CNET Editors' review
GOM Media Player for Windows handles most of the more common video formats, including MP4, AVI, MKV, and more. It comes with a sleeker, more media center-focused design and packs plenty of codecs under the hood to play just about any media format you throw at it.
The initial installation is standard, like any other Windows product: accept a couple terms, set a destination folder, and choose to opt in or out of an offer from AVG. After installation completes, GOM will guide you through an optional setup process to optimize initial use based on sound and monitor setup.
You'll be introduced to a 4:3 ratio default window with an orange, black, and silver theme that will make you wonder if Halloween came early. Your token playback tools like Play, Stop, and Skip Forward and Back are located on the bottom left corner, and control panels for managing your media content are located on the opposite side. In the middle is a small, integrated upsell ticker that links users to any of GOM's other products or video content. Though this can easily be removed by switching to another skin, it's far less intrusive than other attempts at product promotions that we've seen in many other apps.
Right above is a timeline that's extremely narrow; this is fine for standard keyboard/mouse users but hardly ideal for touch. Right-clicking anywhere on the player will expose even more detailed options and audio/video-related tweaks like those found in other open-source players. You can add custom audio EQ effects, tweak subtitle lengths, and even take burst screenshots to capture particular moments from videos. However, some of the language was a bit confusing: GOM labels screen rotation as "flip input/output." Not a deal- breaker by any means, but not a labor-intensive fix either.
Power users are given the added option to set custom hot keys and even sync their remote iOS and Android devices like tablets and phones to control the media player over Wi-Fi. And though this feature works for the most part, buggy playback and less-than-stellar navigation do not make this prime time-ready.
But when it came to video playback, GOM was no slouch. Videos played and looked as they should, and it was easy enough to incrementally tweak your picture settings during live play.
Whether you choose this or VLC, both are solid media players, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. GOM tries to do a lot, and though some of those attempts could use some work, its core mode is rock solid: watching your favorite Global Starcraft II League (GSL) masters duke it out in this season of GSL.
GOM Media Player:Publisher's Description
From Gretech:
GOM Player is a free multimedia player with popular video and audio codecs built-in. GOM Player supports file formats such as AVI, DAT, MPEG, DivX, XviD, WMV, ASF. Users don't have to install codecs separately. GOM Player is capable of playing incomplete or damaged AVI files by skipping the damaged frames. It can also play locked or partially downloaded files. Its other features include drag-and-drop support, HTTP streaming, editable skins, subtitling, overlay mixer, key remapping, enhanced filter rendering, real-time index rebuilding for AVI files and unicode support among others.
What's new in this version: Version 2.1.50.5145: 1. Modified the software's codec settings for AAC audio playback. 2. The AC3 tab has been removed from the Prefences window, and internal AC3 options have been disabled. 3. Corrected a sync issue with certain TS files. 4. Corrected a playback issue with MP4 files containing hard-coded scrolling subtitles. 5. Added features to delete and disabled the saving of recently played files to the Windows "Recent Files" list (Windows 7 and 8 only).
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All versions:
4.1 starsout of 1,782 votes
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Current version:
3.2 starsout of 9 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-9 of 9
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"Easy to use. Can play most any video."
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
Easy to use. Can play most any video.
Cons
Easy to use. Can play most any video.
Summary
Easy to use. Can play most any video.
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"great software, easy install"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
great player, comparing it to the other one i use (VLC)
Cons
none so far
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"seems to work fine"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
seems to work fine,does what it :"should"[?]
had always "bad luck" with the highly praised VLC PLAYER [on all my computers]
so this is new one iswelcome !!Cons
not found any problems at this moment
Summary
Worth downloading if you need a free player
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"Download this if you want another crappy toolbar"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
If there are any, they aren't worth it
Cons
Virus/malware scan showed up negative, after installing media player my browser had a new search engine installed despite me declining it's approval. I was so pissed I didn't even look at the media player. Thanks for distributing garbage CNET.
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"I LOVE THIS product"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
Love that it plays all video types
and they look great
love the audio player
LOVE that I can change skins
AND almost anything else that needs it.
Just love itCons
http://******/17OHT3Z
None, now that I know I do NOT have to install AVG with the updates
there is a checkbox to refuse install but it is hard to see
Here is a screen shot of it for easier reference
http://******/17OHT3ZSummary
I would happily recommend this product to anyone
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"Super product! Easy to use"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
Easy to use. Can play most any video.
Cons
None for me. It does seem that many users have downloaded the software and did not read the comments on the download. You do not have to install the AVG software and toolbars. If you don't want it, just click the box to decline. It seems pretty simple to do, in my opinion.
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"Good product gone bad"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
GOM player is a good media solution but the latest update is messed up with AVG toolbar bundle.
Cons
toolbars is such an evil
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"Installs AVG Toolbar Without Asking You-"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
Gom player is a good player but now it has changed. It now installs unwanted AVG Toolbar.Which is impossible to remove.
Cons
Installs unwanted AVG toolbar and will also change your search page in Internet Explorer to AVG. After which you CANNOT set back to your old homepage-problem.
Summary
Gom was a good media player,still is. But the problem is it now installs the AVG toolbar and also changes your homepage to AVG search without asking you or giving your the option to opt out.
Reading reviews from other users here they have had the same problem. Gom used to let you refuse the install of the toolbar-But not anymore.
Which is disgusting and wrong.
It happened to me today when I updated Gom play.To find to my horror it installed the AVG Toolbar AND it changed my homepage in Internet Explorer to AVG Search. And I could not uninstall the toolbar from control panel.Even when I deleted the AVG program file on my C drive it was still there. Also I could not reset my Internet Explorer homepage back to Google- it just kept reverting back to AVG search. Normally if your homepage changes you can revert back to another homepage or just change it back. But I was simply unable to.So in the end I had to do a system restore to get it off my computer. I have now uninstall GM player and I will NEVER USE IT AGAIN.Not after this.
most software asks you if you want to install a toolbar and you can opt out. But with Gom play you cannot,it will install it anyway.
With other software even if it does change your homepage,you can change it back again-But not with Gom play.
Therefor I will warn user NEVER install Gom Player again.Not unless you want to be stuck with a permanent toolbar and change of home page you can't get rid of.
DO NOT INSTALL GOM PLAYER NEVER AGAIN,IF YOU ALREADY HAVE IT UNINSTALL IT,OR YOU WILL REGRET IT AS I DID.
I did a system restore and I got rid of the thing,though.
Andrea Borman.
Updated on Apr 13, 2013 -
"!! DO NOT INSTALL or UPDATE !!"
Version: GOM Media Player 2.1.50.5145
Pros
Was a loyal GOM Media Player until this version.
Even when it insisted on showing me banner ads (in an earlier version), nothing can compare to how bad GOM Media Player is now. This shoves AVG bloatware down your throat without any prompts or options to unselect during installation.Cons
AVG hijacks the homepage across multiple browsers, installs an extra toolbar in Firefox and basically mucks up your system.
Impossible to remove AVG via control panel or even using the manual uninstaller from AVG's website. Thank god I was able to perform a System Restore in Windows and even than, some settings had to be manually reverted.Summary
Terrible software. I wish I could give it 0 or negative rating.
Switch to another player like VLC or stick with an earlier version og GOM player without the crapware.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Results 1-9 of 9
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