

Today, there are two versions of MPC for users to choose from.

However, others have taken up where the original project left off. The original MPC program developer has not released any updated code since 2006. One nagging issue for many users has been adjusting the brightness in Media Player Classic. Media Player Classic was simply a continuation of the original Windows Media Player 6.4 version but with updates to keep it able to play newer video formats.Īlthough there are numerous light-weight media players on the market today, Media Player Classic continues to have a large following, owing mainly to the fact that it just plain works for playing media, even if it doesn’t do much else. In addition, Microsoft included many of its own proprietary versions of tools and translators which interfered with the proper playing of many videos. These additional features not only increased the size of the program, but increased start-up time, and decreased performance. One of the best media players around, easy to use for novices, but with the power and flexibility that experts need.Media Player Classic, or MPC, was created in response to the release of versions of Windows Media Player that contained an increasing number of features and video tools. Creating a contact sheet of frames taken from a video normally required a separate application, but MPC-HC can do it in a click or two (File > Save Thumbnails).īut despite all the functionality, MPC-HC is very lightweight, runs happily on otherwise underpowered PCs, and has plenty of optimisations to improve performance even further, if you need it. There are some handy extras scattered around the menus, too. MPC-HC doesn't just have an "always on top" setting to keep its window above everything else, for instance - you can enable this only when you're playing video, so the window is visible when you need it, but can be safely hidden when you don't. Video experts in particular will love the complete control they get over filters, shaders, renderers, and every other aspect of playback. The interface can be customised, keyboard shortcuts remapped, file associations set or cleared, playback defaults defined, and a host of small features enabled or disabled. The program opens just about any audio or video format, along with CDs, DVDs or DVDs, and standard playback controls ensure you'll feel at home right away. MPC-HC is an open source media player for Windows.
