DIVX Plus Player DivX Plus is built around the DivX standard, but in addition it can play AVI, MKV, MP4, and MOV videos, giving you a great way to play your movies, without using Windows Media Player. Is it the best? I’ve used it, and I like it a little bit more than Windows Media Player, but there is always room for improvement.
Winamp Media Player
Just about everyone has heard of Winamp. Once this was the most popular alternative for playing music and watching video, both. Today it is still a very good option and supports a fair amount of codecs.VLC Player
This is the best option out there if you ask me. The interface isn’t the easiest out there, and it isn’t as pretty as some of the alternatives, but it is HIGHLY functional, has DVD, Blu-ray, and hundreds of others formats that work well enough in it. Things that won’t run elsewhere always work here. This are some goodies, but if you need a full-fledged Media Center, there are a couple good choices for free as well:BOXEE
Today this has become a separate set-top box as well, but the software itself isn’t half-bad either. Unlike Windows Media Center, it has additional easy-access channels and can even sort-of integrate into Hulu Player (sort of, mind you). Not a bad option at all.XBMC
If you want something that is somewhat similar to Windows Media Center, XBMC is a perfect option. You can watch movies, music, pictures, and basically everything WMC can do. This is without a doubt my favorite, and honestly in many ways works BETTER than WMC. There are a lot more options than the ones I listed, these are just a few of the best choices out there. The bigger point that is this new change doesn’t really CHANGE anything. You can still get DVD playback and a Windows Media Center-like experience without paying a cent more than you have to. Should Microsoft have left things as-is? That will largely depend on who you ask. Honestly, I won’t miss either of them, but for some folks this might be a big deal. By taking these elements out and selling them as an add-on pack, MS will be able to reduce costs. Will that translate to cheaper Windows 8 upgrade prices? Possibly, though I doubt it. I also think it is more than likely that specific PC vendors like HP, Dell, etc, will make their own partnerships and include pack-in codecs and players that already work as alternatives. What do you think? Do you have an alternative media center or player that I didn’t mention that’s worth talking about? Does this new change turn you off or does it not really bother you? Share your thoughts below.]]>Article Categories:
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 i do not really care… when i want to watch a dvd i watch it with my dvd-player (tv) … and blue-ray needs special software anyway…
I have never used media player as well, it freezes my pc with any power..
Media Player Classic is Best!!!
I have always been a little disappointed with WMP, in that it can’t play Mk4 files (unless I’m missing something- please inform). I have just built a 1Tb PC for use as a streaming DLNA Media Server and have had to resort to using uPlayer –Â
http://www.uplayer.us.com/download-best-free-media-player-uk.php?pk=4874Â –Â to view Mk4 files locally. what is MS playing at here?
The only thing I do not like about the VCL player is the cone logo.
This move was exactly how I calculated it to be done. Recently, I stated that MS had not intended on giving us all those various means of media interaction- that obliviously they would pull the string back on at least one of those forms of media play. “Tada!!!”, here it is… just as I suspected. This is what we went through in Windows XP- remember??? However, I do feel that the media app that we are provided with now may be the second coming of WMC. How so? It pretty much does everything WMC does except in a less bloated fashion- and maybe a little bit of codec indigence on their behalf; but overall… solid I would say. Another take on it could be that MS is giving us another “taste test” so to speak; in where they are trying to see what we love the most and what we could stave without, but also what we just couldn’t bare to lose. Whichever way, it really doesn’t matter because they’ll find a way to make us (end-user’s) happy with the final RTM- or at least provide us with enough so that they won’t rustle the natives!!! (Lol) o(._.)oÂ
Windoze Mistake is a basic program–Microsoft droped the price to get you to buy it . And then sells you the programs you need at the aps store to make up the differance LOL Microsoft is going to suck your wallet dry one way or another . $130 for basic $200 for pro Feb 1, 2013 and still have there hands in your pocket.