The Best Free Video Players for Windows

Free Video Players for Windows

By Kendra D. Mitchell |

In my search for the best free video players for Windows, I found a plethora of options. So I a bit of homework to find the best options for a video player for Windows 10. I didn't include just any video players for Windows I found ones that were free video player for your Windows 10. They all performed well and had notable features and benefits

VLC is an excellent video player for Windows 10. Plays most video files and formats with exception to only files that are encrypted or are corrupted. You can even play 360-degree videos and movies and clips with up to 8K resolution. The player supports plugins to broaden its functionality, add filters to change the look of individual clips. There is an impressive selection of tools and controls so you can tweak playback quality. It allows live internet streaming and receives broadcast content from other local sources like a digital TV receiver. One very convenient feature is its ability to convert video files from one format to another and allows you to save your YouTube videos for offline playback. You can even record your videos. It works with synchronous subtitles so you can watch videos silently. The supported platforms are Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.

Supported File Formats:

• Video Files: Annodex, ASF, AVI, Matroska (MKV), OGM, OGG, 3GP, MPEG, MOV, MP4, Real, WMA, WMV.
• Audio Files: Creative Voice, AC3, AAC, DTS, FLV (Flash), FLAC, MIDI, MXF, Nut, SMF, Standard RawDV.

Pros:

• Open source and free.
• Able to play devices, webcams, CDs and other files.
• Great audio-video filters.
• Subtitle synchronous.
• Plays almost anythings.
• Available for all Windows.

Cons:

• It does not support external filters, MIDI playback.
• The interface hides a lot of these tools.
• There is a significant learning curve if accessing and applying some of the more advanced features.

This player is highly customizable and amazingly lightweight because they use hardware acceleration to improve playback. It loads faster than most other videos, and it uses relatively very few computer resources.

The player plays a few standard video formats and supports local TV receivers, including DVB-T and DVB-S. It supports 3D videos if you have glasses. If you have the VR headset, then it supports 360-degree and up to 8K videos. You can even play some corrupted media files; it's not too sensitive. It does automatically add codecs as needed.

Customizable with various interface skins and a multitude of settings, with hotkeys to allow you quick access to your most-used settings and it Includes screen recorder to capture scenes you want to remember. The supported platforms are Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.

Supported File Formats:

• Video files: CUDA, DXA and QuickSync and 3D with 3D glasses.

Pros:

• Attractive user interface.
• Great audio performance.
• Loads of customization options.
• Has hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts.
• 3D supported features with glasses.
• Free to download an optional upgrade

Cons:

• There is an issue with the aspect ratio.
• Can be a bit tricky to navigate at first.

The Plex media player is also a server that allows you to host media files and stream them to other Plex playback devices. It's excellent at media management and takes care of metadata. The supported platforms are Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.

Supported File Formats:

• Video files: AFS, AVI, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MKV, MWV.
• Audio files: AAC, ALAC, E-AC3, FLAC, MP3, M4A and WAVE.

Pros:

• Wide range of supported formats.
• Many platforms supported.
• Various add-on apps to play media from online sources like YouTube.
• 30-Day free Tidal music playback

Cons:

• Ad-supported movies.
• You will need a high-powered PC if you want to stream high-resolution content.

The Kodi may be the best free video player for Windows, is stated from the Xbox, and is one of the most functional with Third-party add-ons, allowing you to play content from other sources online. It plays pretty much any popular media file, whether music, videos, or live TV streams and Netflix and YouTube. What's nice is you can play your TV and movie catalog over your local network. Kodi is a free video player for Windows 10. The supported platforms are Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.

Supported file formats:

• Audio files: AAC, AIFF, APE, DTS, MIDI, MOD, NSF, WavPack, WMA, etc.
• Video files: MPEG-1/2/4, RealVideo, WMV and etc.

Pros:

• TV interface.
• Supports live sport and other content streaming.
• Free to download.
• Efficient and widely compatibility.
• Media center experience.

Cons:

• Complicated for beginners.
• Tricky to find good content, but definitely not mainstream unless you are viewing Netflix.

This is not just any video players for Windows it's the open-source reincarnation of the original with greatly improved features it is simple, quick and easy to use, it is lightweight and free from unnecessary ads. It is customizable, with interface skins and plugins able to extend functionality to some incredible features that offer all VLC supported features but with a smoother rate and in an interactive manner. It also supports external shaders and filters. The supported platforms are Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.

Supported File Formats:

• Video files: DVD, SVCD, VCD, and MPEG-2.
• Audio files: AC3, DTS, LPCM, MP2, and 3GP.

Pros:

• Works without unnecessary ads.
• Open source and free.
• Supports key commands and shortcuts.
• Portable version available productivity.
• Has customizable skins and toolbar.
• Supports more formats than VLC.
• Better audio performance.
• More responsive than some others.

Cons:

• The development has stalled since 2017, so no new features or fixes are being released.

Summary

There is a long list of others, these five are not just any video players for Windows, these five media players for Windows are not the end but the beginning of your search, I only shortlisted them to help you find the best free video player for Windows 10, and to help you identify the free video player for your Windows 10 is viewing pleasure.

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