FreeSmith Video Player looks nice, with a slick interface, easy full screen mode and clear controls. What we didn't like was that although the full screen mode looks good, there are no on-screen controls - except by right-clicking and selecting Play. There are fully-customizable hotkey controls, but we'd like to see both options for the full "movie experience".

As features go, FreeSmith Video Player covers the basics, but is unlikely to amaze you. It's got the full selection of extras that make it user-friendly - like a screenshot function, subtitles and good playlist options, but that's about it.

FreeSmith Video Player's technical options are middle of the pack - you'll be able to make basic changes to your videos, like cropping and rotating, but the program doesn't offer the advanced options that you might see on players like VLC.

Overall. we thought that FreeSmith Video Player was a nice free application that will suit many people's needs. That said, if you've got a bit of experience with multimedia players and are looking for something a little special, you're unlikely to find it with FreeSmith Video Player. We also noticed a lot of lag, which, for a player that prides itself on being light, was a little unusual.

FreeSmith Video Player covers basic media player needs, but really offers little to make it stand out from the pack.

Download FreeSmith Video Player 1.2.3 in Softonic

Automatically searches for codecs online

Like UMPlayer GOM Player is one of those apps that goes unnoticed but proves to be excellent when you take the time to give it a try. It's a compact, easy-to-use video player lets you enjoy video files and movies in a wide variety of formats. What's more, you won't have problems with codecs because GOM Player already includes them – and if not, it automatically searches for the appropriate codec online.

Support for wide range of features

GOM Player shows off a sleek interface with support for skins and has other powerful features: support for subtitles, favorites manager, support for playlists, use mouse and keyboard shortcuts for many functions and more. What GOM Player misses, for example, is the ability to take screenshots or even more important, to resume playback right where you left it (something I personally use a lot).

GOM Player offers to install the Google Toolbar during its installation process but you may as well decline the offer. As for the rest, it's a great video player that's well worth a try… even if you already have a favorite player.

Conclusion

GOM Player is a visually appealing video player with very interesting features and which, above all, solves any problem you may have with codecs.

Download GOM Player GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145 in Softonic

Users are very picky when it comes to installing codec packs on their PCs - nobody wants to bloat their system with useless files and tools that won't be of any use or will only cause incompatibility issues. You won't have this problem with XP Codec Pack. This compact, handy codec pack has always been Softonic's first choice whenever we need to install codecs or upgrade them on a PC.

Why? Well, we like the fact that XP Codec Pack focuses on the most popular formats, and so it's not overloaded with codecs most users will hardly use. Secondly, it's easy to install and lets you choose exactly what you want, both for codecs and tools. Finally, XP Codec Pack is incredibly stable and highly compatible: we've never had a single problem with codec since we began to use it.

Of course, that doesn't mean to say that XP Codec Pack is perfect. There are a few flaws that should be pointed out. The most demanding users will surely miss a wider array of formats in XP Codec Pack, as well as more codec-related tools like the ones you find in other codec packs.

XP Codec Pack is a great choice for those who don't need a massive selection of codecs and prefer a simpler, hassle-free codec kit for the most popular audio and video formats.

Download XP Codec Pack 2.5.1 in Softonic