I do not keep in mind the primary time I ever used VLC. It has simply been the usual for years and is without doubt one of the few apps that I set up on each PC. It is most likely the one app I do not keep in mind troubleshooting or second-guessing. The rule has been easy: so long as a file exists, VLC performs it.
It was solely once I began watching extra 4K movies that I observed cracks on this “flawless” instrument. I wanted a instrument that was simply pretty much as good as VLC however higher in a position to deal with 4K, so I settled on SMPlayer. SMPlayer is akin to VLC and handles 4K significantly better.
OS
Home windows, Linux
Value mannequin
Free
SMPlayer is a media participant for Home windows and Linux. It could play a variety of audio and video codecs and runs on a contemporary engine.
VLC wasn’t fighting every part
It simply couldn’t keep easy with my 4K information anymore
Afam Onyimadu / MUO
VLC hasn’t out of the blue turn into unreliable. On my mid-range Home windows machine, it is a flawless choice for 1080p information, older encodes, and random clips from a few years in the past. The one downside I see exhibits up once I play giant MKVs, HEVC encoding, and high-bitrate 4K movies. Typically playback on these works advantageous, and different instances it would not.
It is really the inconsistency in outcomes that frustrates me. The identical file that performed nicely yesterday might lag in the present day once I’m in search of by way of it. Some tweaks assist. I toggled {hardware} acceleration, modified output modules, and reset preferences. Nonetheless, the advance all the time felt non permanent, and I by no means stopped tweaking.
SMPlayer dealt with the identical information with out breaking a sweat
The distinction confirmed up within the first few seconds of playback
To be honest, once I turned to SMPlayer, all I used to be anticipating was the same expertise with a unique interface. My check was easy. I used the identical information, identical system, and made no changes.
I opened my first 4K video, and from begin to end, it performed easily. I didn’t observe the minor stutters that I had come to count on with VLC. Once I skipped ahead, the response felt instantaneous, and leaping backward felt the identical. For a similar information, I used to be experiencing extra secure and dependable playback than with VLC.
Nonetheless, for the reason that issues didn’t present up on VLC in each session, I made a decision to make SMPlayer my default media participant for every week. It was after this era that I confirmed I had discovered a greater instrument for 4K information.
The efficiency edge that SMPlayer has could also be attributed to the engine it makes use of beneath the hood — SMPlayer helps each MPlayer and the extra fashionable mpv. Nonetheless, for the on a regular basis person, all that issues is smoother playback. After you might have skilled it, for these newer, high-demand information, will probably be arduous to return to VLC.
Based mostly on precise use, here’s what I can deduce:
Characteristic
VLC
SMPlayer
4K playback
Inconsistent (typically wants tweaking)
Clean out of the field
In search of in giant information
Sometimes laggy
Quick and secure
Resume playback
Inconsistent
Computerized and exact
Subtitle obtain
Through extension (VLSub)
Constructed-in and faster
VLC is about probably the most versatile media participant. You’ll be able to even watch Plex in VLC. Nonetheless, versatility and optimization will not be the identical. SMPlayer would not do all that VLC does, nevertheless it’s constructed round an engine that’s higher for efficiency. You would not discover a distinction or want SMPlayer in case your library primarily consists of older information and commonplace HD content material.
I didn’t swap for the options, however they made it stick
Coming again to a video precisely the place I left it modified my habits
Afam Onyimadu / MUO
Apart from the playback points that VLC has with sure fashionable and demanding codecs, it is arduous to beat. Nonetheless, SMPlayer surprisingly packs sure options that make it an choice for day by day use.
Playback historical past is one among these options. It has excellent reminiscence of the place you left off with each file, together with timestamp, audio observe, subtitles, and quantity. This reminiscence works persistently.
This has been a function I now depend on quite a bit. I can pause a film and shut down my PC. Hours later, once I return, I choose up the place I left off with out the necessity for guide in search of and even enabling subtitles. In comparison with VLC, which additionally has methods of resuming playback, that is way more dependable. Nonetheless, different issues made an actual affect:
- Constructed-in subtitle search and obtain from OpenSubtitles.org, which is quicker than digging by way of VLC’s extension menus.
- Straightforward playback velocity changes and subtitle timing tweaks when one thing feels barely off.
- Sufficient customization to repair small annoyances with out digging too deep.
These options on their very own are tiny conveniences, however collectively, they make the media-playing expertise very nice.
SMPlayer just isn’t as refined as VLC
As soon as you employ SMPlayer, you virtually immediately discover that the interface feels dated. The icons look outsized, and the design favors performance over polish. I personally really feel a few of its default controls are a bit odd. As an example, I needed to manually reconfigure left-click in order that it pauses playback. Different quirks, like a inflexible playlist conduct and options hidden deep inside menus, do not assist.
Nonetheless, the excellent news is that a number of of those defaults are fixable. SMPlayer is kind of simply customizable, so in case you are affected person sufficient to spend a couple of minutes and make the proper modifications, it turns into a instrument that offers a greater expertise for day by day use. If the attention check had been all that mattered, I would not have explored SMPlayer any additional after set up. A minimalist participant like MPV handles 4K nicely, however I am glad I dug deeper and caught with SMPlayer.
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