Media Player Classic Editor's Review

Play and broadcast digital video with this cool Windows-based player.

I've got a huge digital movie and TV collection. I have over 500 movies and nearly 100 different TV shows, some with multiple seasons. I've got a LOT of video. Finding the best way to view it all, especially when all of it isn't in my current iTunes Library can be a challenge. This is why tools like MPC-HC or Media Player Classic - Home Cinema are a huge boon. MPC-HC is a Windows based media player than has a lot of options.

 MPC-HC is a light-weight, open source media player that supports nearly every common video and audio file format available. It is 100% spyware free, it isn't ad supported or full of toolbars. When you install it, you get just the app, and no extraneous junk that you weren't counting on.

MPC-HC is customizable. It has a wide array of options, and can be customized to fit almost any need. Its an all around player. If needed, it can also be used as DVB player. DVB is the broadcast standard for satellites in Europe and most of the world, with the exception (of course...) of the US. Its used to watch unencrypted broadcast signals, also known as FTA. Pay satellite services also use DVB but with encryption. Dish Network, for example, uses DVB with NagraVision as its encryption scheme; and its so light and easy on resources that you can run it on just about any PC, even one from the late 1990's.

App Pro’s: Works with Win XP thru Win 8.x, fast and easy to use, 32bit and 64bit support, supports DVB (digital video broadcast)

App Con’s: Does not work on WinRT/Metro

Conclusion: MPC-HC is a decent video player. It offers you a great deal of options without creating a number of resource issues that other players may. Its nearly universally installable on very version of Windows on the market today, except Windows RT. Windows RT can't run a standard desktop app, and unfortunately, MPC-HC doesn't come – and won't according to the app's publisher – in a ModernUI, or Metro, version. However, it will run on Surface Pro or Surface 2 Pro tablets, if that's your desired Windows PC of choice.

Clean, fast and easy to use, Media Player Classic - Home Cinema is a great video player and tool. The app is donationware, so if you don't want to pay, you don't have to, but I'd encourage you to give the publisher something if you like it, otherwise, they may not be able to continue development.