You’ll have problems playing newer media formats like MKV in Windows Media Player, however. Using Windows Media Player 12 on Windows 10 probably isn’t the best option, but it will allow you to quickly play some common media files. Both services allow you to import your own music collection into their apps, while also giving you access to music from other artists and musicians that you may already own. The world has moved on, so for music lovers, you may be looking for a music streaming service like Spotify or Apple Music instead. Both Kodi and Plex can be used for media playback, but if you’re looking for a great media server, Plex is what you’ll need, as it allows you to share your favorite movies and TV content to multiple devices across your network. If you’re looking for a VLC alternative, then you may prefer to give Plex or Kodi a try. It plays pretty much every type of media file, and you can even use VLC to manage music playlists or use VLC with Chromecast to play media content on a TV remotely.

Plenty of free media players for Windows exist, but the best option for most users is likely to be VLC.Īs third-party media players go, VLC is the ultimate option for most Windows and Mac users. Rather than using a 10+ year old media player, there are better, more modern alternatives to Windows Media Player available for Windows users. This problem can only really be fixed by switching to an alternative media player instead.

One problem with both apps, for instance, is a lack of the overall file format support you’ll see from third-party alternatives. These may be ideal replacements for Windows Media Player, or they may be lacking in the features you’d expect. By splitting Media Player’s features into two apps, however, Microsoft is trying to offer more distinctive features than the original Media Player for each intended purpose.

There’s no denying, however, that Movies & TV and Groove Music don’t have the same brand recognition that Microsoft had with Windows Media Player. If you decide to rent content through the PC app, you’ll also be able to access it on an Xbox, should you wish too. In that respect, Movies & TV is designed as a competitor for other big media rental apps such as Google Play or Amazon Prime Video.

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