Among the most popular types of Windows PC programs there are certainly Media Players to watch videos and movies on the computer. Choosing the best media player is difficult because there are dozens of equivalent programs with more or less additional options and features.
Windows is supplied, in its installation, with the Windows Media Player which, however, as we know well, is not able to play any video format and has several limits.
In addition, Windows Media Player, as well as others that resume its appearance, is a multipurpose program that allows, among other things, to listen to music, watch movies and organize them in personalized collections.
As the best Media Player only for videos I have always recommended VLC, the open source program capable of opening all videos and which also allows you to make changes and record.
However, there is an even better solution that ensures the viewing of every video or film, including streaming from network streams and DVD videos : Media Player Classic - Home Cinema .
Media Player Classic was a 2003 program based on the version of Windows Media Player of that time.
The Home Cinema version of Media Player Classic was born in 2006 and the continuous development of this completely free and free software has led it to become the most modern and compatible program to watch videos on the computer (unfortunately only on Windows).
Media Player Classic - Home Cinema (MPC-HC) can be considered the number one in the category for three basic characteristics:
- Lightness of the program;
- Fluidity of vision even of high quality or HD videos and also on older computers;
- Compatibility with all existing video formats.
The interface is clean, minimalist and simple to use like that of VLC and the window leaves videos all the space, without bulky menu bars.
The only bar with the configuration menus is at the top and allows access to all the features of the program which can be downloaded in the Italian version .
MPC-HC does not try to emulate the graphics of a DVD player but follows the layout of the Windows windows, with the menus at the top and the playback controls at the bottom.
MPC-HC supports a large number of different codecs for playing the most common audio and video formats: From Xvid to MPEG, from VCD to DVD, MP4 and FLV and almost all video encoding formats can be opened without having to install additional codecs.
MPC Home Cinema also supports H.264 and VC-1 with DXVA, DivX, Xvid, Flash Video, OGM and MKV support ; it also incorporates QuickTime and RealPlayer playback technologies making their presence on the computer superfluous.
As a media player, MPC-HC is not limited to playing videos: you can listen to music and open images and photos.
MPC-HC supports the following:
- video formats : MPEG, MPG, MP2, VOB, ASX, ASF, WM, WMV, AVI, D2V, MP4, SWF, MOV, QT, FLV, MKV.
- audio formats : AC3, DTS, WAV, WMA, MP3, M3U, PLS, WAX, OGG, SND, AU, AIF, AIFC, AIFF, MIDI, CDA
- image formats : JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP.
If that wasn't enough, you can download the LAVFilters package which makes the Media Player Classic the most complete existing multimedia player for Windows.
From the View menu -> Options -> Internal filters you can scroll through all the various supported codecs while in the External filters section you can optionally import LAV filters from the installation folder of LAVFIlters.
From the Playback menu you can select the audio and video filter to use.
Among the internal options of the Home Cinema program we also have several advanced settings to open streaming streams and also videos from external sources and peripherals such as digital TV or webcam.
You can also open a video and hear a different audio which must be selected from the Playback -> Audio menu.
You can also save several frames as still images, you can zoom and slow down the video or speed it up.
There is also an application for Android phones, MPC Remote Lite, to control the Media Player Classic remotely via the smartphone (which becomes a remote control).
If you install MPC-HC on a 64bit computer, it automatically configures itself to use only 64bit codecs.
Another version called MPC-BE has also been made of Media Player Classic, with a different interface and many more options.
It is a renewed version of the Media Player Classic which, according to its author, is not only better than MPC, but also faster.
The most significant difference you notice is the more modern user interface.
The navigation bar is quite elegant and houses all the basic commands to pause, play, stop, next, previous, open files, volume, search.
You can also quickly edit audio streams and subtitles via handy buttons.
Just like MPC, the application handles most audio and video formats without a hitch.
In another article I had already listed the best Media Players for Windows including great KMPlayer and GOMPlayer programs, with more attractive graphics and with more additional functions.
Media Player Classic Home Cinema, however, remains the best for lightness and compatibility, so much so that it also prefers VLC which in its latest versions has a little slenderness.
Media Player Classic is also included in the Klite codecs, indicated among the software to see any format of film and video on the PC
