MPC HC
Designed with performance in mind, MPC HC is very lightweight media player software that can be used to play all standard audio and video files on Windows devices. The lightweight feature makes it process fast, even on a very old CPU or device. It offers a number of customization options including custom toolbars to fit various playback demands. MPC HC can also be used to play live digital video broadcasting.
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MPC HC Review and Overview
Watching or Streaming videos, accompanied by binge eating, is a trendy hobby for many of us. For most of us, offline media is much more reliable, especially in the case of long journeys. For that, we rely on media players that are capable of running all types of media files with advanced controls too. Many media players also offer online connectivity to watch live shows, podcasts, etc.
Among such media players, free or open-source media players are always reliable and used for. Among them, MPC-HC, aka Media Player Classic-Home Cinema, is one of the renowned and widely used open-source media players. Released in 2003, MPC has been a favored choice for many people, be it pro users, or simple folks. It offers a classic media player UI with a stable update released quite often. Currently, there are two versions of MPC viz., Home Cinema-HC and Black Edition-BE.
MPC-Home Cinema Features
The MPC-HC code is provided in the C++ language. It even supports GPU decoding and can be translated to 42+ languages. Many active developers are contributing to this open-source project, along with using third-party libraries. MPC-HC can run on most modern PCs. It supports all Windows OS. Sadly, there is no support for Linux or macOS at this moment. Many users still want it to be developed for these OSs.
There are many features and corrections in the Home Cinema version of MPC. It has improved video playing capabilities as well as options to video decoding, eliminate tears, DirectX support, enhanced rendering of videos, and many more. For optimal usage, users need to have at least Win-XP sp3 installed. The software is also usable in a portable format.
It supports the majority of audio and video formats, including advanced 4k files. It seemed to work flawlessly in most PCs with good system specs. Comparatively, MPC-Black Edition is another fork that offers a black edition of classic MPC with UI blended to look like a Windows Media Player. It also has some advanced control and lesser bugs.
Overall, MPC offers two great media players in the form of Home Cinema and Black Edition. Even at free cost, it offers greater media player functionalities.
Top MPC HC Features
- Lightweight and open source
- Supports all media formats
- Customizable user interface
- Spyware and ad-free
- Compatible with old computers
- SSE2 CPU support
- Custom toolbars available
- DVB player functionality
- Regular stable updates
- Free to use
- User-friendly controls
- Advanced playback options
- Video scaling capabilities
- Subtitles support
- Playlist management features
- Extensive codec support
- Skinnable interface
- Keyboard shortcut customization
- Video filters and effects
- Community-driven development
