How do I make Windows Media Player 12 work and feel like Windows Media Player 9?

Media Player Classic and VLC are two popular barebones media players. Old-school interfaces with new-school ability to read most any file format.

Media Player Classic: http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/

VLC media player: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

MPC and VLC are too “old school” for me.

I want something similar to WMP9 which had the tabs at the top, and the play list down the right hand side and I could change between library and “Now Playing” easily.

:)

MPC and VLC are too “old school” for me

How do you like (or not) Realplayer?

I haven’t used that in YEARS lol. Does it still contain advertising and causes computers to grind to a halt like it did last time I used it?

Does it still contain advertising and causes computers to grind to a halt like it did last time I used it?

Realplayer seems OK. There’s some kind of home screen with movies/TV/gossip but, it’s easy enough to turn it off by default. Mostly I use VLC. I like Realplayer for internet radio, because it has a pause button, with a 30 minute buffer.

It seems it may be possible for you to re-install MP9 from here.

I haven’t tried it, but it should work, and then you wouldn’t have to fiddle around with settings or mods or anything. Hope this helps!

also, i personally hate realplayer with a passion, and can’t imagine it’s any better, but i haven’t used it for a while so it may have improved, i guess. I’d suggest sticking with MP12. I can’t see it being any more painful

Edit: looking at the site more, it seems like you may have issues installing 9, so that may not work. But i’d still give it a try, and also check out 11, it seems like an odd mix of the two that may work.

I understand the Realplayer resistance, but just remembered why I keep it. For Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome, Real installs a plug-in which gives a “Download This Video” button in YouTube.

@jaytkay Theres an addon for that in firefox :)
@BhacSsylan I would strongly suggest using VLC because you will never worry about codecs again. I have yet to find a video it cannot play. But if you really want to stick with WMP there are skins for it last I checked so I’m sure you could get the WMP9 skin and use that. I hope that helps.

@styfle Oh, i also agree that VLC is better capability wise, but if he’s going for feel then VLC well… doesn’t have one. It just does what it’s supposed to do and is done with it. Granted, that’s usually a good thing, but I understand why he would like a more interesting GUI. That’s why I use MWP12 over VLC, for that matter.

@BhacSsylan This isn’t going to help bomyne, but the GUI on the Mac version of VLC looks great. I have no idea why the Windows one is so lame. There are skins though http://www.videolan.org/vlc/skins.php

`Why hasn’t anyone mentioned Winamp?

Hey, bomyne, make sure to look at the skins linked above by styfle. There’s a huge variety and maybe something will appeal.