CNET Editors' review
On the video-player spectrum, SMPlayer is somewhere between the full-bodied Miro and the super-lightweight VLC Player. The freeware player, intended to be a front-end for MPlayer, supports an impressive list of features and options.
The list of supported formats encompasses both major audio and video codecs and does a good job of trying to differentiate itself from the competition. One of the best features is that the player will remember your settings per video, so if you quit the app in the middle of playing, it'll restart it with the exact same settings as before. Subtitles are fully customizable, including color, font, and size, and it can stream in content from the Internet. The app also works on both Windows and Linux, and it's supported in more than 20 languages. There's also a karaoke filter, so you can remove the audio track.
As you might expect, the install file is quite large at 17MB, and it takes up a fair bit of RAM. We experienced no stability issues with the program, so we're quite comfortable in recommending it as a strong secondary player or even a primary, if one of its more esoteric features is just what you need.
Publisher's Description
From rvm:
SMPlayer is a new multimedia player. It uses the award-winning MPlayer as engine, so it's able to play the most known video & audio formats without the need of external codecs: avi, mkv, ogm, mpeg, vob, 3gp, asf, mov, wmv, mp3, ogg. You can also play DVD discs and Internet streams. Special care have been taken with subtitles. It supports srt, sub, ssa, embedded subtitles in Matroska files, DVD subtitles.
SMPlayer subtitles can be very nice, you can choose font and size, and even colors for the subtitles. One of the most interesting features of SMPlayer which it remembers the settings of all files you play. So you start to watch a movie but you have to leave. don't worry, when you open that movie again it will resume at the same point you left it, and with the same settings: audio track, subtitles, volume.What's new in this version: Version 0.7.0 has added new favorite menu, where you can add your favorite videos, music, and streams.
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All versions:
3.8 starsout of 39 votes
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Current version:
0 stars Be the first to review this product -
My rating:
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"Used to use VLC - no longer, as SMPlayer is great!"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
- Loads quickly, runs smoothly, doesn't crash
- Skinnable interface with some very attractive options
- Great support for subtitlesCons
- Loads either single files or directories or playlists, no 'multiple file select' with control-click
Summary
Having used VLC for quite some time, I was a bit skeptical, but after using it a few times I can say it runs stably and plays everything I throw at it. I don't understand some of the comments here. Love the double-click for fullscreen, as well as the compact mode is very compact. Lots of flexibility.
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"Somoto Toolbar and Changes your browser homepage"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
Program seems to work well.
Cons
Very annoying, close to spyware. Installs something called Somoto toolbar and changes your browser homepage to Bing.
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"BEST media player ever"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
works great on windows 7/64 and other platforms.
I have used mplayerchc and vlc before. vlc was getting buggy for me so i decided to switch to smplayer and i've never looked back. it's all you need.Cons
i made a shortcut to it in my 'sendto' menu.
it doesnt load files in sub dirs.Summary
GET IT!
SOUNDS WORKS! guy with sound issues needs to check his issues before placing the blame in a software review! -
"Yes, I like it. Like it a whole lot"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
It works. No screwing around, load it and it works. I haven't tried a clip that it hasm't run perfectly no matter what the format.
Cons
It takes a while to load, I used to have a Commodore 64, now that was some slow loading. Get a cup of coffee, it's worth the wait.
Summary
It does what it says it will do, what more can a person ask for? Now a thanks to Cnet. Almost every program of a technical nature on my computer has come from cnet, my browser, my photo software, my virus protection and more, all have come from cnet. Thanks folks, you do a great job.
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"Outstanding"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
An excellent video player with most of the best features we require to view quality videos and movies.The hot-key controlled contrast,brightness and gamma adjustments of video are fine.
Cons
nothing so far,except that its UI is an old type which require some good skins.
Summary
A stable and dependable video player(for win-xp-sp3) with many features that we can't get in others.One of the rare features is that if you quit the player in the middle of playing a video and close the pc and after sometime when you restart the player,it will start from where you stopped.
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"BEST BEST BEST"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
36 MB in total
It can play all video files
not buggy and playlist works very well
BETTER than crappy VLC playerCons
nothing at all
Summary
USE THIS
forget all those wannabe players like VLC, Real, Windows Media
Use SMPlayer its awesome
Dont listen to other CNET users rating it bad.. use it and you will not be disappointed -
"Buggy Media Player, but with Good Potential"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
Support hardware acceleration for HD videos processing; Support so many audio & video formats
Cons
Could not find subtitiles if set to "same name as video file"; Still no presets for audio equalizer.; Does not support standalone VOB files & interactive SWF files; Could not associate RM files properly in Win Vista & 7.
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"buggy, clones itself infinite times, then crash"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
It has good features, very convenient. It is better than any of the Mplayer's "skins"
Cons
I installed mplayer and smplyer, first time it worked well, then, it had trouble. It clones itself continuously, maybe 70-80 of them, then crash. I don't know what's wrong. I reinstalled them, still the same. I have to quit using smplayer.
Summary
Does anybody have the same problems?
Now I am using mplayer's skins, none of them is as good as smplyer. Who can help me to solve this problem so that I can use SMplayer again? -
"No sound and takes forever to install"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
Easy interface
Cons
LOOOONG download of codecs even when I don't select to download the extra codecs. Has no sound in Windows 7 x64. Multiple reinstalls on 2 different computers had same results.
Summary
If you can't work with Windows 7 x64, you shouldn't exist, because many thousands of people have switched over to it and they aren't going back to XP ever. Maybe their next release will work.
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"It does the job"
Version: SMPlayer 0.6.9
Pros
It plays DVDs that neither Media Center nor Media Player can.
Cons
None so far
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