What about those codecs?

Plug-ins are good. And that's it.

Ok... We have powerful processors, we have a thirst for multimedia, lots of gigs filled with digital videos and music. We sure have multimedia viewers, media-centers, media-libraries, media-jukeboxes, etc. We sure have lots of codecs, that conflict with each other, that have unknown and not so obvious advantages and edges over each-other. We also have a need for new codecs... But codecs are good. We don't have a good, unified system to manage them (because of the different politics implied in using these codecs), but we have codec packs, and smart media players.

The first videoplayer I used, was in Windows 3.1. It was hard to use but in Windows 95 Windows Media Player stuck it's head out (first as an ActiveMovie player - strongly related with DirectX's DirectShow). Windows Media Player was the first really good/neat Microsoft product in W95. But at version 7, Microsoft did it again! No more old good, fast, tweak-able Media Player, but buggy, fat & slow Windows Media Player 7. And from that point forward the things got only worse.

Windows Media Classic it's a FREE (as in "Open Source") player, with an appearance close to the old Media Player. Even the numbering respects it's predecessor: the current version is named Media Player Classic 6.4.8.5. It's small, fast, single file exe, no installation needed, has tons of features:

• GDI Rendering, Overlay, DirectX 7/9
• HLSL shaders & Bicubic Resizing - with DX rendering only
• Configurable screen resolution & refresh rate for full screen
  
• Subtitles, Access to a "Subtitle Database" - getting & submitting them
• Remoting through WinLIRC & Web, Full configurable keyboard shortcuts
  
• Overriding for codecs - Prefer, Block, Set merit for any listed codec
• Lots of built-in codecs (DTS, AC3, MP4, MPEG1/2 Audio/Video, OGG, AAC, SHOUTCast...)
  
• Support for Flash, QuickTime, RealMedia & M4V (if codecs are present on your computer)
  
• Playlist
• Support for VCDs & DVDs, Video Cameras/Devices
• After Playback - Close, Stand By, Hibernate, ...
• Settings kept either in .ini file or in registry
  

This player is really amazing. I've been using it for some years and is the only player I need and use. Together with QuickTime Alternative, Real Alternative & K-Lite Codec Pack this program is the definitive winner. I've tried VCL, bsPlayer or Red-Light, but MPC always wins for me.

If you have a PS 2.0 compatible video-card (like I do - ATI 9600XT) you should try those shaders:

The original picture

The MPC built in editor (it compiles on the fly/as you type - no compile button there!: just type and it's right there on the screen)

MPC shader example: spotlight

MPC shader example: emboss

MPC shader example: sphere

MPC slightly modified shader example: wave

My own shader: colored spotlight

My own shader: reflect

I've created a number of these shaders like colored spotlight, reflect, different deinterlacers/blur, sharpen, bloom and it's realy cool what you can do with a few lines of code.