Top 5 video players for Mac
There are many times when the default video player that Apple provides, QuickTime Player, simply isn't good enough because it's not capable of working with a wide array of formats. Since converting your videos just because the player you have doesn't support the needed format is a waste of time and effort, the best solution is to install an alternative. This is why, I've compiled a list containing five best video players that you can currently use on your Mac.
VLC
VLC
VLC Media Player is the most popular player on almost every platform out there and, without question, one of the best. This free application can work with almost any video format that you throw at it, is capable of playing streams and has one of the easiest-to-use interfaces that you will ever see. Unlike many other similar applications, VideoLAN isn't burden by a clutter of buttons and options, which makes it perfect for a regular user. To tell the truth, this also means that you need to dig around a bit to find the more advanced settings, but that's a minor inconvenience.
MPlayerX
MPlayerX
Another player with a long history on the market, MPlayerX is a reliable solution for your video watching needs. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the cleanest applications that you can find, so if you're not a tech-savvy person you may want to try this one first. Just like VLC, MPlayerX can open a large number of formats, so compatibility won't be an issue. However, there are times when the video can fall a bit out of sync, but that happened only once in my tests.
Kodi
Kodi
Formerly known as Xbox Media Center (XBMC), Kodi is a powerful tool that can help you deal with all your media files, not just your videos. What I like about this application is that it can act as a catalog, keeping track of the folders you instruct it to and automatically adding any new files to your library. Kodi is capable of handling all the most popular video extensions and it will also allow you to watch Live TV or streams from services like Netflix or YouTube.
Plex
Plex
Another cross-platform tool, Plex will allow you to watch your favorite videos on any of your devices. Basically, using Plex, you will be able to stream a movie stored on your PC to all the other devices over your network, so that you can easily jump from gadget to gadget, continuing from where you left off. Additionally, this application is the best when it comes to watching videos from streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc. As far as downsides go, Plex doesn't support that many video extensions.
5KPlayer
5KPlayer
Last on our list, 5KPlayer is actually more of a media center than a regular video player. Though it offers some great video-playing capabilities, the application also lets you download 4K and HD videos from YouTube, DailyMotion, Vimeo and other similar websites and can even work with AirPlay. Additionally, the tool also allows you to extract the audio from the videos that you're watching online and download it to your PC.
Now, when you've seen our picks for the top 5 video players for Mac, you might also want to check out some of our older stories such as: "Best tools to keep your Mac organized", "10 +1 Useful Mac keyboard shortcuts that you should know" or "11 handy tricks for El Capitan users".
