I’ve never really warmed up to Windows Media Player. It’s bloated size,and outrageous overhead requirements (in my view), have always left me feeling just a little bit put out.
Years ago, (in 2003), I replaced Windows Media Player with a much smaller application – GOM Media Player. Back then, virtually no one had heard of this small (6 MB), free application.
I must admit, I was not very successful, initially, in converting my friends to my view of GOM Media Player. Over the years though, GOM Media Player’s support for a diverse range of file formats, it’s built in Codecs, and its advanced playback capabilities, have made it one of the most downloaded of all Windows Media Player replacements. In fact, it’s the number one downloaded media player on CNET (download.com), with nearly 20 Million downloads to date.
This small application is surprisingly strong and can play most encoded video formats including AVI, DAT, FLV, MPEG, DivX, XviD, and more, with its own built-in Codec system.
For the impatient types among us, GOM Media Player can even play video files that are still in the process of being downloaded. As well, files that have been broken during the downloading process can still be played.
The right click menu is extremely comprehensive (yet very easy to understand), allowing an amazing degree of custom control over virtually every aspect of the application. I do mean – an amazing degree of control!
A built-in Screen Capture utility allows you to take screenshots of your video directly from GOM Media Player. Using the Burst Capture feature, you can take up to 999 shots continuous screenshots. I love this feature! (I just had to mention this).
Fast facts:
DVD-quality videos with 5.1 channel audio output.
Supports most Codecs (AVI, DAT, MPEG, DivX, FLI using an embedded Codec system
Plays incomplete or damaged AVI file by skipping the damaged frames
Plays Locked Media Files while downloading or sharing
Supports HTTP Streaming ASF/OGG/MP3/AAC/MPEG PS/MPEG TS
Subtitle, Overlay Mixer features, Keys Remapping, Super speed/High Mode
Play Audio CD
Play Video CD/SVCD/XCD
Enhanced Filter Rendering
Drag-and-drop support
Editable skins
Real-time index rebuilding for AVI files
Unicode support
Advanced Features:
Customizable settings on the control panel
Adjust image brightness, hue, and saturation
Sharpen and add noise to your video
Audio equalizer
Fast forward/rewind using left/right keys
Repeat a section of your video using A-B Repeat feature
System Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 (no indication that x64 is supported).
Download at: Download.com
This is my personal choice of media player; the application that I use primarily for playback of downloaded videos, and I have yet to be disappointed with its performance. I highly recommend this excellent free application.
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