SMPlayer 14.3.0

Overview

Whilst SMPlayer is not as well known as other multimedia players in its category, and it is still in the beta development state, the ingenious features that it brings to the scene recommend it as an application with a bright future. The developers have paid special attention to the details regarding the subtitle rendering, and consequentially, SMPlayer is compatible with the majority of available file formats. Moreover, the subtitle manager of the SMPlayer is very versatile and it enables access to a wide variety of font colors and sizes. Let us examine the rest of the features that recommend SMPlayer as one of the best tools for rendering multimedia files.

Installation

SMPlayer is compatible with all the Windows operating systems, from Windows 98 to Windows 7. The application is lightweight and the latest version takes up around to 14.9 MB. However, although it is small, it does not need to make use of any type of codec in order to render the multimedia files. In this sense, it is very similar to Mplayer. Since it is still under development, the installation process will first pop up a window in which the developer asks users to report any bugs with the application. Furthermore, you are prompted to choose the language, destination and components to be installed. It is advisable that you choose the entire array of components, apart from the language pack, which is not really mandatory for the functioning.

Interface

Although SMPlayer runs on the basic engine of the well-known MPlayer, one of the advantages it has over it is the nicely crafted, sleek interface. The options menu is located in the upper part and underneath it you can find the shortcuts for the most commonly used features of the SMPlayer, such as opening files, playing DVDs, switching between compact and full screen mode, displaying the playlist, and so on. One of the things that you will appreciate most about it is that it has a special action button that allows you to capture screenshots from the media file you are playing. The lower section of the application has pretty much the same purpose as any player; providing control over the playback, a track bar displaying the progress of the playback, and controls over the sound volume. Although a bit redundant, there is a secondary full screen button located here as well. 

Pros

With so many players to compete with, SMPlayer relies on the little things in order to make a good impression. The most noticeable advantage this player has is that, in essence, it is an MPlayer with an attractive visual interface. This means that it can play all media file formats without external codecs, but users do not have to sacrifice the interface in the process. Moreover, another ingenious feature is that it tracks the media files you have played and remembers the settings and progress for the next session as well. Consequentially, even if you are forced to close the movie you were watching, the next time you play it in SMPlayer it will pick up exactly where you left off. In addition, the player provides complete control over the media rendering speed and fixes the potential delay between the audio and the subtitles. And that is not all: with the Karaoke filter, you will be able to get rid of the voices completely and therefore, add your very own dubbing to the media file. If you consider that it can do all this and it is still a free and lightweight application, you simply cannot pass upon giving it a shot.

Cons

For one thing, SMPlayer is still in the beta version, meaning that not all the bugs have been weeded out yet. Although it looks very promising, those of us who are easily aggravated with minor details should probably wait for the release of the 1.0 version before trying it out.

Alternatives

The obvious alternative to SMPlayer for those who want a codec-free player resides in MPlayer, KMPlayer or VLC. On the other hand, if you already have a codec bundle installed, you can always use Media Player Classic.  

Conclusion

Overall, the SMPlayer beta version looks extremely promising as it shows a surprisingly low amount of bugs and comes with fully functional features worthy of the most popular players out there.