DVDFab Media Player 3.2.0.1

Overview

Ok, so you just bought this new movie that you’ve been waiting for so long to be released and can’t wait to start watching it in your computer. You anxiously insert the disc into the optical drive, lay back and wait for your default media player to begin playing the movie. But when it does, you realize that it’s lagging really badly. Sometimes it won’t even play and who-knows-why that happens (protection codes, missing codecs etc.). So what do you do? Simple. You get DVDFab Media Player and enjoy any movie or video file you want, without problems. 1080p HD image quality will not give you the right to complain about output quality, and the playback support of a wide variety of file formats, including Blu-ray & DVD ISO files will make you forget about any other media player that you have installed.

Installation

Installing this software is very easy. Just run the installer and in a few steps the main installation will start. DVDFab Media Player is not bundled with any kind of software, be it toolbars or other programs. It has also been tested and it’s clean from viruses/malware/spyware so it’s completely safe to install. When installation finishes you will be asked to reboot your computer in order to apply some changes to system files that are currently being used.

Supported operating systems are XP and 7 (compatible with 32 and 64-bit editions). A version for Mac is available too.

Interface

You’d think that a program with such an enhanced functionality it would have an interface loaded with buttons and controls. But here it’s not the case. It has a very simple interface in order to keep memory consumption low. When you first launch the program the main window will open, and the only available option is to open a file. Well, from there you can open not just a video file, but a DVD or Blu-ray as well. A navigation menu will come up and you can browse for the file or disc and open it. While a movie is playing you can move your mouse at the bottom of the window to make playback controls appear, or move it at the top for a few options such as window size. Right click on the screen to access playback controls, choose subtitles and audio tracks or enter the settings menu.

Pros

It is very easy to use the program, unlike other media players with countless menus and controls. All you have to do is pick the file or disc you want to start playing and voila! No need to wait for the program to recover from a crash or severe lagging due to the rich interface that eats up a big amount of RAM and makes your CPU go crazy.

The supported file formats are:

.3g2, .3gp, .3gp2, .3gpp, .amv, .asf, .avi, .bin, .cue, .divx, .dv, .flv, .gxf, .iso, m1v, .m2v, .m2t, .m2ts, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mp2, .mp2v, .mp4, .mp4v, .mpa, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpeg1, .mpeg2, .mpeg4, .mpg, .mpv2, .mts, .mxf, .nsv, .nuv, .ogg, .ogm .ogv, .ogx, .ps, .rec, .rm, .rmvb, .tod, .ts, .tts, .vob, .vro, .webm and .wmv.

As you can see from this list there is also support for ISO files. Blu-ray discs and DVD can be played as well, both 2D and 3D. And with DVDFab Media Player, quality loss is not an issue. It delivers 1080p HD video, which combined with DTS HD Master Audio or Dolby True HD Audio coming with Blu-ray discs can please even the most hardcore quality fans out there.

If you want to watch a DVD or Blu-ray movie you have two options: Full navigation mode and Quick and Simple mode. The first one will load the disc with all of its features, whilst the second mode will just start movie playback.

Protected movies can be played too, thanks to the decryption feature that this program has. As soon as you insert the disc into the optical drive, the program will connect to its server and decrypt the protection code.

Whenever you play a movie from a DVD or Blu-ray disc it can display information about it like release name, rating category, director, actors/actresses etc. by looking in the internet.

Cons

Sometimes it can get glitchy trying to watch a movie. That can happen either in Full Navigation mode or Quick and Simple mode. For example it might play the movie in one of the two modes but won’t do it in the other. Or play it in both modes, but with some problems like not being able to navigate in menus.

Alternatives

TotalMedia Theatre is a really good choice for movie playback. It supports many file formats, DVDs and Blu-rays, be it either 2D or 3D. However, its high price makes it not affordable by many average users. Other than that it has many great features and can be a very satisfying product. Another media player widely accepted is VideoLAN, a free media player that plays virtually anything. No need for codecs, all you need is a disc or video file to open with VLC. It will rarely lag or not open a video file, even if it is an uncommon file type.

Conclusion

It’s a small price to pay for such a great product. But don’t take my word for it, try for free the 30-day trial version which comes without any restrictions and see for yourself how capable it is.