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Despite a glut of free player/encoders, it's tough to find one that meets our expectations. Formerly known as Sound DB, MediaMonkey has excellent library-management tools that keep the largest digital music collections well organized. Stir that up with integrated CD and DVD burning, a stellar interface, a full-featured encoder, and the ability to sync with portable audio devices such as the iPod, and you have a pretty compelling product.
Upon first launch, the program scans your drive for supported digital media files to add to the library. Files are sorted based on their ID3 tags, and the helpful Auto-Rename and Auto-Tag From Filename features keep untagged tracks from falling through the cracks. Party mode locks down your library while still allowing people to request songs. Auto DJ plays selections from your library even when there are no requests in the queue, and the all-important iPod and portable device synchronization works well. Third-party plug-ins are available from the site if you want to tinker with the playback and encoding engine or add additional sound-processing effects. The interface is well designed, with clean, colorful icons throughout.
Considering the overall polish of this application, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything you don't like. Although it's definitely geared toward managing extensive collections, just about anyone will appreciate the comprehensive feature set. For $20, MediaMonkey Gold adds advanced features such as sleep, scripting, previewing, and on-the-fly file conversion when syncing with a portable device.
MediaMonkey Standard - Manage large media collections - Download Video Previews:Publisher's Description
From Ventis Media:
MediaMonkey is the media manager for serious collectors. It catalogs audio and video files and can be customized to the needs of different 'collections' (e.g. contemporary, classical music, audiobooks, home movies, tv, videos), whether they're located on a hard drive or a network. MediaMonkey organizes your library, looking up and tagging Album Art and data via Freedb and the web, and organizes your files via its automated renamer. It includes a CD ripper, podcast manager, and downloader to build your library, along with a CD/DVD Burner, UPnP / DLNA server, and sync manager to share it. With built-in conversion functionality, it supports hundreds of devices including iPhones, iPods, Android devices, as well as a variety of televisions and DVD players (via DLNA). MediaMonkey's advanced playlist management complements a player that automatically adjusts volume levels and a Jukebox / Party mode that locks the UI for use at public events. Most importantly, it supports hundreds of scripts, plug-ins and visualizations to further customize it to meet your needs. *Supports MP3, OGG, WMA, FLAC, MPC, WAV, CDs, M3U, PLS, AVI, MP4, WMV.
What's new in this version: Version 4.0.3 is a minor update that resolves ~100 miscellaneous issues in MediaMonkey 4.0.2.
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All versions:
4.0 starsout of 1,312 votes
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Current version:
4.0 starsout of 15 votes
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My rating:
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"Removed! Makes changes without permission"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
Decent features and ran well
Cons
Had to uninstall as it was making changes without asking permission. It continuously changes itself to the preferred media player for all types -- DEALBREAKER!
Summary
Not an ethical way to do business, in my book. I'm looking elsewhere and crossing Ventis off my list forever.
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"kickass media manager"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
best media manager i have seen
Cons
startup time
Summary
dont think twice go for it
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"Hate Itunes,but MM4 still has many Ipod sync problems!"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
Many Features!
Cons
Many syncing and playback issues with my 5th and 6th Gen Ipod Nano, did not have with Itunes.
After syncing Ipods with MM4, the 5th Gen mainly now freezes or skips over many tracks in my playlists. Even after contacting MM Support several times,hardly any real solutions at all. Apparently, MM 4 is not yet fully compatible with latest Ipods etc, especially 5th Gen Nano, still a few devastating Bugs:
1. The Level playback does not work well, my Mp3 volumes still all over the place. Many song volumes play much lower than others.
2. My song Times and duration, still does not show on all songs, only a few.
3. Playlists total songs and times, at bottom in MM inconsistent, so many times I have no idea how long my playlist really is.
4. Sometimes songs play fine, sometimes they will play garbled or with a short very loud static noise, with freezes.
5. The Auto DJ you can only use while playing on PC, MM4 will not beat/tempo match songs, and let U save as a playlist to Ipod or MP3 Player.Summary
I found out the hard way, after a few months of trying to work out the Ipod/MM4 issues, only able to resolve a few of the problems. If you think Media Monkey is the complete answer and alternative to all of your Itunes issues and dislikes, maybe for a few, but not really!
I would have gladly paid for MM upgrade if it worked well with my Ipods, but way too many problems, certainly not worth paying for Upgrade.
I recently dropped Itunes and updated to MM 4 , I really thought life would be a lot easier with Media Monkey, but has been a lot of work and whole lot more frustration.
Media Monkey Support may help you a little if your problems are simple and easy to fix, but if they are not, do not count on much help or Support! Hopefully MM Developers will fix all these issues soon, but currently , I am still looking for an Itunes/ Media Monkey Ipod alternative player! -
"Probably the best free media player on the market"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
I have been using v 3. for over a year with no problems. I now have v 4. and have absolutely no problems with it as some people seem too be experiencing. It does all I want it to without problems.
Cons
Could load a little quicker
Summary
Does what it says "on the packet".
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"Super music player"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
Easy library search; in-line tag editing; rename filename. Pretty much everything you want to do to a music file.
Cons
I prefer VLC for video, but MM works.
Summary
This is my standard MP3 player on all of my computers.
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"Awesome Media Manager"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
Fast and Reliable
Cons
None so far, I am very happy with it after 3 years!
Summary
Great Program!
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"Does the job!"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
I use it to play .flac files.
Cons
I wish they had a version for Android tablets.
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"New version just doesn't work"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
I'm thinking...
Cons
Doesn't work, freezes
Summary
I've used 3.x for a couple of years. Worked well overall, the only program to date that could handle my large collection. Decided to upgrade to 4.0. Big mistake. It freezes 100% of the time. Not always immediately, but always eventually. Never manages to finish the start up scan, "pinwheels" every time I click anything, and well, just randomly freezes. I have the paid "gold" version. I contacted support, and got back a snotty email asking if I had considered turning off scanning for new tracks. That is a major functionality of the program. Just disable a major part of the program. How 'bout you fix it?
Frankly, just a guess, but the program looks like the work of a couple of guys working at home. Nice, but overly geeky, and full of little bugs that don't get fixed from version to version. Now they've tried to add videos, and a bunch of updates, and messed it up. They seem in over thier heads. Hope they fix it, it WAS a good program.
Meantime, while I wait to see if they can work up enough caring to try to fix the mess, I need to find another program that can handle large libraries. Actually, it's hard to figure out why that's hard. It's just a database, after all. That's pretty mature technology. Plus, a few thousand, or tens of thousands, of items in a database is absolutely tiny, even for a 2nd rate database engine. Don't know why it is so elusive to so many small time programming shops. Hell, even Microsoft's Media Player dies when given a large library. Strange. But, I digress. So, I'll be waiting, and looking for a replacement. -
"Does the job for me"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
Works well with all my Videos and pictures
Cons
Haven't found any yet
Summary
I recommend this free and easy to use application
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"user friendly media player"
Version: MediaMonkey Standard 4.0.3.1476
Pros
The interface is straight forward for users to navigate and set up preferences.
Cons
The program didn't do what was needed to edit the tag information is a permanent manner. There is a certain amount of advertising displayed in the main window when the program starts up.
Summary
This program provides users an option for their media needs.
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