When it comes to watching movies, the passionate people certainly require a powerful media player as their prime requirement regardless of the genre of the movies they like to see.
If you question movie freaks, there is a lot of difference in their choice which may confuse anyone to select the media player for a Windows PC. We know that the default Windows Media Player isn’t enough and certainly require a better option.
If you are looking for best media players, then you have landed on right spot because we have created a detailed list of top 10 video players which you can select for your Windows PC. In this list, we have considered various aspects and features of each video player like its usability, distinctive features, and this list will certainly provide you ample reasons to choose best video player as per your requirement.
1. VLC Media Player
www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
We start with a free and open-source software when it comes to watching movies and different kinds of videos on your Windows PC. We have not only considered basic player features but also taken into consideration of its stream features along with various media input. When it comes to providing support to almost all type of video and audio format, VLC Media Player does this with ease. It also provides support to various subtitle formats too.
This player’s interface is quite simple, and it doesn’t come with any ads, spyware or anything that jeopardize the privacy of the user. After installation, VLC doesn’t cause any burden of installing extra codec files. However, its basic skin may be boring, you can select the extra skins and download them from VLC player official website. This player remains to be the top choice of numerous movie addicts because of its versatility and support to almost every type of videos without any limitation.
Price: Free
2. KMPlayer
www.kmplayer.com/
Second in the list is KMPlayer which remains to be the best choice for many users. Even with limitations with other players which get dumbstruck when it comes to output as non-common format, KMPlayer will be able to play that particularly file and work smoothly along with great features. It features include support for 3D, 2K, 4K and UHD with internal codec files which makes playback quite easier given that the PC have a relatively lower configuration.
Instead of just playing the files, you also have the option to setup various libraries of videos and music and get a great media experience. It also has an option to play DVDs well along with all the various features which you can expect from any DVD player. Its ability to adjust the playback screen with respect to our screen is one of the best feature of this player. It also has an in-built subtitle editor too.
Price: Free
3. GOM Media Player
https://player.gomlab.com/
GOM Media Player originates from GOM lab and remains to be one of the best and free media players if you wish to play any type of media file. It supports a wide array of video formats such as MKV, FLV, etc. along with various standard media formats. It also has numerous advanced features regarding files playback like playback speed control, video effects, audio capture, A-B repeat screen and others. All in all, this player is an impressive piece of software.
Coming to its UI and Customization, this player provides advanced level customization along with different skins. You can also download various skins from the official site of GOM Player and change you player appearance. It also has a codec finder which helps in finding sufficient codecs online in case there is an uncommon file, or the player doesn’t have the required codec. This player works perfectly fine with PC that runs on Windows.
Price: Free
4. MPC-HC
https://mpc-hc.org/
Media Player Classic- Home Cinema or the MPC-HC is another free software which is preferred as a lightweight software to play various kinds of video files. With no intrusive toolbars or any advertising involved, this player provides a clean playback experience. It also plays almost every type of heavy file which is present on your Windows PC.
It also comes with various additional features. With integrated codec support, it allows you to play any video files regardless of uncommon video formats and the availability of 64-bit version which will be quite helpful when you require a stabilized version which is also powerful. It also allows you to install toolbars and skins according to your requirements. It also has a portable version which extends its productivity.
Price: Free
5. Potplayer
https://potplayer.daum.net/
Potplayer is another free player for Windows PC and supports devices which run on XP and up to Windows 8.1. It doesn’t matter which hardware you have, this player utilizes Hardware Acceleration features which enable you to get the best media experience from your PC.
It has various features such as support for various types of 3D Glasses and 3D-oriented features of Potplayer which is quite unique and awesome from user’s point of view. It provides support to almost every type of video format and codec you need to watch move. It also supports various types of subtitle files too. It has screen snapshot feature along with the ability to choose from different sound cards, scene bookmarking which are also significant features.
Price: Free
6. DivX Player
www.divx.com/en/software/player/features
In case you don’t want to compromise on High-Quality video experience including Ultra HD Video and HEVC Playback, then DivX Player is certainly the best choice. This player is meant to be for HQ Video playback along with cross-device streaming of media files. It also provides support to all the popular video formats like AVI, MKI, MP4, and DIVX. Its inbuilt media server comes with a bundle of DivX Player which allows you to stream videos to various devices which also have DLNA support.
Talking about the playback, this player also features FF/RW which allows accessing different chapters in the video along with better organization with the help of playlists, advanced audio playback.
Price: Free
7. RealPlayer
This player is another freemium video player which is available for Windows PC. Along with watching movies, it also provides enhanced options to share the videos through the cloud. Then, you can access these files from any device you want at any moment. Even if its free version provides the standard features, it is favored to get a premium version at mere $4.99 per month which provides a storage space of 365 GB. In case you have a great internet connection then this player is a perfect choice.
It also comes with advanced features such as the option to share movies on the big screen like HD TVs, and you will only require an app installed on your device. It also allows bookmarks and makes sure that you don’t miss out on your favorite stuff.
Price: Free; paid version: $4.99 per month
8. UMPlayer
www.umplayer.com/
Universal Media Player of UMPlayer is definitely worth a look if you like to watch movies. It is a free and open-source player which will remain so in the near future. It provides seamless movie-watching experience on your Windows PC. To make things easier, this player has in-built codec support and allows you to play files such as MP4, XVID, VOB, etc.
There are other options to select media source from various choices which include YouTube and other streaming services. UMPlayer is great software of movie watchers in case they require a media player with great features.
Price: Free
9. Plex
www.plex.tv/
Talking about a wide range of devices, Plex is another great player for watching movies on these devices. It provides online space to keep your favorite video files which you can play later. Even though this player is a typical media player in Windows PC, it also has great features which are hidden.
In case you wish to extend your media player to a media server, and you are ready to pay for that, then you can certainly go with Plex. This software is a sensible choice from the view point of users.
Price: Free; premium plans available
10. SMPlayer
smplayer.sourceforge.net/
In last, there is SMPlayer which is also a great choice. It has great features with its simple UI which is consistent throughout the interface. With features such as in-built codecs, it also provides YouTube support, and you can play video right away from YouTube. It also has a large collection of skins and integration to get the appropriate subtitle. Along with this SMPlayers also uses MPlayer as media playback engine and this player is efficient one to run on best media hardware.
It also provides enhanced movie experience. This software is free and also open-source.
Price: Free
With this, we complete our list of top 10 Media players of the year 2016 for your Windows PC. You can try any player for watching movies as per your requirement. Don’t forget to mention your experiences with these players. We are looking forward to your views and suggestions regarding this article and the mentioned players. Do post in the comment section below.