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WinAmp:
WinAmp is the most popular player software on the Internet. Initially,
it was designed for just MP3's, and you had to pay to use it. Nowadays,
WinAmp does so much more, and is free.
WinAmp will play just about every music file type there is, and
if the official version doesn't support a file type, then someone
will have written a third party "plug-in" so it can. The
programme is fast, having a tiny file size for such a complex programme,
so it uses very little computing resources. WinAmp can also be customised
in its appearance, through the use of "skins". The playback
quality of WinAmp is fantastic, with a decent graphical equaliser
included in the software, allowing you to tweak the sound to your
hearts content. Other features such as a playlist editor, repeat
functions, fade-in/fade-out of songs, and a micro web browser, make
WinAmp one of the best players out there.
RealJukebox:
This piece of software comes from RealNetworks, the creators of
the Real Audio streaming file type. It's a far bigger and more complex
programme than WinAmp. This is due to in part, to the inclusion
of the ability to encode files (see the encoding software section
for more details of this). Sticking to the player side of the software,
RealJukebox is a good programme to use. Although lacking in a graphic
equaliser or the fade-in/out ability of WinAmp, the programme excels
at creating playlists of songs, and general organisation of your
songs. The sound quality is excellent, you can't hear the difference
between an encoded file and a standard music file or CD.
RealJukebox comes in two different versions: free, and the paid
for "RealJukebox +". In truth, the only differences, are
in the options for encoding files. The programme boasts a raft of
extra features, such as a file information editor (save song/artist
details into a file), the ability to transfer files to a portable
device (see [HARDWARE] for more info)
or write files to an audio CD.
Music Match
Music Match was once the main rival to WinAmp. In recent years,
it's fallen somewhat by the wayside, but is still a solid piece
of software.
The first thing you notice about Music Match, is the unusual interface.
The interface has been designed to looklike a HiFi with wood paneling.
In theory, this should work, as we can all work a HiFi, right? In
practice however, it looks a mess and is very hard to get to grips
with. Feature wise, Music Match has all the same features as WinAmp.
To try and tempt people to use it over WinAmp, the programme can
also encode files (see the encoding software section for more details
of this). Music Match could have been a serious contender to WinAmp
or RealJukebox. However, the unfriendly interface and the lack of
any unique features make it seem like third-rate, home made software
and not a commercial product. Until WinAmp changed to being free,
Music Match would have cost you to use, but once thier rival went
free, the creators of Music Match had to give their software away.
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