What to use to play music, videos, and other media?

from Elemental Forums


I have recently purchased a new laptop, which came with Windows 8. I can now safely say that I am not pleased with Windows 8 in general, and am looking for ways to go about dealing with various suboptimalities.

One thing in particular bugs me: I used to use Windows Media Player -- not because it was good, but because I detested iTunes even more, and it was an "easy" way to find my stuff, and I dislike crowding my machine with thousands of things that run other things. But now... egads. So, I have most of my music in that place that is still called "My Musik", but I have no way of actually playing it that doesn't evoke projectile vomiting.

So I guess I will need to download a program (I still can't call those things "apps") which will not only play my music, but will also let me utilize playlists, burn to disc or synchronize to a mobile MP3 device, and be able to access the music the way that /My Music archives stuff. (Similarly, I will need a program which will do the same for video. Ideally, there would be only one program.)

Question to you, wise people: Which? Will WinAmp do that? (I remember that from 10 years ago or so, is it still freeware?) Or are there things I need be aware of?

Your tips for the computer illiterate are greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

96,481 views 17 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

WinAmp is still free but I would call it bloat ware, and it does not play some forms of video (codecs) well at all. I use VLC for playing video/audio and streaming web radio, and it's free open source. Not sure about mp3 encoding though but I think it does use it.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

 

no ads or other crap installed. I highly recommend. 

Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Yes, what myfist0 said...;)

Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top


Thanks, I'll give that a look. It's hard to see from the website if it also is fairly easy to create and manage playlists (especially the synchronisation thereof onto mobile play devices) -- is that a go? Oh, by the way, do I then have to tell windows that a default click on a media file should start the VLC program?

THANK YOU

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Usually when you install a program, a window will pop up asking if you want this program to be used when running AVI, mp3 etc. For vlc, I checked 'select all', fairly easy to change it after if you don't like. Right click a file, choose Open with.. > Choose default.

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

VLC is excellent! I use it on 8 too, no problems. The default player in Windows8 is indescribably bad.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I use VLC as my default media player.....have for years now.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

VLC

 

It is even used by some cinemas for playback. :thumbsup:

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Thank you, people

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

 KM Player

http://www.kmpmedia.net/

 

 

 

 

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

First...download Shark Codecs and install. I have used them for years. Found them through MajorGeeks. They are very safe and will allow whatever media player you go with to play virtually anything. Shark Codecs are one of the first things I install on any new PC I get. And they are free.

For just playing, I would go with Winamp. There are lots of skins and plug-ins, it's free, and still a relevant media player for music and video.

If you're a musicphile with a huge collection then I strongly recommend MediaMonkey. It has some skins and plug-ins and is probably one of the best for organizing and tagging your music.

I use BOTH Winamp and MediaMonkey as MediaMonkey will search and use any Winamp plug-ins and playlists it can find, which is nice.

I have a huge music collection and have tried most of the players out there including VLC, XION, iTunes, Songbird, and a few others . Winamp and MediaMonkey are my favorites.

 

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Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

Should you decide to go with VLC, you will not need a codec pack for this player. VLC has a huge range of inbuild codecs that will play about anything.

 

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Another vote here for VLC. It simply plays everything. I use VLC for all of my video files and DVD playback. I use iTunes 10.7 for playing back my MP3 files. I love the way iTunes organizes the files and the simple interface. I use MP3tag for tagging my music files. 

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

codec packs can be hazardous also, beware.A good program needs no outside assistance!

Stick with vlc.Just its ability to play several video images at once is cool.You can play a movie in one window, listen to music in another,and on and on, until your pc crashes.!

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting doortech1, reply 14

codec packs can be hazardous also, beware.A good program needs no outside assistance!

Stick with vlc.Just its ability to play several video images at once is cool.You can play a movie in one window, listen to music in another,and on and on, until your pc crashes.!

Voice of experience DT? j/k

VLC is an excellent choice. There are very few it cannot play but all the major ones it can. 

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I agree with Po Winamp and Mediamonkey for audio VLC for video . I have Winamp pro with SA Stereo Tool 7.31 turns Winamp into a Awsome Sound Studio. Just Google SA Stereo Tool the best plugin for Winamp I have ever used give it a try !!

Reply #17 from Elemental Forums Top

How can you manage playlists in vlc however