With the browser app, videos generally take a couple of seconds to load. For example, a movie saved on a hard drive can be watched through Plex’s browser app or streamed to the Plex app on a tablet. Users can add all the folders and files they want to their Plex library, after which they can stream them to any device capable of running Plex. Plex aims to streamline consumption, bringing together all of your services and devices under a single, unified platform.

If you want to focus solely on music, take a look at these free music players instead. It’s worth noting that DivX is a pretty video-focused player as far as media players go. The Pro version of DivX, available for $20, comes without ads and with a variety of advanced features, including custom encoding settings and the ability to sync videos from cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive. Video filters and audio adjustments are limited, but the software does boast three processing modes and multiple sound enhancements for adjusting fidelity, ambiance, and several other common audio facets found in most media players. This player offers quick options for selecting a viewing size and burning media to discs, with additional options on hand for streaming videos, music, and photos to DLNA-compatible home devices. The robust community of active users and programmers, known collectively as the VideoLAN Organization, is an added plus, along with the diverse network for extensions and available skins for Windows. VLC Media Player is the way to go when looking for a program offering robust file compatibility, versatile playback, and frequent stability updates.

There’s not much VLC can’t handle for casual audio and video playback or conversion. If you are into streaming or downloading video, you’ll love the intuitive video effects for interactive zooming, video capturing, blurring, and mirroring images, among others. Although the default interface is plain, sleek, and stuffed with various playback icons wrapped in a light-gray design, the software also features an assortment of customization options for quickly swapping viewing modes and tweaking the toolbar with additional controls. The free, open-source software is capable of playing just about any media format you can imagine, including internet radio and a large number of both video and audio streaming protocols.

VLC has held the media player crown for years, even before graduating from its beta phase in 2009.

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