To play the media stored on your computer, you’ll need a reliable media player. If you run the Windows operating system, there are tons of software available that are compatible with most of the popular video and audio formats. Other than being able to play your files, it’s important to have a media player that is lightweight which won’t slow down your computer.
Today, I will show you the top 5 media players that you can use on your computer for free.
1. DivX player
DivX Player primary focus is to be a high quality video player.
They claimed to be the first to offer HEVC playback including Ultra HD supports and most of the popular formats including MKV, AVI, mp4 and of course DivX.
It also comes with the ability to stream your content from its player to any DLNA compatible device. There is a feature called trick play which lets you quickly jump to chapter points in your video and contains a media library to keep your stuff organized.
It has support for multiple audio to be able to easily switch between soundtracks and there is also a resume play feature built in to quickly get back to the point of the video that you are watching.
For the cons, its ad supported. So when you open the player you’ll see an short ad videos play which just fine but longer form videos like TV shows and movies seem to take longer than other media players to start playing.
When installing be careful of the bundled offers during the installation which you would need to uncheck the box to avoid installing additional software.
The free version of X player comes with most of the key features. But if you want to get rid of the ads and get access to advanced features they do offer did X Pro which is available for around $20. Some of those so-called Pro features are available for free with other media players.
2. GOM Player
GOM Player comes with support built in for most of the popular video and audio formats.
One of its main features includes the ability to play some broken media files i.e. can find missing codex with its code finder service. Some of its other features include being able to play 360-degree video playback, speed control and have screen capture capabilities.
You can also change skins to give the player for a whole new look. The Gone remote allows you to connect to other devices.
While installing, they will offer additional software to install and they provide the choice of express or custom installation. So, select custom and uncheck the options to install other third party software.
3. Media Player Classic – Home Cinema
Media Player Classic – Home Cinema is a lightweight and compact media player for 32-bit and 64-bit options for Windows OS.
There are no advertisements which is great for those of you who hate ad-supported software.
When you first open media player classic, you’ll notice it shares some similarities with the old Windows Media Player.
Classic Home Cinema doesn’t have many features but does include a large amount of built-in codecs to play your video and audio files. It also works as a TV tuner, if you have a TV card installed on your computer.
If you want to change the look of the player, several toolbars are available that can be installed.
4. POT Player
POT Player is quickly becoming a favorite for a lot of people. It uses techniques like quick sync and deliver maximum performance.
It still supports 3d along with various subtitle formats including blu-ray. Most of the popular audio and video codecs are already included and supports open codec. So that you can add whatever codecs you want.
POT Player has a great looking user interface and has too many features such as 360 degree, output 3d video mode, pixel shader along with online streaming and blu-ray support.
They also include their companion service which has access to livestreaming content and videos on demand. POT player is an excellent media player and for a lot of you out there you might find that this player better suits your needs.
5. VLC media player
VLC media player is the best is video player and it’s open source, so, you’re free to examine the source code.
In addition to Windows, it’s available for several other platforms including Linux, Android, Mac OS and iOS.
It can play videos of almost every format without the need to install additional codecs. Infact I’ve never went into a file format that it couldn’t play. It’s also highly customizable, you can install extensions skins or create your own with the VLC skin editor.
It has a clean interface. Audio and video files load quickly to VLC. It also has numerous features including the ability to create playlists, convert files and play discs.
If you’re looking for a fast and simple media player that can play just about everything on almost every platform, check out VLC media player.
