Winamp is definitely the most popular' media player. This great application is able to run a wide variety of audio formats and also several video files. The latest version of Winamp has included support for flash videos. Unlike other audio file players Winamp will certainly not need a powerful system in order to run properly. Like the previous versions this one uses the same Bento skin but in a much improved version. The skin is compact and well organized.
This top notch application includes great features such as video, podcasts, Internet radio and services, CD ripper, browser and many others. Although Winamp can very easily run all kind of video files this is a application which is used mainly for audio playback. There is a wide list of options to make this a very enjoyable experience. There is a visualizer, playlist and video. There is also a basic equalizer which is very useful in tweaking the sound.
If you want to set up Winamp in various ways you have available the preference menu. This contains numerous settings which can be adjusted in the best way you want. Settings like multiple instances, file associations, system tray icon, context menu entries, advanced skin options are certainly very useful when you want to find the best set up for this multimedia application.
The installation process lasts a short amount of time. The setup file has less then 9 MB and there is no need to worry about malware or adware when you decide to install the program.
The best thing about Winamp is that you have the possibility to use this application completely for free. However if you want unrestricted CD ripping, mp3 encoding, and mpeg 4 video support then you will have to get the pro version which costs $19.95.
The best think about this program is that because there are thousands of skins, plugins and visualizations available it can be customized in numerous ways. The player supports more than 60 file formats and it also includes auto tagger and iTunes library import.
Good:
- light on system resources
- plays a wide variety of video and audio files
- tons of plugins and skins available
- good looking default interface
Bad:
- as a media player does not handle very well HD content
- Rip only in the Pro version
