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

The K-Lite Codec Pack Basic comes in three separate versions for different tiered users. From the simple basic pack, which includes the most common video and audio codecs and includes subtitle support, the K-Lite Codec Pack Basic version will allow the majority of users to watch and listen to their content with relative ease.

One main difference of K-Lite Codec Pack Basic is that it does not include Media Player Classic Home Cinema. This simple media player is the easiest to use, but not necessary in K-Lite Codec Pack Basic. Windows Media Player is more than enough for the small amount of codecs in this set.

K-Lite Codec Pack Basic’s functionality is also directly connected to the hardware specifications of the system it is running on, so do not expect to be able to easily play high definition content with smooth framerates even though K-Lite Codec Pack Basic is able to render the files.

The most common codecs like DirectShow, MKV decoders, and MP4 decoders are installed in K-Lite Codec Pack Basic so there is not much more needed for every day viewing. Even though K-Lite Codec Pack Basic supports audio, it is meant for video. With the numerous video codecs and encoders creating files that are high quality with smaller file sizes, native Windows support does not exist for all the variations.

The different tested content in K-Lite Codec Pack Basic included MP4, AVI, WMV, and MKV; all at different levels of quality and resolutions. The codec pack had no problem playing any of the files in Windows Media Player. K-Lite Codec Pack Basic also supports different subtitle formats like SRT, SUB, and IDX, but take a little customizing for the subtitles to display properly.

K-Lite Codec Pack Basic is the perfect set of third-party codecs that are not natively supported in Windows.

Download K-Lite Codec Pack Basic 9.9.0 in Softonic

Most user will never need to use K-Lite Codec Pack Full. It contains the same set of codecs that exist in K-Lite Codec Pack Standard, but also add the ability for users to encode their own videos.

K-Lite Codec Pack Full is best utilized by users who understand bitrates, frames per second, and resolution aspect ratios. Even though K-Lite Codec Pack Full is a great codec pack, it is not recommended for users who will not be creating and encoding their own videos.

The playback capability of K-Lite Codec Pack Full is like K-Lite Codec Pack Standard. The tests playing various file formats showed the same quality and function with the AVI, WMV, MKV, and MP4 videos. All played with no problems and K-Lite Codec Pack Full also contains subtitle support. K-Lite Codec Pack Full along with K-Lite Codec Pack Standard can re-time subtitles so if a user had issues with subtitle playback, it can be customized.

Using K-Lite Codec Pack Full as an encoder is the bulk of the purpose of the program. Since it layers more functions on top of K-Lite Codec Pack Standard, it is possible to view the exact specific audio and video codecs are being used, how they are utilized, and how they interact with the hardware they are running on. It is interesting information for the curious, but unnecessary for standard playback.

K-Lite Codec Pack Full is a great starting point for novice users who want to understand how media formats work and a good tool for working with different media types for customization.

Download K-Lite Codec Pack Full 9.9.0 in Softonic

Adobe Flash Player is an essential plugin for your browser that allows you to view everything from video to games and animation on the web.

Features

Adobe Flash Player 10 includes a range of interesting additions and improvements when compared to previous versions. Top of that list is the inclusion of support for the H.264 video codec and the HE-AAC audio codec, which together offer a much richer, higher-definition picture along with crystal-clear sound. Introducing these capabilities in Adobe Flash Player with only slightly reduced performance looks set to trigger another revolution in web video, as HD movies are already an important element on YouTube - and they look and sound great!

Quality

Adobe Flash Player 10 irons out some of the problems that previous versions have suffered from (like security and stability issues), as well including support for ActionScript 3.0. It also makes fantastic 3D graphics possible. This makes for more dynamic and interesting navigation, games and interactivity on websites.

Conclusion

Adobe Flash Player 10 represents a leap forward in terms of quality as well as stability and security. It's therefore a highly recommended download for all users.

Download Adobe Flash Player Firefox, Safari, Opera 11.8.800.42 (Firefox) in Softonic

Adobe Flash Player (originally a Macromedia product) remains the standard platform for viewing a wide variety of web content, varying from navigation elements to every video you watch on YouTube.

Some of the main reasons to use Adobe Flash Player are:

-simple to use
-high performance
-small file size
-near-HD quality

Additions and Improvements

Adobe Flash Player 10 includes a wide range of interesting additions and improvements when compared to previous versions. Some of these great new features include the inclusion of support for the H.264 video codec and the HE-AAC audio codec, which together offer a much richer, higher-definition picture and crystal-clear sound. By introducing these capabilities and only slightly impacting performance, Adobe Flash Player is set to encourage another revolution in web video, since HD movies are becoming standard on YouTube. They also look and sound fantastic!

Adobe Flash Player 10 also irons out some of the problems that previous versions have suffered from. These include previous security and stability issues. This update also includes support for ActionScript 3.0 and makes fantastic 3D graphics possible. This means more dynamic and interesting navigation, games and interactivity on websites.

Adobe Flash Player 11 represents a leap forward in terms of quality, stability and security.

Download Adobe Flash Player (for IE) 11.8.800.42 in Softonic

NextGen Media Player remains one of video players that is light on system resources and handles DVDs as well as most video formats flawlessly. The app supports the majority of media formats, including AAF, 3GP, 3GP2, 3GPP, H261, H263, H263I, H264, MOV, VOB, GIF, ASF, AVCHD, AVI, CAM, DAT, DSH, FLV, M1V, MKV, M2V, FLA, FLR, SOL, M4V, MATROSKA, WRAP, MNG, MPG, QUICKTIME, MPEG, MPEG-4, MP4, MP4V, MXF, ROQ, NSV, OGG, RM, SVI, SMI, SWF, WMV.

All in all, thanks to its extensive support for media files, playlists and multiple customization's, NextGen Media Player can easily become the player of choice for many users.

Download NextGen Media Player 1.0.17 in Softonic

Features

KMPlayer has a small desktop footprint and its minimalist interface makes video playback quick and hassle-free. The player's interface is fully skinable, and there are some nice aesthetic touches, such as the changing of colour on the player with every new track.

There are all sorts of options to help you pimp and customize KMPlayer, such as visualizations, plug-ins and playback options. But the beauty of KMPlayer is that these are turned on at your request rather than being forced upon you at the outset.

Quality

KMPlayer handles both audio and video, and supports a wide range of different formats, meaning that once installed, you should never need to touch another player.

Video playback is particularly impressive thanks to the range of processing tools available that allow you to sharpen, change picture properties, apply filters and even make video captures from within the program.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a customizable, light yet powerful video player, KMPlayer is exactly what you need.

What's new

Supports 3D Formats. (Side-By-Side, Top-and-Bottom) to (Anaglyph, Interlaced)
Supports 10-bit H.264. (Libcodec.dll)
Supports Intel Widi
Added video codec "DV5P"
Add new function album art (Thumnail image extraction from FLAC file)
Thumbnail image display enhancement when playing audio files. (MP3, FLAC, WMA)
Fixed ColorSpace bug
Fixed Intel Codec H.264
Fixed Winamp plugin
Error correction of images infected with malicious codes. (EIP register Corruption Vulnerability. Provided: KISA)
Fixed view as a desktop mode in Windows 7
Fixed improper load of Album Art bug
Correction of screen display error when using EVR(C/A) - if you skip from the WMV file.
Fixed KMP HTTP Reader
AAC codec Parser error correction from MOV file
MKV Skip Problem

Download KMPlayer 3.6.0.87 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.

Download Windows Essentials Codec Pack 4.4 in Softonic

Flash video (that is, FLV files) have quickly become a popular format for online videos. On the downside, not all players are able to open them, but with FLV Player you won't have that problem. It doesn’t support any other format, but in exchange for that it works fast and smoothly.

FLV Player features a simply-designed interface with support for drag and drop, plus a few playing controls. It also allows you to watch the video in full screen and open an extra window with the video's metadata.

There are no other options or features in FLV Player. Its only aim is to be the simplest, fastest FLV player you've ever seen, and it really achieves it.

FLV Player lets you play FLV video on your computer in a snap, without any extra bells and whistles.

Download FLV Player 3.0 in Softonic

Since bursting onto the internet in 2000, BSPlayer has been downloaded over 60 million times according to its developers. The aim of the player is to "enable users to focus on watching the movie instead of dealing with poor computer capabilities or running around looking for a proper settings and codecs." For those that have had problems with mainstream media players on offer, BSPlayer may prove a useful alternative.

It supports all kinds of media including avi, mpeg, asf, wmv, mp3, etc but also specializes in DivX playback. Many users report that DivX files that wouldn’t work on other players, did in BS Player. One of the major drawbacks with many media players is resource hogging but BSPlayer consumes no more than many audio players and start-up is pleasantly fast. Because it does not use much of the processing power, its more suited to those users with slower machines that are not looking for too many fancy features.

BSPlayer also comes bundled with BSMediaLibrary which can manage all your multimedia content and enables you to create your own playlists. It also has a multitude of skins available for download, many designed by other devoted users.

The major drawback with BSPlayer is the concealed menu which appears and disappears when you wave the mouse over it. This becomes increasingly annoying if you are listening to something whilst using another application. However, loading subtitles is easy and dragging and dropping files into the screen to open files means you can avoid the annoying menu. You also have a small graphic equaliser and can load the player with other codecs that you might need.

Overall, definitely worth trying for anyone who has had problems with DivX files or are tired of bulky mainstream offerings.

Download BS.Player Pro 2.63.1071 in Softonic

While most people listen to streaming music or video now, there are occasions when you do not have a data connection and locally stored files are your only option. PotPlayer is an excellent media player that can handle a large variety of media file types.

Playback quality will depend on the hardware the program is installed on, but in tests, PotPlayer had no problem playing a 1.6 GB MOV file, 865 MB MKV, or a 1.4 GB AVI. Smaller files should play back without any issues as well. You can toggle file information and see an in-depth breakdown of file information including CPU usage.

There is subtitle support in PotPlayer for .ass and .srt files and will natively play subtitles if they are located in the same folder as the video file. The amount of options in PotPlayer are great. You can optimize PotPlayer to get the best performance, but the default settings work fine for the majority of videos.

PotPlayer can also play audio files. It includes default visualizations or you can download more online. The program provides a lot of information about the audio file like bitrate, file type, and the number of channels. Like other media players, there are also audio presets for the equalizer and they all work pretty well. It it is not a substitute for a good stereo, but does have an effect on the audio.

The program is by Daum, a Korean company, but the program is presented entirely in English during and after installation. One annoyance is that PotPlayer does not show in the taskbar, only in the notification area, so to use the program, you either have to have it running in an open section on your screen or find it in notifications.

PotPlayer is a good alternative to first party media players. The stable build has a large variety of supported formats and the quality of playback is excellent for both video and audio.

Download PotPlayer 1.5.35238 in Softonic

Designed to work quickly on Windows XP, Vista & 7 without the need of codec packs. No need for DivX and XviD codecs! It can even record and play TV if a TV tuner is installed.

MediaPlayerLite is perfect for anyone who wants to play video and audio files.

Download MediaPlayerLite 0.3 in Softonic

Features: - Integrates all your media and makes it easy to browse. - Hardware acceleration. - Cross-platform multimedia player: Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Unix, Android... - Supports most of video and audio formats: DVD, Blu-Ray, HD, VCD, CD, WMV, MPEG, AVI, MOV, Real, MP4, DivX, Xvid, DV, MP3, WMA, 3GP, DTS, AAC, MIDI.... No codec packs needed! - Displays and edits subtitles. Podcast feed support.

- Powerful Volume Amplifier: 1MediaPlayer can amplify volume up to ten times. This is great for notebook users who have become frustrated with their barely audible notebook speakers. - Image capturer. - Available in 13 languages. - 100% free!

Download 1MediaPlayer 1.0.21 in Softonic

If you want to play video or music files and not worry about format, Portable VLC media player is the best application for the job. With this portable app, you can have the powerful media player with you anywhere.

Like its big desktop brother, Portable VLC media player is simply 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, Portable VLC media player will never complain. In addition to this, you can also use it to preview files you are downloading, because it will play parts of files. It takes no time to start up either, so opening it up to preview something is no trouble at all.

Portable VLC media player has great hotkey support - if you take the time to learn the shortcuts - so can be controlled without touching your mouse. The interface is functional, but by no means attractive. If you're watching DVDs or video files through it, this is not an issue.

Regarding music, Portable VLC media player plays more or less any file and features an equalizer and playlist creation. It isn't as intuitive as iTunes as a media manager, but it's a much more flexible player in terms of file formats.

For video, Portable VLC media player is the best application you will find. Its minimal interface is great for viewing, it's got excellent tools for effects, and doing things like adding subtitles is easy.

Download Portable VLC media player 2.0.5 in Softonic

While most media players, even in 64-bit operating systems, use 32-bit media players by default, there are a few 64-bit players around. To make use of every media format out there, you'll need a codec pack, and K-Lite Codec Pack 64-bit Edition has everything you'll need.

When installing K-Lite Codec Pack 64-bit Edition, you choose which components you want which is great, as long as you know what that is!
If you're not really sure what a codec is, or what you need, the installer won't help you. However, a solution to this is to simply install them all!

There is little demand for a 64-bit set of codecs at the moment, but as 64-bit systems become more common place, K-Lite Codec Pack 64-bit Edition will become more useful.
Be aware that by default, 64-bit editions of Windows still use 32-bit media players, in which case the K-Lite (Mega) Codec Pack should be used.

Download K-Lite Codec Pack 64-bit Edition 9.5.5 in Softonic

Download Vista Codec Package 6.4.1 in Softonic

1. Convert AVCHD to all general Video formats 2. Convert AVCHD to all general Video formats 3. Convert AVCHD to portable devices 4. Convert AVCHD to media players 5. Extract audio from AVCHD videos 6. AVCHD Editor 7.Import files in batch or in folder and batch convert 8.AVCHD Conversion to H.264 codec video 10X Speedup 9.Multi-language support 10.AVCHD Converter for Windows, Windows 8, Windows 7

Bigasoft AVCHD Converter is the best helper to convert AVCHD camcorder videos from HD camcorder of Canon, Hitachi, JVC, Leica Camera, Panasonic, and Sony in MTS, M2TS, MOD, TOD to broad video formats including AVI, MP4 and more to better enjoy them

Download Bigasoft AVCHD Converter 3.7.29.4805 in Softonic

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.

Download DivX Plus for Windows 9.0 in Softonic

The evolution of computers reveals a trend toward multimedia desktop apps where users can listen to music, watch videos, surf the net, work and view photo albums.
If you’ve gotten hold of media files, you’ve probably had to convert the files to transfer them on a different device or in order to play it in another application at one time or another.
SUPER makes audio and video conversion a breeze thanks to a well presented interface and a slew of options.

SUPER’s single window interface is divided into audio and video and the selection of output options is done via the three dropdown menus at the top.
There are quite a few formats available. SUPER allows you to convert movies and music to play on recent devices such as Apple iPod, Sony PSP and 3gp for use on Sony Ericsson and Nokia mobile phones.
The huge bit rate menu, from 64 to 9792 Kbps, means you can truly optimize and quicken the conversion process. Unfortunately, SUPER only offers 2 video codec outputs (H263 and MPEG-4) and 3 audio codecs (AAC, AMR wideband and narrowband).

On the audio side, SUPER allows you to select your language from individual tracks, but audio is limited to one channel and one sampling frequency (8000).
It seems SUPER is more suited to video conversion. Luckily SUPER includes recognized encoders such as ff mpeg or mencoder, ensuring a decent conversion process for both audio and video.

Use the buttons at the bottom of the interface to play files and check their quality after having converted them. The Player Options button gives you the chance to tweak video features such as aspect, saturation, hue, brightness and contrast.
All files converted or waiting to be converted are visible in a list and you can verify the streaming link and output status.
SUPER is a very open media converter that even the klutziest of users will find easy enough to use.

Download SUPER 2012 build 53 in Softonic