Are you searching for the best media player software that you can use on your PC? We understand that it can be confusing to choose one out of numerous media payers’ apps online. Many people refer to this as the toughest decision to make. A good media player has some features that made it unique and as a user, you need to make sure that it supports those features you are looking for.
For example, you will surely need payers that support all kinds of video formats like MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, AVI, MKV, MPEG-1, or the popular MP4, so that you will no longer have to download additional plugins and codecs. This way, you can easily play either show, music, movies, songs, or any other homemade videos recording without any crashes or lags.
Furthermore, it should have a variety of options and features that will improve the user’s experience. Without further adore, below are the best media players for PC that you can use this year.
1. VLC Media Player
This list will not make sense if we did not mention this first because this is the most popular media player of all time. It’s not just available for PC but also available for Android devices as well. VLC Media Player is a free and open-source media player created by the VideoLAN project and it supports many video and audio compression methods and file formats.
For many years now, VLC has earned the reputation of being the “play everything” video player. This means it can play any type of video format including 3D videos and you can also use it to take a screenshot of your PC. VLC is fast and simple without any issues. Further, you can use it to stream content from online sites like YouTube. VLC is compatible with all Windows versions.
2. KMPlayer
KMPlayer is another good media player for PC. This app can play all common mainstream video and audio files. However, you can add external codecs to increase its compatibility. It has support for 4K, 3D, UHD and can play video in up to 8K 60fps on PCs with powerful hardware. KMPlayer is popularly known for its wide-range support for formats.
Users can choose to play any videos and audio with custom effects and you can also choose which part of the video is your favorites, and make them repeat per requirement. You can edit video subtitles inside the KMPlayer. KMPlayer was the first release in 2002 and was later acquired by a Korean streaming company in 2007.
3. GOM Media Player
GOM Media Player which can also be referred to as Gretech Online Movie Player is a free and also popular Windows media player alternative that comes with built-in support for all popular video and audio formats. It can play all video formats such as MP4, FLV, MOV, AVI, MKV, etc. It has all the basic functionalities that you will find on other popular PC media players.
Additionally, GOM Player has some advanced features like Media Player Capture, A-B repeat, speed control, audio/video effects, screen capture, and many more. It also allows users to change skins and make the whole look of GOM Player highly customized. GOM Media Player has a library where you can download lots of subtitles to enjoy movies and TV shows in any preferred language.
4. DivX Player
DivX Player is the first media player that has free HEVC playback. This app is optimized for playing video files in all most all the popular formats like DivX, MP4, MKV, and AVI. Users can even enjoy UltraHD playback and it acts as a streaming media player that allows you to stream video, music, and photos to any DLNA-compatible device.
What’s more, DivX players have some advanced features like Trick Play, that allow you to jump to your favorite scenes easily. It carries support for Chapter Points, which you can use to play different scenes. It has a smart media library where you can purchase premium videos.
5. Plex
Plex takes care of a large media collection and this includes anything like TV shows, movies, videos, photos, personal videos, and music. What it does is organize your collections and make them look great. It has easy-share features that you can use to give your family access to your content. Plex also supports a free streaming service that provides free movies and TV shows from Warner Bros, Lionsgate, MGM, etc.
Apart from that, it has support for all file types, including Hi-Fi music and video formats. It even allows you to cast the videos on your larger TV screen.
6. MediaMonkey
MediaMonkey’s primary goal is to keep your media organized as well just like Plex. This freemium software is one of the best free media players for Windows 10. It is also known as MMW which is short for MediaMonkey for Windows. Just like other media players, you can extend the functionality with the help of plugins. You can use those plugins to make the software look cool, increase the device support and playback. MediaMonkey has a party mode and can sync with Android and iOS devices as well.
7. 5KPlayer
5KPlayer just like the name suggests is a top-rated video player for Windows and it’s compatible with various video codecs and formats. While this may not be as powerful as the VLC player, it can play popular audio/video files format without using any external plugins. It has a clean and simple user interface with more streaming options.
5KPlayer allows users to import videos and music from websites like YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, MTV, etc.
It’s compatible with popular formats like MP4, MOV, M4V, MP3, AAC, etc.
8. Kodi
Kodi which is formerly called XBMC is a free and open-source media player for Windows PC. This software is a highly customizable media player that you can use on your desktop or laptop to get the best media center-like experience. Those still missing the Media Center on Windows 10, should consider Kodi as a great alternative. Kodi is a powerful media player for streaming which is all thanks to its 10-foot user interface.
Kodi plays almost all popular video and music formats, podcasts, and other digital stores on the internet. The software was developed and called Xbox Media Center for the 1st gen Xbox gaming console. We recommend that you install its plugin to expand its features and functionalities like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Veoh, etc.
9. Media Player Classic – Black Edition
Media Player Classic – Black Edition is a lightweight yet powerful video player that is compatible with Windows 10 and older versions. It has a dark-themed UI with a slight resemblance to the look of Windows Media Player. MPC-BE is an open-source media player that was developed in 2012 with support for hardware deinterlacing, decoding, timely software updates, and many varieties of audio and video formats.
It has an inbuilt seek bar preview, subtitle search, and it lets users customize everything from its video color correction window, and logo. You can use it via Windows Command Prompt and it has inbuilt support for the youtube-dl that you can use to fetch content from video-sharing sites.
10. PotPlayer
PotPlayer is a nice media player software developed by the South Korean company Kakao. PotPlayer offers some cool customization options that allow you to personalize the software. It uses some techniques like QuickSync, DXVA, and CUDA to deliver maximum performance and a lightweight experience. PotPlayer may not be as popular as VLC, but it supports more file types than the latter.
It gives users the option to choose between sound cards, and you can bookmark your favorite scenes and preview them. PotPlayer can also play 3D videos with support for various types of 3D glasses. It has built-in keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys.
Conclusion:
There are tons of media players software available for Windows PC and picking the right is a great task. However, you should note that great media software should be simple lightweight, and intuitive. Putting these factors into consideration, we recommend VLC media player, GOM, Media Player Classic, and PotPlayer. Now over to you, which one is your favorite media player for PC and why?
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