Updated:REWIND audio codecs:Top media players

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Music helps us in refreshing our mood. Let's us talk about top media players used worldwide.

1. Windows Media Player

 This is the default media player which is preloaded with Windows. It started from Windows 3.0 era when it was known as "Media Player" originally.  It allows music files with extensions :-

• Windows Media formats (.asf, .wma, .wmv, .wm)
• Windows Media Metafiles (.asx, .wax, .wvx, .wmx, wpl)
• Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms)
• Windows Media Download Package (.wmd)
• Audio Visual Interleave (.avi)
• Moving Pictures Experts Group (.mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .mpe, .m3u)
• Musical Instrument Digital Interface (.mid, .midi, .rmi)
• Audio Interchange File Format (.aif, .aifc, .aiff)
• Sun Microsystems and NeXT (.au, .snd)
• Audio for Windows (.wav)
• CD Audio Track (.cda)
• Indeo Video Technology (.ivf)
• Windows Media Player Skins (.wmz, .wms)
• QuickTime Movie file (.mov)
• MP4 Audio file (.m4a)
• MP4 Video file (.mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .3g2, .3gp2, .3gp, .3gpp)
• Windows audio file (.aac, .adt, .adts)
• MPEG-2 TS Video file (.m2ts)
• Free Lossless Audio Codec (.flac)

Windows Media Player 12 is the latest version of Windows Media Player. It is available in Windows 10 as an optional media player; Microsoft ditching it for UWP apps using Groove for music and Movies and TV for videos. It also includes features for burning files to disks.


Discussbytes Rating:  2/5    ⭐⭐
1. Available preinstalled in every Windows✔️
2. High RAM consumption❌                                    
3. Discontinued (Last version came in 2009)❌
4. Less features in regard to modern time ❌

2. VLC

It is a free and open source multimedia player and framework. It is a simple, fast and powerful way to enjoy your content. It supports almost all types of extensions. It enables hardware decoding on most platforms meaning your video playback will be in better quality. It allows you to customise skins or you can download one from free. Plugins and extensions are also available. It contains no ads. VLC is supported by donations. It available on almost every platform.

Download Link: VLC

Discussbytes Rating:  5/5    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1. Light weight player✔️

2. Free to use✔️                                

3. Available on most platforms ✔️

4. Inbuild facility to repair corrupt files ✔️

5. Not fully user friendly ❌

3. Media Player Classic-MPC

It is an open source media on Windows. Just like VLC it contains no spyware and supports common file formats. The thing which makes MPC different is that you can use it in earlier version of Windows. Windows XP Service Pack 3 is supported by the latest version which makes it a better choice for old computers. It was developed by a programmer named "Gabest". Currently the community DOOM9 handles the project in two parts- Media Player Classic Home Cinema and Media Player Classic Black Edition.

Download Link: MPC Home Cinema
                         
                           MPC Black Edition

Discussbytes Rating:  4/5    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

1. Old System Compatibility✔️

2. Can also be used as DVB Player✔️                                

3. Development in slow phase  ❌

4. No Streaming Support ❌

4. MX PLAYER

It is one of the most powerful player for Android. It enables:-

a) HARDWARE ACCELERATION - Hardware acceleration can be applied to more videos with the help of new HW+ decoder.

b) MULTI-CORE DECODING - MX Player is the first Android video player which supports multi-core decoding. Test result proved that multi-core device's performance is up to 70% better than single-core devices.

c) PINCH TO ZOOM, ZOOM AND PAN - Easily zoom in and out by pinching and swiping across the screen. Zoom and Pan is also available by option.

d) SUBTITLE GESTURES - Scroll forward/backward to move to next/previous text, Up/down to move text up and down, Zoom in/out to change text size.

e) KIDS LOCK - Keep your kids entertained without having to worry that they can make calls or touch other apps.

MX Player offers both free version with ads. Ads can be removed by In-App purchases.

Discussbytes Rating:  4/5    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

1. Good User Interface✔️

2. Offer online content✔️                                

3. Annoying Ads  ❌

4. High Data Usage ❌

Updated 

5. CnX PLAYER(new)

It is a free media player available on Windows 10, Android and iOS. What makes it different is that it is aided by Intel. It keeps adding new features and even list new upcoming features in their website.
Popular features include:-

• High-Performance Playback Core
• Enabling a Breath-taking visual experience
• Plays 4K, 10-bit videos, HDR videos, Full HD
• Plays All Video Formats- MKV, TS, AVI, FLV, MP4, MOV, WebM & others.
• Supports All Codecs –HEVC/H.265, VP9, VP8, H.264, MPEG-4, VC-1, WMV & others
• Less Battery Consumption
• Subtitle: Internal and External (SRT/SAMI) with enhanced settings like size, color, alignment, etc.
• Playlist: Manage custom playlist and enjoy continuous playback.
• File Formats: MKV, Webm, MP4, 3GP, MOV, AVI, XVID, DIVX, TS, WMV, ASF and many more.
• Video Codecs:H.265 (HEVC), H.264 (AVC), MPEG-4, XVID, MPEG-2, VC-1 & WMV.
• Audio Codecs: AAC-LC, HE-AACv1, HE-AACv2, MP3, MP2, MP1, Ogg Vorbis & WMA.
• Gesture Control: Volume gesture and Brightness gesture on the player screen.

Discussbytes Rating:  5/5    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1. 4K Ultra HD Video Playback✔️

2. Network Streaming✔️                                

3. Cast videos to Other Platforms✔️

4. Child Lock ✔️

5. Cons NOT FOUND YET...…………... ❌

Want your's favourite player in this list. Please share your opinion in comments and we will be more than happy to add them to the list.