Features

These days, it's an app that attempts to be all things to all people - play DVDs, organize music, catalog photos, convert video, interact with social networking sites, browse internet multimedia....there's no end to what RealPlayer offers to its users. Even so, it's not an out-and-out success...

Usability

For a start, installation of RealPlayer is annoying - it takes a while, requires lots of "nexts" and tries to install and enable several features that users don't really need. Finally, when it starts, you're offered a chance to upgrade to paid versions of RealPlayer before you have to register yourself with Real Networks. If all this messing around doesn't appeal, check out a slimline app like UMPlayer.

When you're up and running, RealPlayer features a wide interface where you will notice ads and videos recommended by Real Networks. This looks cluttered and messy, and it's hard to know what the app actually offers. In reality, RealPlayer is ideal for playing and sharing video with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter and it works easily with BlackBerry, iPod, iPhone and other game systems. The new video converter allows you to copy online video to your iPod, Xbox, PS3 and other devices. Unfortunately, you can't rip DVDs with RealPlayer, although this is available as a feature if you upgrade to RealPlayer Plus.

Most recently, RealPlayer has been updated with far better mobile and social networking integration. You can now copy your favorite videos to an iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and dozens of other popular devices automatically. Downloading internet videos is faster, and for those of you with something to hide, RealPlayer offers a new Private folder. Social media has also been bumped up, with direct access to Facebook videos and usefully, a built-in feature to transfer videos to your mobile devices.

Quality

That said, RealPlayer isn't bad at all. It's comparable to Windows Media Player 12 as they both have some impressive ways of organizing your music. For me, the best feature is the CD burner which is something I've used from the early days of RealPlayer. The sheer quality of some of the media only available in Real formats makes RealPlayer an essential item in the toolkit of any fan of internet video and audio.

Conclusion

There's no shortage of media players theses days, and RealPlayer is by no means a bad option. It offers lots of features, good options and is a high-quality player that will do justice to your media. The only problem is that despite its modern features, it feels like a bit of a dinosaur. It's heavy and slow, looks chunky and takes an age to respond to clicks, and for many people - especially those who have experience of lighter options - it's just not the most comfortable player.

RealPlayer is a media player that, although powerful, has suffered from serious feature-creep over the years.

Download RealPlayer 16.0.2.232 in Softonic

Features

Version 2 ("Twoflower") brings a new interface, faster decoding, support for more formats and the ability to play HD and BluRay. It still remains however the most stable, flexible and lightweight audio and video player around today. While other media players will play unusual formats after downloading a codec, or simply refuse to play things,

VLC media player handles tons of formats, from MPEG to FLV and RMBV files. Version 2 has seen some important additions too such as support for 10 bit codes plus multi-threaded decoding for H.264, MPEG-4/Xvid and WebM.

Also useful is the fact that you can use VLC media player to preview files you are downloading since it plays incomplete parts of video files. VLC media player is not just for video playback however. It also offers superb integration with video channel streaming services such as Channels.com giving you access to channels such as ESPN, Reuters and National Geographic. Just right-click or CMD-click on the playlist, select Services Discovery and Channels.com.

Channels.com will then appear in your VLC media player playlist. Click on it to reveal the the different categories of channels available. Click on the category you want and a drop down list of all available channels appears in VLC media player. Just click on the channel you want to watch and streaming should begin almost immediately.

Usability

VLC media player also has great hotkey support and if you take the time to learn the shortcuts so it can be controlled without touching your mouse. If you're watching DVDs or video files through it, this is not an issue. For music, it plays more or less any file and features an equalizer and playlist creation. VLC media player isn't as intuitive as iTunes as a media manager, but it's a much more flexible player in terms of file formats. You can even use VLC to convert your files, and on top of all the formats and physical media it will play, many streaming protocols and TV capture cards are supported.

VLC media player makes it easy to add subtitles to your video files too - just add the SRT file to the folder where your video is kept, and it will automatically play with subtitles.

Finally, the interface in VLC media player has been somewhat improved in version 2 although it remains strictly functional. However, you can download skins to completely change VLC media player's appearance. The preferences menu is comprehensive without being overwhelming, and there is extensive documentation online.

Conclusion

VLC Media Player is quite simply the best multimedia application for Windows and Mac. It plays just about anything, hassle free - what more could you need?

What's new

Rework and fixes of the Mac OS X interface

Fix Pulseaudio initial synchronization

Fix MKV, SWF, AIFF and subtitles demuxer crashes

Translations updates and new Welsh translation

DVB-S delivery system detection

Fix audio and video track selection through libVLC

Fix system sleep issue on Mac OS X 10.5

Download VLC media player 2.0.6 in Softonic

With Windows Essentials Codec Pack you get a complete collection of all the codecs you need to play most video and audio files you find on the Internet – up to 99% of them, according to the developer.

Windows Essentials Codec Pack includes filters and codecs for many formats, though only one of them per format to reduce the risk of conflicts and errors. The pack also includes codec configuration tools and a copy of Media Player Classic.

The pack is very easy to install. Simply launch the executable file and follow the instructions. During the installation process Windows Essentials Codec Pack will let you select which codecs you want to install and which you don't need. Also, as the pack includes a special update utility, you'll always have the latest version on your PC.

Windows Essentials Codec Pack includes all the codecs you need to play most audio and video files on your system. The pack includes a media player and is updated automatically.

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High Definition Supports converting HD videos (H.264/AVC, TS, AVCHD, MKV). Save time by converting in batches. Multi-core support means faster conversion. Convert Videos for Various Devices Supports numerous devices such as iPod, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP, PS3, Xbox,

Support videos shot by iPhone 4/iPhone 4S, other smart phones and DVs Convert HD and SD video formats Convert between audio formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC and so on Convert video to iPod, iPhone, PSP, PS3, Xbox, mobile phone, MP4 players

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DivX Plus for Windows is the official release from the DivX company, and offers everything you need to watch such films. The pack includes the all-important DivX Codec Pack, plus DivX Player, DivX Web Player and a free 15-day trial of DivX Plus Converter for those who plan to convert files to DivX.

The player in DivX Plus is sleek and easy to use. It’s got all the standard functions of a DVD player. If you want to create your own DivX content, the DivX Plus Converter allows the creation of video resolutions up to and including 1920 x 1080 High Definition in either interlaced or progressive-scan.

DivX Plus Player also supports advanced DVD features such as scene selection menus, subtitles and alternate audio tracks. It includes a download manager that allows you to download several videos at once, and also a tool to transfer your videos to other devices such as a DVD player, a Blu-ray player and and a PS3.

There’s little to criticise in DivX Plus for Windows except for the converter. It can be particularly useful if you are trying to burn a downloaded DivX film onto a DVD to play on a standalone DVD player. Watching DivX files on your PC is usually not a problem but some people have issues when watching them on a standalone DVD Player. DivX Plus Converter solves this by taking any video file and producing a perfectly clean DivX film at the end of it.

However, this feature is painfully slow and DivX Plus Converter takes hours to complete just one film. Bearing in mind that you also have to pay for it after the 15-day trial period has expired, you’ll soon be looking for other converters to use such as BPS Video Converter or VSO ConvertXtoDVD.

Overall, DivX Plus for Windows is an excellent DivX player and since it’s released by the official DivX company, you’ll have no worries about dodgy codecs ruining playback on your PC.

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All the formats and features you might need

BS.Player is a great media player that features anything you need to watch movies or any other kind of video on your PC. BS.Player supports all popular video formats (and audio as well, in case you were wondering) and though its basic interface is not really the nicest one I've seen, you can easily customize it with skins. Also, if you're missing any video or audio codecs, BS.Player will download them right away during installation.

BS.Player supports video subtitles, takes screenshots of movie currently playing, lets you create bookmarks and chapters to move along videos more easily and has also support for plug-ins, making it very similar to apps like UMPlayer.

Shortcuts

I especially liked the way you can control playback, either by using keyboard shortcuts or simply your mouse: one click to stop the video, two clicks to go full screen, mouse wheel to raise or lower the volume... It's really comfortable.

Reliable and easy to use

BS.Player is reliable and full of features. The only drawback if any, is the fact that the program doesn't include any documentation except for a FAQ section that you need to open in your browser. Not that you can't use BS.Player without help, but it's always nice to have some documentation to rely on in case you get stuck.

Overall

BS.Player lets you enjoy your favorite movies on the PC with a wide range of features: subtitles, screenshots, bookmarks and more.

Download BS.Player Free 2.64 in Softonic

Improved interface

The first thing that will strike you when you start up Windows Media Player 11, is the complete revamp of the interface. No more deep blue, the whole application is now dark and shiny and you can customize it by selecting a hue of your choice. Windows Media Player's left side is a drop down pane for your library, the center displays your lists and the right side is used to create playlists which you can rip, burn or sync with a mobile device.

Compared to Windows Media Player 10, we feel that Microsoft has actually made an effort to simplify the interface and give you more ways to browse through your media list, whether by using the drop down menu or the quick rollout line on the top left. The 'play' and 'previous' and 'next' buttons are now nested at the bottom of the interface and have a jazzy glow whenever you roll over them. Microsoft has finally succeeded in integrating a good search function into its Windows Media Player interface. As you type the name of an artist or title the application will bring up the results in the main window.

Windows Media Player 11 makes all your media more accessible. Double click the Media Library button to browse from your music to pictures, movie files and recorded TV. The thumbnail view is a great way to quickly scan through pictures and videos and to include the album image to audio tracks. By clicking the “Media information changes” option under the Library button you can also scan your PC to automatically find new media files. Creating a playlist is a case of drag and drop and oddly enough you can integrate audio, video and pictures. Burning and ripping in Windows Media Player is also very simple, yet disappointingly converting is limited to WMA, WAV or MP3.

Easy to use

The sync process is promising yet remains a bit unstable. While it’s very easy to create a list and sync media, Windows Media Player can occasionally crash or fail to load your mobile device, even if you press the refresh button. When we tested it with a Pocket PC, we had to restart Windows Media Player 11 so that it would recognize it and let us sync our music. As soon as the device became accessible though, it also became visible on the left sided menu, making it very easy to browse through it for music or pictures.

A big improvement

Windows Media Player 11 is a huge improvement from version 10. The whole interface is snazzier and makes browsing through your media simpler. Microsoft has also made creating playlists, syncing, burning or ripping just a case of drag-and-drop. Windows Media Player lets you check out music on dozens of online stores and is loaded with small features to customize your interface and change how you interact with your media.

Conclusion

While the syncing process still remains a bit unstable and we lament the lack of podcast feed support, Windows Media Player 11 is a solid competitor to Apple’s iTunes.

Download Windows Media Player 11 in Softonic

Convert any popular video files to FLV flash videos to share on YouTube and Vimeo. FLV Converter provides a better decoding solution of WMV file and output WMV file with Windows Codec 7/8/9.

Output video/audio settings can be fully customized including bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, channel, video/audio quality. Multi-threading Flash video conversion technology allows you to convert multiple files simultaneously with the shortest time in batch.

Onde iTunes Converter fits for any body who like music and sound. Such like families ,personally, friends, students,musicians, workers,and anybody likes play iPod, iPhone, iTouch, Zune, PSP, PS3.

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User interface is very professionally done with ability to change the skin for your own taste. It is very easy to use and stable. It supports all major format including CDG,VOB, DAT, MPG, AVI, MKV, MP4, WMV, ASF, RM, RMVB. More media formats support can be added later with no need to purchase expensive hardware.

Song selection based on intelligent spelling matches or artists are the most convenient ways. You can save your favorites songs in a play list.

This software supports input devices including computer mice, keyboards, remote controls and touch screen.

You can preset the volume of your media file (0-100) to avoid uneven sound outputs during media playbacks.

You can preset Karaoke sound channels for non-standard tracks. (Default: 1. Non-Standard Tracks: 2)

The software now has great support for Karaoke DVD songs and MP3+G songs playbacks!

Support for two graphic cards (one of them must have HDMU or S-Video output).

Support for remote control keys user setting function.

You need to install separate decoder for rm, rmvb files.

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As an optional extra users can try AnyDVD HD (under Windows Vista, 7, 8), which allows playback of protected BluRay's, DVD's, and CD's. If selected, the codec pack will also set BluRay and AVCHD discs to automatically play in Windows Media Player.

The Windows 7 Codec Pack has a number of unique features that sets it apart from others: An easy install option for new users. File associations are pre-set for Windows Media Player and default settings applied. Both 32bit and 64bit codecs, without the need for a 64bit add-on. No need for an extra player, provided that files are not corrupt or commercially restricted/protected. Unistaller allows users to uninstall individual codecs. Installer is digitally signed.

The Windows 7 Codec Pack is intended for modern media users, ranging from new users to power users.

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264 encoders. Besides, this DVD to flash video converter also can convert DVD to YouTube resolution file and rip DVD to MP3, AAC, and other audio file.

With the video editing function, this DVD to flash video converter allows you easily enjoy and share your DVD movie on YouTube and other site via flash video player.

KEY FEATURES of Leawo DVD to FLV Converter:1. User-friendly and Easiest-to-use interface;2. Powerful functions;3. All-inclusively convert DVD to flash video with excellent quality;4.

Support multiple output formats, FLV, MP4, MOV, 3GP, 3G2;5. Convert DVD to flash video in FLV, MP4, MOV, 3GP, 3G2 file with H. 264 encoder with excellent quality; 6.

Generated FLV, MP4, MOV, 3GP. 3G2 file can be well playback on video share sites like YouTube; 7. Set the visual effect by specifying video brightness, contrast, volume; 8.

Trim any duration of DVD movie for conversion;9. Crop any parts of the video image and extract the black edge;10. Custom output file by specifying video bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, audio bit rate and etc; 11.

Merge multiple chapters or titles into one file for converting to entire movie and split DVD chapters;12. Get thumbnail screenshot with one click;13.

All encoders/decoders embedded in; 14. Support batch process and convert multiple DVD to flash video file at a time; 15. Fast conversion speed and excellent quality; 17.

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In an age of multiple media players all with different codecs and formats, it's nice to know there's at least one out there that can play just about anything.

Haihaisoft Universal Player supports almost all popular digital media formats and can also play digital media files protected by DRM-X. Amongst the players it can emulate are Windows Media Player, Real Player, Adobe Flash Player, Apple QuickTime Player, PowerDVD and Flash Video (FLV) Player. What's more though, this player embeds itself into Internet Explorer meaning that whenever you are presented with a format compatible with any of these file types, you can watch it instantly. The number of formats it can play is mind-boggling, including those protected by DRM such as WMV(Windows Media Video), WMA(Windows Media Audio), ASF, WMS, DVD, VCD, SVCD, MOV, RM, RMVB, AVI, MPEG, WMV, 3GP, FLV, SWF, MP3, AMR, M4A, ACC, OGG, MIDI, GIF and JPEG file format. Best of all, the program is constantly updated with the latest codecs so you don't need to worry about it suddenly not being able to play files.

A completely free player that supports just about any format imaginable and embeds itself into IE perfectly.

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When all you want to do is just burn a CD or DVD, huge suites like Nero are certainly not the most suitable solution. Instead, you should look for a simple recording application such as InfraRecorder.

This easy tool features everything you need to record both CD and DVD. It supports data and audio burning, dual-layer DVD and also disc images. It works with rewritable discs and can burn copies on the fly as well. Results are very satisfying, with just one small complaint: I'd like to have a sound normalizer for song compilations.

But the best thing about InfraRecorder is undoubtedly its simplicity, in every sense. It launches in a few seconds, enables you to drag and drop files, features very intuitive menus and even includes a reduced version (InfraExpress) for last-minute recordings. However, if you want to record MP3 files into audio CDs you'll need to download the InfraRecorder decoder by yourself and copy it to the Program files – InfraRecorder – Codecs folder.

InfraRecorder is a simple and efficient tool for quick CD and DVD recording.

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You can preview the MPEG2 file, set ranges (start and end points) and cut to the good parts. Some features:- Support large video file, even large then 4GB.

- Fast cutting without decoding of MPEG2. - Very User-friendly interface. - Drag-and-drop files on player. - Supports Audio. - Works without any quality loss.

Download Able MPEG2 Editor 3.0 in Softonic

TMPGEnc XPress gives you the freedom to take almost any video file and encode it to your desired file format including DivX 6 AVI, QuickTime, MPEG 4-ISO, H.264, DVD-Video, DVD-VR, HDV camcorder, and much more. This powerful software provides you with functions and features ranging from a simple cut-editor tool to multiple powerful video filtering and effects.

Four Step Encoding

TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress gives you an easier way of encoding with 4 steps: Start, Input, Output, Encode, along with settings template so you don’t waste your time figuring out the spec settings. Now it doesn’t take a video guru to be able to encode video; with the simple user interface, workflow is a lot more enjoyable.

Automatic Scene change detection

Automatically detect scene changes and flag them for reference to make life a little easier while editing.

Subtitle support

The new video generator blends the text into your video, and the new subtitle editor also provides numerous options and settings at your disposal.

Need Filters?

TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress includes 19 unique filters and allows you to apply 30 filters to your video and encode it once.

MP3 input and output

Encode and decode MP3 audio. You can even extract MP3 audio from a DivX video file! Got a DivX music video? Make an MP3 audio file to play on your digital music player!

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264, Xvid, etc. This program includes a H. 264 and Xvid decoder so that users can convert videos with efficient speed while retaining good output quality.

Aplus DVD to iPod PSP 3GP PPC H264 MP4 Ripper can also export audio tracks and subtitle file information to converted files. In short, this program is an easy-to-use video converting program for iPod users who want to convert various video files for their iPod devices.

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It is also capable of ripping videos to iPhone directly. This tool is not just an MP4 decoder, but a mp4 encoder as well. It supports a number of popular video file formats such as MOV, MP4, RM, RMVB, DivX, ASF, VOB, 3GP, AVI, MPEG, WMV and more.

Since this product converts 3gp files, which are supported by many mobile devices, AVOnesoft iPhone Converter can be used to convert video files to iPhone from mobile phones.

This application has many settings and options that create a customized output file. It also has a high conversion speed. With AVOne iPhone Video Converter, converting many formats is a breeze since you can automate all the tasks to get quality results.

Download AVOne iPhone Video Converter in Softonic