Media Player Classic

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What is Media Player Classic

As Windows Media Player evolved with each iteration of Microsoft's Windows operating system, the simplicity and reliability of the company's classic media player gained a cult following and spawned Media Player Classic. Media Player Classic is essentially a fan-made clone of an earlier version of Microsoft's Windows Media Player. While development on Media Player Classic has since stagnated, the application is still one of the most reliable and lightweight media players available.

The Interface

Media Player Classic isn't wrapped in sleek, glitzy interface. The media player was designed to be lightweight, meaning it minimizes its impact on your computer's resources when the application plays back media. Media Player Classic includes basic playback controls such as "Play," "Pause," "Skip Forward" and "Skip Backward."

Media Player Classic's interface can be scaled up or down as you like by selecting which interface elements it displays, ranging from its seek bar and playback controls to its playlist and menu bar.

Media Player Classic's playlist window can detach from the media player main interface or mesh with it. While rudimentary in appearance, Media Player Classic's playlist supports sorting and shuffling. You can even randomize content in the playlist, just in case you want to know what's coming up next in your shuffle.

Support for Media Formats

Media Player Classic was designed to serve as a simplistic, all-in-one solution for playing media files. The media player supports a wide range of audio, video and image formats -- yes, you can launch pictures in it. You can even use Media Player Classic to watch DVDs or stream media from the web.

Extras

There are tons of small extras included in Media Player Classic that make using the program even more of a joy to use. For example, you can scale and crop your video content. You can apply filters and shaders to your videos and audio files. You can even generate screenshots from your video files in Media Player Classic.

The Verdict

When all you need is an application to play your media, look no further than Media Player Classic. While it lacks the sleek appearance other media players have, Media Player Classic is packed with useful features and plays a wide variety of media formats.

Pros

• Lightweight and easy to use
• Supports a wide array of media formats
• Packed with useful features

Cons

• Doesn't include an equalizer
• Limited support for third-party plugins
• Bland appearance