All of us have dozens of offline videos on PC. Some of them come
from cameras, phones or other devices, others are downloaded from YouTube or other
streaming sites. Whatever their origin is, all these videos can’t be reproduced
on a PC without a video player. The defaut Windows Media Player is often the
only playback option available on Windows computers and most users are quite
happy with it. However, sometimes the software requires additional
codecs to play exotic formats. So it’s advisable to have some
alternative to the standard Windows player with advanced video formats support.
If you already have Freemake Video Converter installed on
your PC, you may look no further. The software has a built-in video player
which supports 300+ video formats and provides all playback options. You can watch videos with subtitles, rotate them if necessary, fastforward
playback and even enjoy full-screen mode without black bars.
However, Freemake is primarily a video converter, so it lacks such options as
playlists creation, online media streaming, interface customization. So if you
still need a good video player with all possible addons, have a look at the
following tools. We collected the best video players for you and compared their
features in the table below:
Now let’s view the top
video players in detail.
VLC
MEDIA PLAYER
VLC Media Player is the most famous project by VideoLAN. It’s
really cross-platform and totally free. VLC supports a lot of video formats
including MP4, AVI, WMV, DVD and Blu-ray due to built-in codecs. With this
software you can play numerous video files, listen to audio tracks, watch streaming
media and play movies with subtitles (if available). VLC also lets you
speed up or slow down the playback, zoom the video and even make some
correction for better watching. In addition, it provides video conversion and
screen recording possibilities. Although the software is free, it gets updated
on a regular basis and what is more important VLC doesn’t contain any ads. If
you want to thank developers, you may send them a donation.
Platforms: Windows,
Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android
Pros:
·
totally free;
·
smooth playback;
·
variety of supported
formats;
·
plays corrupted and
unfinished files;
·
flexible and
lightweight;
·
hotkey support;
·
extra features.
Cons:
·
plain user interface.
Download VLC player for free here.
GOM
MEDIA PLAYER
GOM is one more famous video player. The developers claim
that the software is capable of downloading all the necessary codecs for
playback in case it can’t reproduce your video. GOM supports all popular video
and audio extensions and can also play broken or half-downloaded files without
troubles. The software has a customizable interface that you may change up to
your needs. The video player also offers screen capturing and
playback speed control features. Unfortunately, GOM player is ad-supported.
When you close it, you’ll get a small splash window with ads.
Platforms: Windows
Pros:
·
free;
·
supports a wide range
of formats and codecs;
·
searches for more
codecs if necessary;
·
full interface
personalization;
·
compact and
easy-to-use.
Cons:
·
ad-supported;
·
Windows only.
Download GOM for free here.
REALPLAYER
RealPlayer is no longer available as stand-alone software. Since
May 2015, it’s distributed as a part of RealTimes which also includes
RealPalyer Cloud and slideshow creation tool.
The app automatically creates slideshows from your photos and
videos and makes it easy to share them via cloud. Storage up to
2 GB is free, premium plans start from 4.99€/mo for storage up to 25 GB.
Using RealPlayer Cloud, you can easily reach and watch your
videos on any device. RealPlayer works with Roku and
Chromecast allowing you to stream videos from PC or mobile phone to a TV
screen. The video player supports all almost known video formats. The features
of RealPlayer also include a web browser, visualizations for audio playback,
equalizer and video controls, audio recording,
CD ripping, and a media converter for transferring videos
to smartphones, game consoles and other devices.
Platforms: Windows,
Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Mobile.
Pros:
·
stylish and
easy-to-use;
·
fast video sharing
·
dozens of extra
features;
·
skinnable interface;
·
quick video access on
any device.
Cons:
·
subscription-based;
·
long export time for
heavy files;
·
not available
separately.
Download Real player for free here.
KMPLAYER
KMPlayer is another great alternative to the standard Windows
Media Player. Although it might seem a bit difficult to deal with, there are
plenty of communities that’ll help you at the beginning. This player is highly
customizable and offers a number of interface skins, screen capturing
utility and video filters. Like GOM and VLC, KMPlayer can play corrupted,
incomplete and even locked media files.
The only drawback of KMPlayer is the toolbar that you may get during
the installation. So, be attentive.
Platforms: Windows
Pros:
·
highly customizable;
·
supports a great deal
of video and audio formats;
·
plays incomplete and
corrupted files;
·
hotkey support;
·
light on resources.
Cons:
·
ad-supported;
·
Windows only.
Download KMPlayer for free here.
QUICKTIME
QuickTime is Apple’s multiplatform technology for handling
video, sound, animation, graphics, etc. QuickTime Player primarily
designed to reproduce the native QuickTime (QT, MOV, MOOV) movie format. The
application is bundled with OS X and can be downloaded as a standalone
installation for Windows OS. The software supports dozens of multimedia
formats. All key playback features are available for free with the basic
version. With the Pro version ($25.95), you’ll be able to convert your
files to different formats and record and edit your work.
Platforms: Windows,
Mac
Pros:
·
supports numerous
multimedia formats;
·
extremely slick to
use;
·
11 plugins are
available to can extend software capabilities;
·
ability to merge
videos.
Cons:
·
launching is a little
slow;
·
some features are
available only in paid verison;
·
codecs are needed
to be installed to play a wider variety of movie formats;
·
More suitable for
Macs.
Download QuickTime Player for free here.
