For Mac users, iTunes is the undisputed king of media managment and playback. Every new computer comes with it pre-installed, and if you have an iPod, iPhone, or iPad, then you’ll need it for syncing media and backing up your device locally.
There are valid reasons to dislike iTunes though. The rise of Spotify and other similar services have made iTunes less useful or event obsoleteSpotify Your Music Collection: The End Of iTunesSpotify Your Music Collection: The End Of iTunesSpotify is no longer content to just compete with radio, now they're competing with the idea of even owning music.Read More. Another big issue is the lack of ownership in digital mediaThe End of Ownership: Netflix, Spotify, and The Streaming GenerationThe End of Ownership: Netflix, Spotify, and The Streaming GenerationStreaming media is convenient, but you're giving up something important: ownership of digital media.Read More. But perhaps most pressing of all is the fact that iTunes is bloated and slow.
Yes, you can hack iTunes for better usability8 iTunes Hacks For Improved Functionality8 iTunes Hacks For Improved FunctionalityiTunes is a rich and feature-packed music management application, but that doesn't mean there's not room for improvement. Some simple changes and additional features can make the application even better.Read More but it’s not enough for everyone. Unless you’re absolutely tied to the iTunes ecosystem and have no choice but to use it, you may want to consider switching to one of these alternatives.
Tomahawk
Shop for MacBook Pro at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. The best free video player for Mac should be free of ads, virus, malware, spyware. Born with slick and directive interface is the basic feature of the best free video player. Has strong coding ability, any format is supported, Mac users can play any format video including 4K/5K video without any damage.
If you want a modern cross-platform music player that’s feature-complete and smooth as cream, then Tomahawk may be the one for you. We mentioned it as one of the best music players for Linux4 Linux Music Players That Deserve Your Attention Now4 Linux Music Players That Deserve Your Attention NowWhich Linux music player is the best? We compare four excellent music players you may not know about.Read More and that’s certainly true for OS X as well.
Oct 24, 2013 Free or paid dosent matter. I want the best one. I have Bluray and HD 1080 movies which plays best on Windows Media Player but when it comes to Mac it. The best Blu-ray player software can read a variety of discs, not just Blu-ray. Look for one that can also play DVDs, CDs and rewritable discs. It should also be able to handle digital video and audio files such as AVI, MKV, MP4 and MP3. After testing tons of apps, I think I've finally found my favorite music controller for Mac. Hope you all enjoy! Download Simplify: Thumbnail Icon: https://goo.gl/oWsGrm.
The real draw of Tomahawk is that it aims to be an all-in-one solution for all of the various music services available on the web. Why juggle half a dozen different apps and sites when you can consolidate all of them into TomahawkUse Too Many Music Services? Consolidate Your Music With Open-Source Social Player Tomahawk [Cross-Platform]Use Too Many Music Services? Consolidate Your Music With Open-Source Social Player Tomahawk [Cross-Platform]Some users may wonder whether they should stick with music streaming services and ditch downloading songs to their local drives, or simply rely on the streaming options, because let’s face it, music streaming services are..Read More? It’s just easier that way.
Tomahawk supports plugins that let you “plug into” different media networks, including Spotify, YouTube, Google Play Music, Deezer, and even Amazon Music (which is actually better than we expected it to beWhy You Should Give Amazon Prime Music a Second ChanceWhy You Should Give Amazon Prime Music a Second ChanceThere are several reasons why you might want to give Amazon Prime Music a second chance. It certainly deserves much more credit than it's currently getting. Read on to find out why.Read More). Spotify support, for example, lets you sync playlists into Tomahawk.
If you’re going to use Tomahawk, we recommend going with the nightly release because it’s the most up-to-date and has the most cutting-edge features. The downside is that it may be prone to bugs and crashes. If you only need basic functionality, the stable release may be better.
Vox Player [No Longer Available]
A lot of Windows-to-Mac converts tend to ask about any good music players that are similar to Foobar2000. Unfortunately, at this time, no such alternative really exists. Vox Player is probably the closest we’ve got, but more so for its minimalist design than its resource usage.
Indeed, Vox Player can be quite greedy at times with CPU and RAM, sometimes even on par with iTunes! But it’s a nice alternative to tryStop iTunes From Taking Your Media Keys Hostage: Use Vox InsteadStop iTunes From Taking Your Media Keys Hostage: Use Vox InsteadStop iTunes from launching, and use your media keys with a program you don’t hate. Here’s how.Read More because it doesn’t have much feature bloat.
Vox Player comes with all you’d expect in a music player and it’s fast. Not only does it support FLAC playback, but it can also play high-resolution audio files if you’re into that. Music management is clean and straightforward, it has built-in internet radio, and you can also connect it to SoundCloud and Last.FM. There’s a lot to love about it.
One other feature to note: Vox comes with a 14-day trial of Loop, a cloud music storage service. With it, you can easily keep Vox for Mac in sync with Vox for iOS, and music you’ve stored in the cloud can be downloaded to either device for offline playback. Loop usage is optional.
For apps similar to Vox for high-resolution files, take a look at this list of the best hi-res music players for MacThe 5 Best Hi-Res Music Player Apps for MacThe 5 Best Hi-Res Music Player Apps for MacIf you're an audiophile who prefers high-resolution audio, iTunes simply won't cut it. So here are the best hi-res music player apps for Mac.Read More.
Clementine![]()
If you’re looking for a feature-packed but lightweight music player, then you really can’t go wrong with Clementine. This nifty application is all of the power that you need without any of the excess. It gets updated about once a year, which is nice as well.
Music management is probably Clementine’s top selling point. It comes with a cover manager, queue manager, playlist management tools, music format transcoder (with FLAC support), CD ripping tool, and an advanced tag editor for batch editing music files.
Out of the box, Clementine can integrate with about a dozen different internet services, including cloud storage services (Amazon Cloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, to name a few) and music streaming services (Spotify, SoundCloud, Last.FM, Subsonic, plus more).
It’s not the prettiest application, and it’s plainly obvious that it’s based on Qt4, something you’ll recognize if you’ve used Qt4 applications before. You can tweak the appearance a bit, but nothing major so you’re stuck with the clunky default interface. It’s not that bad, but it does leave a lot to be desired.
Nightingale![]()
Do you remember Songbird? It was an open source music player released back in 2006 that drummed up a lot of hype and anticipation due to its potential. It was shut down in 2013, but by then users had already forked the code and created an alternative called Nightingale.
So if you were a fan of Songbird and want something similar, or if you want a lightweight open source music player that still gets updated, then you really ought to give this one a try. It will likely be everything you expect it to be.
Key features include a skinnable interface, advanced library management, gapless playback, replay gain, built-in web browser, and extensions that can add even more features like integration with certain web services. It can also play DRM audio locked by Apple FairPlay and Windows Media.
The one big downside to Nightingale is that development has slowed down since 2014. Yes, it will still work just fine and the important functions are all there, but if you run into any bugs or if you’re looking forward to some other features, fixes will be a long time coming.
Quod Libet
Quod Libet has a funny name — it means “whatever you wish” in Latin — but don’t let that turn you away. This open source music player, which was designd to be cross platform from the get-go, was released back in 2004 and continues to receive regular updates to this day.
Not many people have ever heard of it, which is a shame. It’s a simple piece of software and nothing about it will blow your mind, but it’s intensely practical and easy to use. The simplicity of it makes it the closest antithesis to iTunes currently available on OS X.
And it’s packed with features: supports for all kinds of media formats (including FLAC), smart replay gain, ratings-weighted random playback, Unicode tags, built-in Internet radio, configurable user interface, advanced library management, and so much more.
Which Music Player Do You Use?
I know there are lots of valid reasons to keep using iTunes. I don’t want to say it’s terrible and everyone should switch away, because it isn’t. I still use it to manage my podcasts, so I do realize that iTunes has a role to play even despite the bloat and what not. And if you’re using Apple Music, you have no chance but to use iTunes for playback on your Mac.
But if you deal with a lot of downloaded MP3s and streamed songsThe Pros And Cons Of Streaming vs Downloading MP3sThe Pros And Cons Of Streaming vs Downloading MP3sI've been a long-time user of streaming music services – from Pandora, to the now defunct online music locker Lala.com, and now as a monthly subscriber to Rdio.com. If you have a computer and a..Read More from lots of different locations, maybe one of these alternatives might actually play out better for you. It’s much more convenient than bookmarking several different internet radio sitesWhich Internet Radio Sites Have the Best User Experience in the Browser?Which Internet Radio Sites Have the Best User Experience in the Browser?Exploring the web players for various Internet radio services to see which ones offer the best experience in the browser. What good is a great radio selection if the player is frustrating to use?Read More, for example.
Which music player do you use on OS X and why? What’s wrong with iTunes? We’d love to hear from you in the comments down below! 1tb ssd external drive thunderbolt.
Explore more about: iTunes, Media Player, OS X El Capitan, Streaming Music.
Best DVD Player Software of 2019 - Programs for Windows PCs
We’ve been reviewing the best DVD player software since 2004. In that time, we’ve researched hundreds of products and performed hands-on testing on dozens of applications. After our most recent evaluation, we picked PowerDVD as our top choice. We believe it is the best DVD player software because of its performance in our tests, innate usability and high-quality playback. It uses TrueTheater Color and TrueTheater Sound technology to optimize video and audio for your screen. It can also play Blu-ray discs and disc images (ISO files) you may have stored on your hard drive.
Best Overall
PowerDVD
This program has nearly every tool and feature we look for in the best DVD player software. It enhances and optimizes your DVDs for playback on modern, high-definition displays.
Best Value
WinDVD Pro
WinDVD Pro costs less than half of our top pick’s $60 price and still includes a lot of great features.
Best for Mac
JRiver Media Center
Few of the applications we reviewed work on Mac computers. Of those, JRiver Media Center performed the best in our tests. It’s a great alternative to the native DVD player in macOS.
Best OverallPowerDVD
PowerDVD Standard
PowerDVD Pro
PowerDVD Ultra
Intuitive interface
Highly customizable
No power management tools
PowerDVD is our top pick for several reasons, chief among them its sleek design. The program is beautiful to look at and easy to navigate, and it has powerful organization tools. Additionally, playback is crisp and clear, no matter if you’re watching DVDs, Blu-rays or files from your computer.
Additionally, the software enhances DVD playback to take advantage of high-definition displays using its TrueTheater Color. TrueTheater Color intensifies color and sharpens standard-definition videos so they look good on new high-definition displays. The program also includes TrueTheater Sound technology, which optimizes bass, reverb, volume and amplification.
In our tests, PowerDVD consumed 19 percent of our test machine’s processing power. While this is relatively high, it’s low enough that it didn’t slow down other applications running on our computer. Other programs we reviewed consume as little as 3 percent of our computer’s processing power. PowerDVD is also versatile. It comes with a full array of audio and video settings that allow you to adjust picture values such as brightness, hue and saturation. It also offers convenient screenshot, zooming and looping tools. Best ValueWinDVD Pro
Plays DVDs, Blu-rays and digital media files
Has excellent power management tools
Takes about 22 seconds to start a show after you hit the play button
In terms of raw functionality, WinDVD Pro matches or beats almost every other DVD player application we reviewed. For example, in addition to playing DVDs, it plays Blu-rays and video files stored on your computer. It also comes with several tools found in our top pick, including those for digital zooming, smart stretching, HD upscaling and more.
WinDVD Pro beat our top pick in our processing power tests, only eating up about 8 percent of our test computer’s resources, compared to the 19 percent PowerDVD used. It also rivals our first choice in terms of usability. WinDVD Pro’s interface is easy on the eyes, simple to navigate, and easy to learn and use. However, it’s a big sluggish – it took about 22 seconds from the time we hit the play button until our show began playing.
Unlike our top pick, WinDVD Pro has power management tools, which allow you to customize power consumption to save battery life when you watch shows on your laptop. In addition, you can use the software’s environmental settings to optimize the sound and picture for different viewing spaces such as your living room or home theater. This program provides the most value for your money. If you don’t need the best of the best, WinDVD Pro is worth considering. Best for MacJRiver Media Center
Single OS
Master License
Excellent alternative to the DVD player bundled with macOS
Powerful smart stretching and upscaling technology
Limited support options
May take a while to fully explore all its multimedia features
Although every Mac comes with DVD player software, it’s very plain jane, offering only the very basics. If you need more powerful navigation and organization tools, JRiver Media Center is the application you want. Not only can it play DVDs, but it also plays Blu-ray discs – a feature not found anywhere in macOS. The program also lets you organize, sort and watch any type of digital media on your computer. It’s a great all-in-one solution for your entertainment needs.
This DVD player software scored well in our tests. It only used about 7 percent of our test computer’s resources, which is low enough to run other programs while you watch movies or listen to music without experiencing lag or other performance issues. It has most of the tools found in our top choice as well, including customizable skins, HD upscaling, environmental settings and time stretch functionality. This full toolset makes the program useful and versatile.
However, JRiver Media Center lost points because there is no way to contact the manufacturer directly. Still, you can solve most common problems by consulting the company’s online FAQs, tutorials and user forums. Lightest on System ResourcesZoom Player MAX 10
Zoom Player MAX 10 - One Year
Zoom Player MAX 10 - Lifetime
Takes up very little processing power.
Zoom Player is a good choice for DVD player software if you’re concerned about reserving processing power to run other applications.
During our testing we measured how much CPU usage each program ate up, some took as much as 47% - Zoom Player only takes up 6%. So, you can be certain that you’ll be able to surf the web and run other programs while you watch a movie.
But there are a couple of drawbacks, the biggest of which is that it has a steep learning curve. One that is slightly shocking in a program that should be very simple. Menus weren’t in intuitive places, and the program as a whole was difficult to navigate. And the interface itself could use a facelift, the program looks like a throwback from the early 2000s. Fastest PlaybackAurora Blu-ray Player
Aurora Blu-ray Player - One Year
Only takes 15 seconds to load a DVD movie.
It’s a resource hog, taking up 47% of your processing power.
When we timed how long it takes to start a movie with DVD player software, Aurora Blu-ray Player was the fastest.
It took the program approximately 15 seconds from the play button being pushed to the movie starting on the screen. However, unlike Blu-ray player software we reviewed, there wasn’t much difference between the fastest and the slowest. The program that took the longest to load a movie was only took about 22 seconds – and all the others never cracked 20.
This program also takes up a whopping 47% of your system resources. So, if you plan on doing other things on your computer while you watch your movies, plan on potential slowdowns and drags in performance for both the DVD player and the other applications.
Top Ten Reviews has been testing DVD player software since 2004. Our team of video experts has scoured through each product looking for key tools, features and extras that make your watching experience more enjoyable. They focus on finding software that have easy-to-use interfaces, don’t strain computer processing power, have high-quality audio and video playback, and include customization options.
We also considered what media each program can play besides DVDs. The best ones also play Blu-ray discs and other digital media stored on your computer. In addition, our favorite products come with organizational tools that let you access and play all your media files in one place.
How We Tested
We subjected each DVD player program to a battery of tests to measure its performance, usability and playback quality.
Performance Test
In this test, we evaluated each program based on its capacity to play video without lagging, buffering, or other distortions or delays. We also considered the number of audio and picture optimization settings each application has, as well as how well they work.
For reference, a difference of a few percentage points in the programs’ scores shouldn’t have a big impact on which software you choose. We just felt that applications with higher scores worked slightly better than ones graded a little bit lower.
Usability Test
We designed this test to determine how easy each software is to use, including how intuitive it is, how many important features and settings it has, and how well it performs each task. Great DVD player programs have interfaces that are easy to understand and navigate right off the bat.
Additionally, we tested each application’s customization options and other features, such as modifiable video effects. As we customized playback and used extra features, we judged them based on how easy they are to find and use, as well as how well they work.
CPU Usage Test
We played a test DVD and monitored how much the software strained our computer's CPU. We played the movie without any extra features activated or other programs running. The percentage score we list is the amount of processing power the software used while playing the movie in full screen.
Software that uses a higher percent of your computer’s CPU power may make other programs run slowly if you use them at the same time, or you may hear the computer fan running to keep the processor from overheating. Applications that use fewer system resources are better because you can run other programs while you watch movies, and you don’t have to listen to the high-pitched buzzing of a processor fan.
Key Aspects of DVD Player Software
How Much Does DVD Player Software Cost?
You can expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $100 for DVD player software – which sounds like a lot, because it is. Especially since Windows Media Player comes free with the operating system and plays DVDs rather well. The value comes in what else you can do with it – nevertheless, it’s hard to justify paying $100 for the ability to watch DVDs on your computer.
Performance: High-Quality, Lossless Video & Audio
The best DVD player programs don’t degrade video or audio quality. Many offer Dolby and DTS support, so you get crisp, clean sound, as well as lossless audio, even when you use an HDMI cable or headphones. Top products can also optimize DVD content to take full advantage of new high-definition displays.
Quality software also includes a variety of playback options. For example, these applications let you automatically resume watching right where you left off. They also have smooth playback so you don't waste time waiting for your video to load and buffer.
Options & Settings: Customize & Control
The biggest benefit of using DVD player software over a physical player is you have much more control over quality settings and controls. The applications also have a larger selection of customization features such as player skins and layouts. These extra features can help you organize your content and make the program even more intuitive, which is convenient if you use the software frequently. Furthermore, paid software doesn’t hassle you with nag screens, which pop up when you open the software or at random intervals to ask you to upgrade to a premium version, something that’s common with freeware.
You may want to re-watch a funny section of a comedy flick or zoom in on a specific detail in a mystery thriller, and good DVD player software lets you do so. These programs typically let you customize your video settings, so you can set bookmarks, loop and repeat clips, or even just stretch the video to fit your screen. Some software can also connect with and optimize your home theater's audiovisual setup.
Windows 8 and 10 don’t come with native media players, though their predecessors did, and a good movie player software can fill that void. Some programs are even compatible with the touchscreen interfaces found on select Windows 8 machines.
Most applications can also integrate with your personal video library on your computer's hard drive or an external drive. A few even let you post directly to your favorite social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, so you can share what you're currently watching with a small comment, just like a true movie critic.
Help & Support: Get Information & Upgrade Your Software
With great software comes great technical support, or at least it should. Consider products that offer a way to contact the manufacturer, as well as online documentation that can answer your questions or ease your concerns such as tutorials, a knowledgebase or a FAQs section. Best Player For Mac
One of our favorite support features is a user forum, which some manufacturers include on their websites. Forums let you interact directly and indirectly with other people using the product to ask questions, report issues or just talk over your common bond.
Lastly, whether for Mac OS X or PC, your DVD player software should offer some kind of free upgrade option. Best blushes for medium skin. Most come with free minor upgrades for life and make you pay for major upgrades, though your software will continue to work fine if you choose not to upgrade. Very few manufacturers offer free minor and major lifetime upgrades.
Supported Media Types: Make Sure You Can Watch Your Favorite Videos
While most people use DVD player software to play DVDs, many also enjoy playing their favorite digital video files. Some player software allows you to play DVD-R/RW discs. Only a few play Blu-ray discs, so if your movie collection is predominantly Blu-ray, you may want to consider Blu-ray player software, which typically has more all-encompassing options.
What's the Best DVD Player to Buy?
In the age of ultra-high-definition Blu-ray discs, streaming services and digital downloads, you could be forgiven for thinking DVD is dead. However, this is far from true. Unlike other formats like VHS and Laserdisc, DVD has been able to hold on to some relevance. There are still millions upon millions of DVDs in people’s media collections. Unfortunately, the DVD player you bought in 2000 probably doesn’t work anymore, even if the discs you bought back then do. And watching DVDs on a computer just doesn’t provide the same experience as a TV.
While it makes the most sense to buy a Blu-ray player to watch your old DVDs, it’s not always the best option – especially if you have an old standard definition television. We’ve tested, rated and ranked the best DVD players on the market today. At the end of our analysis, Panasonic DVD-S700 was our top overall choice. This is due to its simple physical layout and quick disc load times as well as some extra features. This player keeps track of where you paused or stopped watching on the last six DVDs it played. So, if you’re switching between movies, you can pick up right where you left off even if you’ve watched other things since then.
Do Windows & Mac Have DVD Player Software?
Every Windows and Mac computer comes with a preloaded media player. For Windows, it’s Media Player. This is a handy tool that’s been packaged with Windows for many years, but it doesn’t play DVDs – you need third-party software to play them.
On the other hand, Mac computers have a native DVD player program, and it launches whenever you insert a playable DVD. However, it is very basic. For example, it's missing features for region changing, digital zooming and HD upscaling as well as organizational tools and more.
Best Free DVD Player Software
There’s really no worthy competition for the free, open source media player VLC. It’s been around for ages and is a go-to program for people who want a free alternative to iTunes and Media Player. VLC looks and runs a lot like iTunes, and it’s easy to navigate and has decent organizational tools. In addition, it works on almost all operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and more.
Best Video Player For MacRelated Product ReviewsComments are closed.
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