Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MPV VS Windows Media Player

Compare MPV VS Windows Media Player and see what are their differences

MPV logo MPV

MPV is an audio and movie player based on MPlayer and mplayer2. A free, open source, and cross-platform media player.

Windows Media Player logo Windows Media Player

Get information about Windows Media Player and other Windows Media technologies.
  • MPV Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14
  • Windows Media Player Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-13

MPV features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    MPV is available on multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions, making it versatile for users across different platforms.
  • High Customizability
    MPV offers extensive customization options through its configuration files, allowing users to tailor the player to their specific needs and preferences.
  • High-Quality Video Playback
    MPV supports a wide array of video codecs and formats out-of-the-box, providing high-quality playback and smooth performance.
  • Minimalistic Interface
    MPV features a clean and simple interface that focuses on the video content without unnecessary distractions, appealing to users who prefer a minimalist design.
  • Active Open-Source Community
    As an open-source project, MPV is continuously improved by a dedicated community, which contributes regular updates, new features, and bug fixes.

Possible disadvantages of MPV

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users might find MPV challenging to use initially, especially due to its reliance on command-line configurations and lack of a graphical user interface for settings.
  • Limited Built-In GUI
    MPV lacks a comprehensive built-in graphical user interface, which might be inconvenient for users who prefer GUI-based interaction for functionality like playlist management or detailed settings.
  • Dependency on External Scripts
    Some advanced functionalities require the use of external scripts and add-ons, which can be cumbersome to find, install, and configure.
  • Lack of Integrated Streaming Services
    MPV does not natively support integration with popular streaming services, requiring additional steps or tools for users who want to stream content directly within the player.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Being an actively developed open-source project, MPV can sometimes experience stability issues or bugs in new releases, impacting the user experience.

Windows Media Player features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Windows Media Player is known for its simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for users to navigate and manage their media libraries.
  • Integration with Windows
    As a built-in application in Windows operating systems, it offers seamless integration and compatibility with other Windows features and services.
  • Wide Format Support
    The player supports a wide range of audio and video formats, ensuring that most media files can be played without the need for additional codecs.
  • Library Management
    It provides robust library management features, allowing users to organize, categorize, and tag their media files easily.
  • CD Burning and Ripping
    Windows Media Player includes built-in features for burning CDs and ripping tracks from CDs, making it convenient for users to manage physical media.

Possible disadvantages of Windows Media Player

  • Limited Format Support for Some Files
    Although it supports many formats, there are some less common or newer formats that it does not support natively without additional plugins.
  • No Longer Actively Developed
    Microsoft has shifted focus away from Windows Media Player to newer applications like Groove Music and the Movies & TV app, which means fewer updates and new features.
  • Resource Intensive
    On older systems, Windows Media Player can be resource intensive, potentially slowing down other processes and applications.
  • Basic Feature Set
    Compared to other modern media players, Windows Media Player lacks advanced features such as extensive customization, visualization plugins, and streaming capabilities.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Support
    Windows Media Player is primarily designed for Windows operating systems and does not offer support for other platforms such as macOS or Linux.

Analysis of MPV

Overall verdict

  • Yes, MPV is considered a good media player for both casual and advanced users who appreciate flexibility and performance.

Why this product is good

  • MPV is a versatile and open-source media player known for its high performance, wide range of supported formats, and minimalistic design. It offers features such as hardware acceleration, high-quality video output, and scripting capabilities, making it popular among power users and developers.

Recommended for

  • Users who need a lightweight and efficient media player
  • Advanced users who want extensive customization and scripting options
  • Developers looking for a media player with robust API support
  • Linux users and those who prefer open-source software

MPV videos

Best MPVs: Our top 5

More videos:

  • Review - Mazda5 MPV review - CarBuyer
  • Demo - MPV - A Lightweight Powerful Video Player for Linux
  • Review - What Car? reviews seven-seat MPVs - Vauxhall Zafira Tourer, Seat Alhambra & Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

Windows Media Player videos

Windows Media Player Review

More videos:

  • Review - Best Alternative to Windows Media Player
  • Review - Windows Media Player 7 review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MPV and Windows Media Player)
Audio Player
65 65%
35% 35
Media Player
61 61%
39% 39
Video Player
100 100%
0% 0
Music Player
57 57%
43% 43

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MPV and Windows Media Player

MPV Reviews

Best VLC Alternative Media Players
MPV is a highly acclaimed alternative to VLC media player that pretty much follows what VLC has started. It is free, open-source, cross-platform, and provides endless customization. It has a huge but still rapidly growing community and better shading and high-quality video rendering.
20 BEST Video Player | Media Players for Windows 10 PC (2021)
MPV is a media player tool. It is a free and open-source application released under GNU (General Public License). This tool supports MPV and MPEG-2 video formats.
Source: www.guru99.com
15 Best Media Players For Mac and Windows (2021 Edition)
MPV is an open source software that comes with streamlined CLI options. It supports video scaling with famous high quality algorithms, frame timing, HDR, interpolation and color management to give you the best experience.
Source: www.rankred.com

Windows Media Player Reviews

Best VLC Alternative Media Players
This Windows media player allows users to move to the next and previous frame. If you wish to scrutinize some details on your video you can literally watch it frame by frame. This is also possible with VLC, but it does not support moving to the previous frame, just the next one.
The Best Top 5 Free Alternatives to Windows Media Player
Compared with some other free media players, obviously, Windows Media Player has seen better days. Now, there are many other free media players that have so many brilliant features to meet peoples' demands. So if you are tired of Windows Media Player, why not give other media players a run? In the following article, we will introduce to you the top 5 best alternatives to...
12 best free MPC-HC Alternatives in 2020
Gather and share the best music with friends and family using Windows Media Player to copy and distribute the content.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MPV seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 231 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MPV mentions (231)

  • Show HN: Chawan TUI web browser 0.2.0
    Mpv: https://mpv.io/ Fbida sometimes need the -d option pointing to /dev/drm/something, when using screen or tmux. MPV required for years -vo=drm on the TTY but since some months it always works. Nice improvement :). - Source: Hacker News / 2 days ago
  • How I Built a TUI Without Leaving the Terminal
    The biggest challenge I faced was getting some sort of way to play music. So I picked the easiest route—I directly implemented it with mpv and I channeled logs of mpv (which had timestamps, which I needed) to a log file under the .sparklines folder, and managed it with a socket (a two-way communication endpoint to handle the custom commands). With the power of NodeJS, I made it work out and somehow it turned out a... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Lua scripting in mpv video player
    I checked it and the mpv-cut script turned out to be a Lua script that lets you cut a video fragment directly while watching it in the mpv player. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Qubes OS: A reasonably secure operating system
    Mpv is a free (as in freedom) media player for the command line. It supports a wide variety of media file formats, audio and video codecs, and subtitle types.[0] https://mpv.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Firefox slow to load YouTube? Just another front in Google's war on ad blockers
    Https://mpv.io/ has yt-dlp support, if yt-dlp is installed you just need to throw the URL at it and it plays the video (without download). - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

Windows Media Player mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Windows Media Player yet. Tracking of Windows Media Player recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MPV and Windows Media Player, you can also consider the following products

VLC Media Player - VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework.

PotPlayer - Potplayer is a minimalist media player that has an extensive range of configurable options to...

AIMP - AIMP : Free Audio Player : Официальный сайт программы

MPC-HC - MPC-HC, the free, open source media player for Windows. DownloadsNote. Supported Operating Systems: Windows® XP SP3 .

Winamp - Winamp is a media player that allows users to play multiple-file formats, arrange media in a varied file-management system, and play unique media with AAC encoding.

MPC-BE - MPC-BE is a free and open source audio and video player for Windows.