PC Tonic

Very often, we come across some alien media format that’s adamantly unsupported by WMP or some other generally-used media player. This forces us to a codec-hunting spree and we often end up with “virus packs” in place of codec packs. There are safe codec packs out there, but won’t it be so much better if a media player could play such files without going through the [sometimes] confusing installation process for codecs? This post lists down the names of some such media players that support a hella of media formats.

VLC Media Player [Windows (All), Linux, Mac OS X]
When it comes to playing the “weird” videos, VLC is easily the most talked about media player. This small, open source, and cross-platform player tackles almost any media format out there and is the first to support new media formats. The interface may be minimalistic, and the navigation options a bit confusing, but VLC had managed to maintain it’s prime among all-in-one media players not without a reason. Home | Features | Download.com | FileHippo

GOM Player [Windows Vista/XP/2000/ME/98]
Another all-caps media player, GOM mauls most other rivals in looks and media support as well. The media support isn’t as extensive as VLC, nor does GOM update as frequently, but it will promptly find a safe codec for the files that it doesn’t support. It’s my pick because of the clean and elegant looks. Home | Download.com | FileHippo

The KMPlayer [Windows Vista/XP/2000]
As the Download.com editor puts it, KM Player demands attention. It’s an extensive media player; but absence of basic help files can make it confusing to handle. KM is a nice pick if you have a good knowledge on what-should-be-where, else stick with some easier-to-use media player. Download.com | FileHippo

Kantaris Media Player [Windows Vista/XP/2000]
Save the weird name, there’s little to fret about Kantaris. This solid media player is based on VLC, and tries (though without much success) to mimic the Windows Media Player looks. Kantaris has all the goodness of VLC, and a bit more sharpening of looks can make it a candy app. In any case, hats off to Christofer Persson, the lone developer of Kantaris and still a computer science student at Lund University, Sweden! Home / Features | Download.com

BSPlayer Free [Windows Vista/XP/2000]
BSPlayer is the smallest of all media players mentioned here. Needless to say, it’s super fast and handles almost any media format pretty well. At just under 3 MB, it’s the best bet if you’re on dial-up. The free version is ad-supported. Home / Features | FileHippo

Miro [Windows Vista/XP/2000, Linux, Mac OS X]
Miro is more popular as an internet TV tool, but it has got an inbuilt video player that supports nearly every media format. Miro will easily be your pick if you download a lot of TV shows, YouTube videos etc. from the net. Home / Features | Download.com | FileHippo

ALShow [Video playback only, Windows 2003/XP/2000/ME/98]
ALShow is a cute-looking and small video player with inbuilt codec support for most video formats. Home

Totem Media Player [Gstreamer / Xine backend, GNOME Linux]
Totem is the default media player of the GNOME desktop manager for Linux distros. Due to proprietary issues, it doesn’t support copyright media formats by default; but it does allow you to download codec supports for a vast majority of these media formats. It’s simple looks and integrated YouTube search make it my favorite player in Ubuntu. Home

Do you know any such media player worthy of being mentioned here? Feel free to drop a comment here and let me know.