Most Valuable Players
Watching video accompanied by audio on your computer might sound like an expensive investment in hardware and software upgrades. But in reality three widely popular media player programs are available for free or, if you want additional features, for a small price. All three programs provide quality video and audio reproduction. The key is to select one or more with the features that best meet your needs and preferences.
QuickTime
QuickTime is the media player pioneer; Apple Computer debuted QuickTime in 1991. The newest, just-released version is QuickTime 7. Its predecessor, QuickTime 6, has been downloaded more than 350 million times, according to Apple. It’s not surprising that QuickTime is the media player standard for Macintosh computers, but you may be surprised that 98 percent of these downloads have been by Windows operating system users.
Because of QuickTime’s massive distribution, creators of online media make sure their files are supported by QuickTime software. Video file formats supported by QuickTime that you’ll come across frequently include MOV, MPEG, Flash, and AVI. QuickTime supports viewing graphics files created in the BMP, GIF, JPEG, Photoshop (PSD), PNG, and TIFF formats among others.
QuickTime’s features are basic compared to many other media players but it’s a must-have because it can play most video files and display most image files.
The pay-version of QuickTime, QuickTime 7 Pro, adds a few features including capabilities to save files from the Internet, play video in full-screen mode, and convert MOV files (the QuickTime file format) into AVI files, which is a more universal file format. The Pro version also lets you create and share QuickTime-format videos and photos.
Free download:
www.apple.com/quicktime
What you need it for:
Viewing video and images on the Web.
Pay-version download ($29.99):
www.apple.com/quicktime/pro
What you need it for:
Greater viewing capabilities and the ability to create QuickTime videos and images.
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player 10 is bundled for free by Microsoft in its Windows XP operating system. Version 10 is considered a quantum leap improvement over early versions of Media Player, which were first bundled in 1998 with Windows 98.
The key advantages of Windows Media Player are features that go beyond its high-quality playback of audio and video. The player allows users to copy music files to a CD (called “burning”), copy an audio track from a CD to a different storage medium (called “ripping”), and synchronize media files stored in the player with a portable device, such as an MP3 player.
The player’s integrated browser makes it easy to peruse its searchable indexes of multimedia content and shop for music at several online music stores. The player’s library feature lets you easily store and catalogue your downloaded multimedia goodies.
Free download:
www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia
What you need it for:
Building a multimedia library.
RealPlayer
Since its introduction in 1995, Real Networks’ RealPlayer has evolved into a free, versatile media player that supports nearly every audio and video file format available, including DVD files.
The latest version, RealPlayer 10, offers multimedia capabilities very similar to Windows Media Player: high-quality video and audio playback; burning, ripping, and synchronization capabilities; a storage and cataloguing library; and online shopping for music.
RealPlayer Plus, the pay-version of RealPlayer 10, is designed for users needing advanced audio recording
features, such as a 10-band equalizer. Content subscriptions are also available from the Real Network website, including SuperPass, which provides access to news, entertainment and sports programs, online radio stations, music downloads, and games for $12.99 a month.
Free download:
www.real.com
What you need it for:
Building a multimedia library.
Pay-version download ($19.99):
www.real.com/playerplus
What you need it for:
Advanced audio editing to create studio-quality recordings.