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VLC MEDIA PLAYER FOR WINDOWS 10 CNET UPDATE
Originally introduced in the 8.1 update for Windows 8, the ability to play MKV files natively in Windows is a boon for people with large collections of movies in the space-saving video container format. Be aware that advanced functionality such as Cast To (below) is unavailable in Groove. That means you're getting lossless music - compressed, but without the "lossy" omissions of audio data that perturbs golden-eared listeners of MP3 and AAC files - with the metadata tags that make sorting your music collection possible (artist, title, album, and so forth).Īt half the size ofWindows WAV files (or less) and more openly supported than competing proprietary lossless codecs (Windows Media Audio Lossless, Apple Lossless), the ability to play FLAC files natively in Windows is a true boon for the music-loving consumer.įLAC files now show up in Explorer as the new Windows "G" icon and by default will play in the new Groove player. The sound format of choice for many audiophiles, FLAC - Free Lossless Audio Codec - combines the best of competing file types by offering CD-quality audio with ID3 music file tags.
VLC MEDIA PLAYER FOR WINDOWS 10 CNET PORTABLE
Here's a closer look at the five biggest changes to media playback in Windows 10. A portable version of this application is available: Portable VLC Media Player. Thankfully, there's an easy workaround for the latter (if your PC still even has an optical drive, that is). On the downside, Windows 10 axes Windows Media Center, the TV-friendly interface from Windows 7 and 8, and - more importantly - built-in DVD playback. (We'll explain each below in greater detail.) While power users have been filling in the media playback gaps in past Windows versions with third-party programs like VLC and MediaMonkey for some time, Microsoft has overhauled its built-in media player apps in Windows 10 with more native media playback options, including support for three new file formats: FLAC, MKV and the 4K-supporting HEVC. One of the biggest changes for users is the media file types it now supports, particularly in terms of video. While some of the changes are obvious - hello Start menu, my old friend - some take a little digging. Windows 10 is finally here, and with the most robust and fully featured version of Microsoft's PC operating system to date, it appears the company has finally atoned for its former Windows 8 sins.