Quintessential Media Player 5.0 Build 121

Overview

Quintessential Media Player is a free player that needs Windows 2000 or above to host it. It is an all-singing all-dancing media player that is highly customizable with different skins and more importantly, you can change the layout and save it. Most audio formats are supported and lots of plugins make this great little audio player a tool that you won’t want to part with. Not only does it allow you to listen to music but you can rip music to other formats too.

Installation

At just 4.29 MB, the Quintessential Media Player takes up very little space on the computer. It downloads in a jiffy onto any of the Windows operating systems. No MAC version is available. Free updates are also provided. You will never have to pay for this and it will soon prove to be an indispensable part of your arsenal.

Interface

The interface is a little ugly (sorry, guys – it’s really isn’t aesthetically appealing) but there are more than 300 skins to choose from which make its presentation a lot better and you can change the layout configuration which is great. The Quintessential Media Player is very straightforward and you don’t need loads of technical knowledge to be able to use or understand it. There are a variety of free plugins available to make it even better and these include language packs so it can be used globally. Of course if you only need the basics then there is no need to put in the plugins, as these will be simply surplus to the requirements.

Pros

Quintessential Media Player is very flexible and with the addition of the various plugins, you can add other functions too. The design can be changed as you can choose a skin from more than 300 choices, which is just as well. It’s easy to organize your music and a track editor will ensure your music is properly indexed. Most audio formats are supported and you can easily change the format of your music with the easy drag and drop facility. The Quintessential Media Player can be moved on your computer screen and placed exactly where you want it. Changing the layout is an absolute bonus and you can save the changes too. This is one program that is light on memory too.

Cons

Everyone wants everything super quick and, as with many programs, many may find this one a bit sluggish or slow to load. Other than that, there’s not much else lacking.

Alternatives

Winamp is a similar alternative but is also renowned for its inflexibility and bug issues which (to be fair) they are trying to fix. In the meantime, as a free alternative, the Quintessential Media Player will do for now. However, if Winamp has its bug issues fixed then I would say that Quintessential Media Player might seem to be only able to play second fiddle.

Conclusion

This wonderful free software will revolutionize the way you play and listen to music. Choosing from a huge variety of skins means you can change the interface just about every day if you want to. All the services are included with the player and you will not be bugged to buy a pro version as this is exactly what it is when you combine it with the available plugins.