Looking for a some great, free media players for your PC that will play all the different formats out there, convert with ease, and are robust enough to cover practically all the bases? We’ve put together a small list of what we feel are the best of the best, completely free, lite (place no heavy processing demands on your computer) and are really ace software. All of these can be currently found in the ‘Computer Stuff’ directory on Kiwibeak.com.

Audio

1. Quintessential Media Player 5.0 [downloads] /Classic Player 4.51 [on Tucows]

The original Quinessential Player and version 4.51 (QCD) have been a long-time favorites for music/mp3 aficianados who demand a simple and straightforward music player for Windows. Somewhat recently, Quinnware (qmp) introduced their Quintessential Media Player which looks to be more focused on skins, managing a media library, but also the ability to handle most audio formats (either by default or through an extensive plug-in library). Also present is the new ability to play basic video files.

For those who just want a really, really simple & easy music player and converter, most will probably prefer the classic player, version 4.51. You still have to install plug-ins for converting to mp3 or FLAC formats, but it’s painless (through quick-n-easy executables. This classic player version has by default a somewhat ‘techie/sci-fi’ skin, but it just works and displays well. Through using the right-click context menu, you can very quickly access and set preferences (from the top-left menu drop-down button) or, by right-clicking on a track, convert between formats in a breeze. Still comes highly-recommended as the best. You can still grab a free copy off of Tucows here. For the main Quinnware website, click here. Also currently available on the Quinnware site is their very first original player version from 1998 (not sure if this is the same as the stellar QCD 4.51).

Video

There are 3 essential video players for serious videoheads out there, all with what we see as one big advantage over each other:

1. GOM Player [homepage] *All-around, except DVD

GOM Player rocks. It’s just a very nice, lite yet robust player with a pleasant design that handles the practically any format of encoded video. You can access a diverse list of preferences covering practically every possible setting for audio, video, subtitling, screen capture, playlist, playback, aspect ratio, and more. Cons: DVD menu playback is often troublesome and encoding compatibility is not 100%. You’ll want to have one or both of the following players in your arsenal.

2. KMPlayer 2.9.4.1434 [download on softonic] [Korean site] *DVD

A recent discovery when DVD menu issues started occurring with GOM Player. This Korean media player has a slick look to it, but most importantly is lite and plays DVD, menus and all, perfectly fine—fast and easy.

3. VLC Media Player [download] *Troublesome or rare formats
The cross-platform open-source multimedia framework, player and server. Simply, this player will play anything and everything. Although, perhaps, not as lite and not nearly as many features, as say, GOM Player. For troublesome or corrupted files, this is the best bet.

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Comments, Opinions? Know of any other great media players that you think are great? Please share in the comments section…

Tags: audio, free, media players, PC, video.