Under the hood, this program packs a lot of features, including codecs for viewing DVD discs, MPEG1, MPEG2, and MPEG 4 video files, MP3 and Ogg files.  MPC can also use the QuickTime and the RealPlayer architectures (if installed on the computer) to play their native files.  If you really want to extend MPC's functionality while avoiding the installation of RealPlayer, WinAmp and Quicktime, download ffdshow, Real Alternative, QuickTime Alternative and WinAmp Alternative packages.  They will make sure there will be almost nothing you won't be able to play. MPC is the only product reviewed here that requires no installation on your PC.  This means that it can be run from your USB flash drive as well as your hard drive.  (Note:  there is some dispute over the legality of Real Alternative and QuickTime Alternative codec packs.  ffdshow is opensource, completely legal, and should cover almost all of your needs.)

Many subscribers have asked me to look at The KM Player, and for good reason...  This is one exceptional media player.  Originally the work of one programmer, the project is now owned by Pandora TV and continues to be developed.  This is an impressive program.  On a default install, it is configured to play almost any media file available without the need for additional codecs, making it easy to use for those with less experience.  Yet if needed, it can be configured to selectively use any codecs you have installed yourself.  This means that one can have full control over which codecs and filters The KM Player will use, thus preventing media playback from being messed up.  Among its other features, The KM Player can set multifarious audio and video effects, slow down or increase playback speed with regular tone, select parts of a video as favorites, do an exceptionally powerful A-B repeat, remap the keys of remote interface for HTPC including overlay screen controls, and change a skin dynamically depending on the type of media you wish to play.  Plus it is completely customizable thanks to a wide selection of skins and color schemes. In short, the configuration options of The KM Player are the most extensive I've ever seen.  But keep in mind that many features means a larger program.  Weighing in at over 13 MB, The KM Player is one of the larger downloads of the products reviewed here.

My thanks to everyone who suggested The KM Player, especially subscriber Sandeep, whose comments were helpful in creating this review.

An excellent alternative to MPC is VLC Media Player.  VLC is available for multiple OSs, including all versions of Windows (98 through Vista), Mac OS X, and many varieties of Linux.  VLC can also be installed and run directly from a flash drive.  Most versions will support playback of most video files and DVD discs without the need to download external codec packs, including flv files, which MPC cannot natively play.  VLC has another unique feature as well.  There are 5 different DVD region codes.  DVDs manufactured for one region will not play in players made for a different region.  This applies to PC DVD drives as well... until now.  VLC plays them all.  There is no need for any shady (and possibly illegal DVD region spoofing programs).  This is especially nice if you're an international traveler and want to watch a movie on your laptop outside of your country. VLC also has the ability to convert videos to formats it supports and like KM Player, you can specify whether or not to use system codecs.  VLS also has the ability to take screenshots of your video, even while during DVD playback, a real attractive feature.

Another good alternative is GOM Player.  Available only for Windows (98Se through Vista), it also will play most media files, including flv files with its own internal codecs.  If, however, you come across a file it cannot play, it will direct you to the appropriate open-source codec to install.  The program is a little quirky, though.  I tried to play a DVD disc on two different PCs using GOM... On one it would not play it at all (and this was a machine I've been able to play DVD discs on before), while on the other PC it played it fine.  One very noteworthy feature of the GOM player is its ability to play broken media files.  According to subscriber Ash, "GOM Player's claim that it can play broken avi files is very true.  We have a file sharing network on campus which uses DC++. Usually avi files which are being downloaded stop partway due to too much traffic. GOM Player was able to play every one of those files on my system up to the point where they stopped downloading."

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