BS.Player 2.78 Build 1094

Overview

BS.Player is a popular media player that has been around for quite some time and has developed a considerable following over the years. Each version has introduced new features and in the past it was even included as part of the renowned K-Lite Codec Pack.

Installation

The latest versions of BS.Player run on pretty much all versions of Windows from 98 onwards. Installation itself is a simple affair; however the one area that you'll want to keep an eye out for is the series of options regarding installing the BS.Player Control Bar, setting BS.Player Search as your default search and setting BS.Player Search as your default homepage.

If you'd rather not alter your browser and its settings, it would be a good idea to untick these boxes.

Also as part of the installation, BS.Player will automatically download a list of codecs and check them against the ones present on your computer. It will then recommend codecs that you should download and install to enable the playback of a wider array of media files.

Interface

At first glance the BS.Player interface will undoubtedly appear cluttered and slightly disorganized. Part of the issue is that there is no clear separation between certain elements like the status and file information text in the upper right side.

The other part of the problem is that although the basic functions resemble that of almost every other media player out there, some of the additional features in the interface are not as intuitive and can take time to come to grips with.

Pros

Being a popular media player, it should go without saying that BS.Player is able to play almost every type of media file out there. The previously mentioned codec downloads during installation do help out too.

Another nice feature is that by default BS.Player will automatically search for subtitles when you open a movie file that does not already have subtitles in the same folder.

Apart from that its wide selection of languages as well as its skin and plugin support also do it credit. The same could be said of its inbuilt access to internet radio stations.

Cons

If anything, the drawback to BS.Player is in terms of user-friendliness where its less-than-intuitive interface is a definite drawback. Although that can be helped by using alternate skins, it still is a bit of a stumbling block for first-time users.

Alternatives

Needless to say there are many media players out there that are extremely popular such as VLC Media Player, Media Player Classic, and iTunes. All are fairly similar in terms of capabilities, though BS.Player does have some features that make it stand out such as its automatic subtitle search and, internet radio list.

Conclusion

With so many options on the media player front, most people will find that it boils down to a question of preference. One thing is certain though: Despite leaving a little to be desired in terms of user-friendliness, BS.Player is still a very capable media player that has a lot to offer its users.