The KMPlayer 2.9.4.1434

Despite lacking a Help file, KMPlayer is one of the most powerful freeware video players we've seen. It includes a vast array of video- and audio-capturing options, as well as skins, a plethora of playback controls and tweaks, and broad DVD support.

You'll have to learn the ropes yourself, perhaps a hindrance to newcomers. But if you're familiar with where things ought to be in programs, and willing to patiently wait for mouse-over labels to pop up and then click on them for the actual menus, KMPlayer has the potential to be immensely rewarding. It supports all major file formats, and all of the minor and obscure ones we tested. It did have problems with the RealPlayer 11's video capture IVR format, but not much else.

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VideoSpirit Pro 1.33

VideoSpirit Pro is the most easily used Video Converter/Editor tools. For acting as a Video Editor, various slide effect/title/subtitle can be added to a video clip. Also, the video clip can be rotated, resized and warped. Multiple video/audio clips can be joined together. Converting speed is fast and the quality of output file is excellent.
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3GP Player 2009 1.1

3GP Player 2009 is a free and easy to use 3gp player for your PC. Play all of your 3GP videos on your Pc, the software supports 3GP, 3G2 MP4, MPEG, MOV, AVI, WMV, RM. 3GP Player supports most of the video and audio codecs on the market.

Version 1.1 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

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Media Player Codec Pack 3.7

The Media Player Codec Pack is a simple to install package of codecs/filters/splitters used for playing back music and movie files. After installation you will be able to play 99.9% of files through your media player, along with XCD's, VCD's, SVCD's and DVD's. Also included in the package are a number of encoder codec's, allowing you to encode files in formats such as DivX. XviD, x264 and many more in your favourite encoding application. Compression types supported include DivX, XviD, x264, h.264 and many more in AVI, MKV, OGM, MP4 files. Video file types supported include 3GPP, AVI, MKV, OGM, MP4, MPG, MPEG, VOB, DAT, FLV, PS, TS, NUV. Audio file types supported include AC3, DTS, AAC, APE, FLAC, TTA, WV, OGG, Vorbis, MO3, IT, XM, S3M, MTM, MOD, UMX. Please Note: Formats such as iTunes, RealMedia and some heavily protected DVD's may require a specific player.
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CyberLink PowerDVD 9.1719a

PowerDVD 9 is simply the best video playback software for enjoying HD and Blu-ray movies. PowerDVD allows you to enjoy and remix movies as well as to store and organize your movie information. Get the widest selection of useful video formats including HD formats like AVCHD, AVCREC, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264), MPEG-2 HD and WMV-HD. Transfer 8 channels of audio via HDMI 1.3 support. Also included is support for the popular Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio formats. With TrueTheater, you have a set of digital tools at your disposal for upping the quality of DVD video playback for HD viewing, all smoothly and with splendid visual results. Flip through box shots of your movie collection titles while viewing highlights from movies with the Fancy View user interface. PowerDVD has all the features and style that will please even the most demanding movie fan.
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DivX 7 for Windows 7.2

DivX 7 for Windows is a free software download that provides everything you need to watch digital videos on your computer. In addition to playback of any DivX video, DivX 7 for Windows enables you to watch H.264 (.mkv) files, the new standard for true HD digital video. The DivX 7 for Windows download includes: DivX Player to watch HD videos on your PC; DivX Community Codec and Filters to watch HD videos in your favorite software media player; DivX Web Player to watch DivX videos in your web browser; DivX Converter (15-day trial) to convert to DivX video in one easy step; DivX Pro Codec (15-day trial) to create DivX videos in your favorite video editing applications. Users may purchase DivX Pro 7 for Windows ($19.99 USD) to receive unlimited use of the DivX Converter and DivX Pro Codec. DivX playback is always free.
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FLV Player 2.0.25

Most people don't need anything more than a Web browser and a Macromedia plug-in to watch Flash videos. However, if you want a hair's breadth more control over your viewing, this open-source freeware program will do the trick.

FLV Player's exceedingly simple controls allow you to navigate backward and forward through videos and play them in a loop. You can also adjust the volume, mute it, and adjust the size of the player. The Settings menu provides some basic control over program behavior, such as opening a new player window when double-clicking on an FLV file and remembering previous settings. And that's about it.

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VLC Media Player 1.0.1

VLC Media Player is a long-time open-source favorite, and the latest version is also the first to be out of beta development. It's not the only option for free video playback, but it's one of the best, and the feature updates in version 1 make it well worth the upgrade.

Users can now get frame-by-frame advancement, granular speed controls allowing for on-the-fly slower or faster playback, and live recording of streaming video. The toolbars are fully customizable, so you can have only the buttons you need in the interface, there's AirTunes streaming, and there's better integration in Gtk environments. Along with the improvements, VLC continues to offer robust support for a wide range of video and audio formats, including OGG, MP2, MP3, MP4, DivX, HD codecs like AES3, Raw Dirac, and even support for playing back zipped files.
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FreeZ Online TV 1.20

While we love the idea of free TV (who doesn't?), it never seems to be quite what we hoped. FreeZ Online TV is no exception. The channel selection is unimpressive and user guidance is nonexistent.

The most confusing things about the program are the links that appear on the initial screen when the program is opened. We mistakenly believed they might provide more guidance for the program but instead directed us to two different sites promising free online TV. Both require additional downloads, and weren't related to FreeZ Online TV.

That said, once we explored those two false leads, the program itself proved fairly easy to operate, although disappointing in its outcomes. A standard viewing screen sits next to a file tree with 16 main categories, including News, Entertainment, and Weather. Within each category are at least a half dozen channel choices, but many are not in English. Simply click one and it begins playing. The typical media controls to stop, start, pause, etc., become visible at the bottom of the screen as the content buffers. What you won't find are any guides to the channels, which seem randomly selected from various countries around the world. All you get are the call letters (like WSTV) or largely unrecognizable names like NOS Journaal. We also found that many of the listed channels didn't play at all. There are no user settings, so you can't delete or add your own channels, and no Help file or other user guidance is available.

During installation, a box is pre-checked that will add the FreeZ Online TV Toolbar, so be sure to uncheck this if you don't want this little extra. Or, better yet, skip the download altogether and avoid not only the toolbar but this unimpressive program as well

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Free YouTube to MP3 Converter 3.2.1.59

The minor quibbles we have with Free YouTube to MP3 Converter have nothing to do with its functionality. This effective freeware is ready to go right out of the box, but can be easily customized by the user.

No effort has been made to dress up the program's utilitarian interface, which consists of seven large buttons, a few fields, and a drop-down menu. A plain text box advises users to paste URLs in the field, and this is all the onscreen guidance you'll need. Once you see the video title in the field, you click Download and the program goes to work. The process wasn't lightening quick, but considering the size of some of our test files, it wasn't bad. Converted files played without a hitch.

The beauty of this converter lies in its simple set up. By default, converted files are saved into the program's folder in My Documents, and they retain the name of the source video. The files are saved as MP3s, normal quality. These settings are easily changed, though, with quick-access buttons and a drop-down menu. The most work a user might have to do is fill out the fields in the optional Tags fields for artist, title, track, and other information.

Sadly, the program doesn't integrate with your browser, but you can opt to have it automatically pick up URLs from the clipboard, which eliminates one step from the cutting and pasting process. It also installs the Ask.com Toolbar and resets your home page to the Ask.com Web site by default, so if you don't want these extras, you'll have to uncheck some boxes during the installation process. These inconveniences are offset by the fact that this program is not only effective, it also costs nothing to use. We highly recommend Free YouTube to MP3 Converter for any user

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GOM Media Player 2.1.18.4762

As various media players jockey for position to become your default setting for music and video streams, GOM Media Player's support for a wide range of file formats has helped it stand out as a firm favorite.

Supported formats include DAT, MPEG, DivX, XviD, WMV, ASF, AVI, and MOV, as are common codecs like FLV1, AC3, OGG, MP4, and H263. A pop-out playlist can save and organize your various media files, though the limited sort modes--two--hardly makes it a champ.

More impressive are the customizable settings on the control panel. Here you can adjust a video's image brightness, hue, and saturation. There's no preview window, and changes occur as the video runs, so unless you care for a rousing session of trial and error, be sure to tweak the settings after clicking "play." There's also a built-in screen-capture feature that includes zooming and panning, customizable themes, hot keys, and a host of preset and adjustable audio controls.

GOM is weakest when you're looking for help documentation and trying to tweak Save settings, but overall it's a very strong player worth at least a supporting role in your video-watching habits, if not the lead.

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