Many users, especially beginners, often have the question: “How can I watch video on a computer?” In fact, everything is simple. There are special programs for watching videos called players. Just about this and will be today's material. We will consider some of the most popular and, most importantly, free players that will allow you to view absolutely any video.
Windows Media Player
The first program to watch video on a computer is Windows Media Player (WMP), which is built into every Microsoft operating system. You can find it in the Start menu, at the very end of the list of applications.
The player has a simple and pleasant interface, there are few settings, so it will be quite easy to figure out everything. WMP can play most of the popular video formats, but, unfortunately, not all. For example, for mkv you will need to install additional codecs. The disadvantages are not very convenient controls. You can get used to it, but it will take time.
Media player classic
Another very good video viewer is the free Media Player Classic. Compared with WMP, the functionality of MPC is much greater. The player already has all the necessary codecs in the kit, so there will be no problems with video formats. There is support for subtitles, there are video and audio quality settings. In general, MPC is rich in various settings. You can understand them for a very long time and not everyone will want to do this.
As for the interface, it is extremely simple and straightforward. The controls are convenient, you can use both the mouse and hot keys. MPC is distributed free of charge, anyone can download it from the official site.
Kmplayer
The next program to watch video on a computer is KMPlayer. This player is very well known to many PC users. KMPlayer is distributed under a free license, so you won’t have to pay for it.
According to its capabilities and set of functions, the player very much resembles MPC, only in a more beautiful “package”. The program interface is very simple and straightforward. Any of the users will quickly figure out what's what. KMPlayer plays almost any video format. It already has all the necessary codecs, so you do not need to download and install anything separately.
There is support for subtitles, and you can substitute separate audio tracks for the video. This is very useful when watching movies. For example, a movie has one dubbing, and the user needs another. All you need to do is upload a separate audio track with the desired translation. KMPlayer is an excellent program for viewing video from a camera, watching movies and other videos.
Light alloy
If the previous options did not suit you for some reason, then you should pay attention to this program for watching videos - Light Alloy. This player should be very well known to users of Windows XP, because it was on this version of the OS that it first appeared.
Light Alloy is a completely free video player developed by a group of Russian programmers. It weighs little, has a nice interface and can play almost all the video formats available today. Installation of additional codecs is not required, the player already has everything you need, including its own video engine.
Managing Light Alloy is very simple and convenient. There is support for hot keys. You can also upload subtitles to video and load additional audio tracks. There is even a built-in color grading control and a button for creating screenshots.
Potplayer
The next program on our list to watch video on Windows is PotPlayer. PotPlayer is not at all new to the player market. Previously, the program was known as Daum PotPlayer, but several years ago, the developers decided to slightly change the "name".
Nevertheless, this did not affect the functionality and capabilities. PotPlayer effortlessly plays absolutely any video, regardless of format. During installation, the player downloads the necessary codecs and automatically puts them into the system. This procedure requires an Internet connection to work.
If we talk about the user interface, then it is simple, cute and understandable. Something even reminds some players with Android. There is support for subtitles, loading additional audio tracks, a color balance settings panel, a button for taking screenshots, convenient control with the mouse and keyboard keys, and much more. The player’s settings are actually not as many as it seems, but this is more a plus than a minus.
Gom player
GOM Player is a great video viewer that you can download absolutely free. The player has been around for a long time and is one of the five most popular video players.
Like most of the programs presented here, GOM has its own set of codecs that are put into the system during installation. The player reproduces all video formats in any quality without any problems. It is possible to connect subtitles and additional audio tracks. By the way, in most cases, GOM automatically recognizes the name of the movie and offers to download subtitles for it. There is also an image color correction setting, sound settings, an equalizer with many presets, a button for screenshots and much more.
By cons GOM include advertising, which is present in the free version of the program.
VLC
The latest video and photo viewer on the list today is VLC. By the way, this is the only player through which you can also view images. To do this, of course, is not entirely convenient, but it is still possible.
In addition to pictures, VLC allows you to view any video file, regardless of format and quality. The player has an intuitive and quite convenient interface, control is carried out both with the mouse and with the keyboard. There is subtitle support, you can download audio tracks.
VLC has a lot of settings. There is the opportunity to adjust the color rendering of the image, sharpness, interlacing, perform post-processing of the image, etc. In addition to the video settings, there are audio settings in the form of an equalizer. In general, if you spend some time studying all the VLC settings, you will find a lot of interesting and useful things.
The player is distributed free of charge, and you can download it from the official website of the developer.