The VLC media player is available for Windows, macOS X, Unix-like systems such as Linux or BSD, BeOS, and Haiku. It can also be used as a streaming server that duplicates the stream it reads on the fly or transcodes multimedia files and streams (e.g., converting an original video’s format). And just like the Windows Media Player, VLC supports both audio and video file formats. It is able to stream over computer networks. The VLC media player is published under the GNU General Public License version. The French government funded its development from 1996 to 2000 with $45,000. It was written originally by François-Étienne Mérineau in France in 1996 for a French Minitel online service called Canal Plus. VLC Media Player is a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player that plays most multimedia files as well as discs, devices, and network streaming protocols. Best Windows Media Player Alternatives 1. This article will cover 12 different alternatives to Windows Media Player that you should consider as an alternative or in addition to your current player. For one, It hasn’t been updated since Windows 7.Īnother major weakness is that it is limited to which portable device it can sync to which is a dealbreaker to multiple device owners. However, there are many other great options out there that offer some advantages over WMP.Īs good as the Windows app is, it has certain limitations. It plays a wide variety of media formats and it integrates with other Microsoft programs like OneDrive. This program has been around for many years and was created by Microsoft.

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