Media Player Classic#Forks

The original Media Player Classic was created and maintained by a programmer named "Gabest"{{cite web |title=gabest / Profile |url=https://sourceforge.net/u/gabest/profile/ |website=sourceforge.net |access-date=7 December 2024}} who also created PCSX2 graphics plugin GSDX. It was developed as a closed-source application, but later relicensed as free software under the terms of the GPL-2.0-or-later license. MPC is hosted under the guliverkli project at SourceForge.net. The project itself is something of an umbrella organization for works by Gabest.

Media Player Classic development stalled in May 2006. Gabest, the main developer of the original version, stated in March 2007 that development of Media Player Classic is not dead but that he was unable to work on it.{{cite web |url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/forums/forum/281014/topic/1690818 |title=SourceForge's discussion about project status |access-date=2011-04-06}} MPC 6.4.9.0, released March 20, 2006, is the final official version.

In August 2007, an unofficially patched and updated build became available, from Doom9 member clsid, hosted under the guliverkli2 project at SourceForge.net. Known as Media Player Classic 6.4.9.1, it was meant for fixing bugs and updating outdated libraries; its branch's development has been inactive since 2011. MPC 6.4.9.1 Revision 107, released February 14, 2010, is the final release version.{{cite web |url=http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=128616 |title=Doom9's topic on Media Player Classic patched build |access-date=2007-11-11}}{{cite web |url=http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli2/ |title=Patched MPC 6.4.9.1 |date=2011-04-10 |work=SourceForge project Guliverkli2 |access-date=2013-01-23}} The community at the Doom9 forum has since further continued the project with MPC-HC.

{{Infobox software

| name = Media Player Classic - Home Cinema

| screenshot = MPC-HC 2-3-2 (Windows 10).png

| caption = Media Player Classic - Home Cinema version 2.3.2 on Windows 10

| collapsible =

| developer = MPC-HC Community Forum

| released = {{start date and age|2007|09}}

| discontinued = no

| latest release version = 2.4.3

| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|05|21}}

| latest preview version = 2.4.3.15

| latest preview date = {{Start date and age|2025|06|05}}

| repo = Original:
https://github.com/mpc-hc/mpc-hc
Fork by clsid2:
https://github.com/clsid2/mpc-hc/

| size = Fork x64: 21.3 MB (Exe)
Fork x86: 19.7 MB (Exe)

| language = Arabic, Armenian, Basque, Belarusian, Bengali, Bosnian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, English (British), Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Malay, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Spanish, Tatar, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

| language count = 42

| language footnote = {{cite web |url=https://mpc-hc.org/about/ |title=About MPC-HC |work=MPC-HC project |access-date=2016-02-21}}

| license = GPL-3.0-or-later

| website = {{URL|http://mpc-hc.org/|MPC-HC official website}} (inactive)
{{URL|1=https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1831201#post1831201|2=MPC-HC on Doom9}} (active fork by clsid)

}}

A fork, called Media Player Classic - Home Cinema (MPC-HC), adds new features, as well as fixes bugs and updates libraries.{{cite web |url=http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=123537 |title=Doom9's topic on Media Player Classic - Home Cinema |access-date=2007-11-11}} It also updated the license to GPL-3.0-or-later.

MPC-HC updates the original player and adds many useful functionalities including the option to remove tearing, additional video decoders (in particular H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2 with DirectX Video Acceleration support), Enhanced Video Renderer support, and multiple bug fixes. There is also a 64 bit-version of Media Player Classic - Home Cinema for the various Windows x64 platforms. MPC-HC requires at least Windows XP Service Pack 3.

As of version 1.4.2499.0, MPC-HC implemented color management support, an uncommon feature that nearly all video players on Microsoft Windows lack.{{cite web |url=http://voxelium.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/icc-color-management-in-media-player-classic-home-cinema/ |title=ICC color management in Media Player Classic - Home Cinema |access-date=2014-02-09 |author=Attila Tamás Áfra |date=2010-09-20 |type=blog}} Windows 8 support was introduced in version 1.6.5.{{cite web |url=http://trac.mpc-hc.org/wiki/Changelog/1.6.5 |title=Changelog v1.6.5 |date=2012-12-16 |work=MPC-HC wiki |access-date=2013-01-21}} Beginning with version 1.6.6 the stable releases are signed.{{cite web |url=http://mpc-hc.org/2013/02/25/binaries-are-signed/ |title=Binaries are signed |access-date=2014-02-09 |author=XhmikosR |date=2013-02-25 |work=MPC-HC.org}}

Apart from stable releases as published, nightly builds are also publicly available.{{cite web |url=https://nightly.mpc-hc.org/ |title=Media Player Classic - Home Cinema |publisher=MPC-HC Nightly |date=2016-02-21 |access-date=2016-02-21}}{{cite web |url=http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Media_Player_Classic_Home_Cinema.htm |title=Media Player Classic - Home Cinema |publisher=free-codecs.com |date=2013-03-29 |access-date=2013-04-01}} MPC-HC is also distributed in the PortableApps format.{{cite web |url=http://portableapps.com/news/2013-01-24--mpc-hc-portable-1.65-released |title=MPC-HC Portable 1.6.5 Released |date=2013-01-24 |publisher=PortableApps |access-date=2013-02-11}} MPC-HC 1.7.8 released in 2015 was built with the MediaInfoLib 0.7.71.

MPC-HC 1.7.1 adds support for H.265/HEVC codec.

MPC-HC 1.7.13 is the final version of the program that was officially discontinued as of July 16, 2017 due to a shortage of active developers with C/C++ experience.{{cite web |url=https://mpc-hc.org/2017/07/16/1.7.13-released-and-farewell/ |title=v1.7.13 is released and farewell |date=2017-07-16 |publisher=mpc-hc.org |access-date=2017-11-04}} Its source code on GitHub was last updated on August 27, 2017, a month and a half after the official final version.{{cite web |url=https://github.com/mpc-hc/mpc-hc/commits |title=Commits · mpc-hc/mpc-hc · GitHub |date=2017-08-27 |publisher=GitHub |access-date=2017-11-04}} It requires CPUs with SSE2 support and no longer runs on Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon XP.

Updated builds of MPC-HC, a fork from the same developer (known as clsid2 on GitHub/SourceForge) responsible for MPC 6.4.9.1, started appearing in January 2018. This fork contains updated internal codecs (LAV Filters{{cite web |title=Download LAV Filters 0.79.2-20 |url=https://www.free-codecs.com/download/lav_filters.htm |website=www.free-codecs.com |access-date=7 December 2024}}), AV1 support, youtube-dl integration, a new dark theme, video preview on seekbar, support for MPC Video Renderer, A-B Repeat, subtitle performance improvements;{{cite web |url=https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=175209 |title=clsid builds thread on Doom9 |access-date=2018-05-20}}{{cite web |url=https://www.videohelp.com/software/Media-Player-Classic-Home-Cinema |title=Newvers |access-date=2018-04-09}} support for Windows XP was dropped in these builds. Binary releases are available,{{cite web |url=https://github.com/clsid2/mpc-hc/releases/ |website=Github |access-date=2025-02-26|title=Releases · clsid2/MPC-hc}} as well as source code.{{Cite web |url=https://github.com/clsid2/mpc-hc |title=clsid2/mpc-hc |website=GitHub |date=7 July 2021}}

{{clear}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Media Player Classic - Black Edition

| logo =

| screenshot = File:MPC-BE x64 1.5.2 beta - Japanese.png

| caption = Language setting is Japanese.

| collapsible =

| developer = Alexander Vodiannikov

| released = {{start date and age|2012|09|12}}

| discontinued =

| latest release version = 1.8.3{{cite web |url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/mpcbe/files/MPC-BE/Release%20builds/1.8.3/ |title=Release Builds |publisher=SourceForge project MPC-BE |access-date=2025-03-26}}

| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|02|07}}

| latest preview version = 1.5.6.5943

| latest preview date = {{Start date and age|2021|01|10}}

| repo = https://sourceforge.net/projects/mpcbe/
https://github.com/Aleksoid1978/MPC-BE

| size = x86: 16.6 MB (Zip)
x86-64: 18.1 MB (Zip)

| language = Russian, Basque, Belarusian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian

| language count = 25

| language footnote =

| license = GPL-3.0-or-later

| website = {{URL|mpcbe.sourceforge.io}}

}}

Media Player Classic - Black Edition (MPC-BE) is a fork of MPC and MPC-HC. It moved away from MPC's aim to mimic the look and feel of Windows Media Player with updated player controls and provides additional features on top of MPC-HC such as a video preview tooltip when hovering the mouse cursor over the seek bar, as known from video platforms such as YouTube and Dailymotion, though many of these features, including the video preview on seekbar, were added to MPC-HC at a later date.{{cite web |url=https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=165890 |title=Media Player Classic - BE Win32/x64 |publisher=Doom9 |access-date=2017-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307050317/http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=165890 |archive-date=2013-03-07 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=It's movie time! Grab the popcorn and Media Player Classic-BE |url=https://betanews.com/2013/01/01/its-movie-time-grab-the-popcorn-and-media-player-classic-be/ |website=BetaNews |access-date=11 April 2021 |date=1 January 2013}}

MPC-BE, however, doesn't include LAV filters by default, making it less efficient than MPC-HC for decoding. This is most noticeable with higher resolution files, newer codecs, or on lower end hardware.{{cite web |url=https://www.5kplayer.com/video-music-player/media-player-classic-download-free.htm |title=Which Media Player Classic to Download? |access-date=2020-09-29}}

Player development began in February 2011. Developers used a modification of MPC-HC made by a programmer nicknamed "bobdynlan".

The first version (1.0.1.0) was released on September 12, 2012.{{cite web |url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/mpcbe/files/MPC-BE/MPC-BE%20x64/MPC-BE%20x64%201.0.1.0/ |title=MPC-BE x64 1.0.1.0 |publisher=SourceForge project MPC-BE |access-date=2016-02-02}}

Starting with version 1.5.0, released in December 2016, MPC-BE no longer supports Windows XP.{{cite web |url=https://mpc-be.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=76 |title=Поддержка Windows XP}} Support for Windows Vista ended at version 1.6.7, released May 2023.[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mpcbe/files/MPC-BE/Release builds/ MPC-BE - Browse /MPC-BE/Release builds at SourceForge.net]{{cite web |url=https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=165890 |title=Media Player Classic - BE Win32/x64}}

MPC-BE version 1.5.1 and newer require SSE2 supporting CPU and no longer run on Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon XP.

Nightly builds are also available.{{cite web |url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/mpcbe/files/MPC-BE/Nightly%20Builds%20%28from%20svn%20trunk%29/ |title=Nightly Builds |publisher=SourceForge project MPC-BE |access-date=2020-09-15}}

{{SourceForge|mpcbe|MPC-BE}} links to {{GitHub|Aleksoid1978/MPC-BE}}.{{cite web |title=Support |url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/mpcbe/support |website=MPC-BE |publisher=SourceForge.net |access-date=7 December 2024}}

{{clear}}

:In this section Media Player Classic and MPC refer to both the original MPC and its forks, unless otherwise specified.

Media Player Classic is capable of VCD, SVCD, and DVD playback without installation of additional software or codecs. MPC has built-in codecs for MPEG-2 video with support for subtitles and codecs for LPCM, MP2, 3GP, AC3, and DTS audio; along with native playback of the Matroska container format. MPC also contains an improved MPEG splitter that supports playback of VCDs and SVCDs using its VCD/SVCD/XCD Reader. On October 30, 2005, Gabest added MP4 and MPEG-4 Timed Text support.[http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=101835 Doom9 - Media Player Classic supports Matroska v2, *.mp4, *.mov, and MPEG-4 Timed Text] Adobe Flash movies (SWF) can be played and frames jumped to.{{cite web |last1=Rizwan |first1=Amaan |title=How to Open SWF files? Best SWF Players for Windows/macOS |url=https://www.techworm.net/2020/02/swf-files-best-swf-players-windows-macos.html |website=TechWorm |access-date=12 November 2021 |date=2 February 2020}}

Supported media formats within the latest builds of MPC-HC and MPC-BE have been considerably expanded compared to the original MPC, as these builds are bundled with iterations of libavcodec and libavformat. MPC-HC version 1.7.0 and newer utilize LAV filters,{{cite web |url=https://mpc-hc.org/2013/09/29/1.7.0-released/ |title=v1.7.0 is released |work=mpc-hc.org |date=2013-09-29 |access-date=2020-10-01}} while MPC-BE uses FFmpeg directly.{{cite web |url=https://www.videohelp.com/software/MPC-BE/version-history |title=Complete Version history / Release notes / Changelog for MPC-BE |work=videohelp.com |access-date=2020-10-01}} Consequently, they support all formats from those libraries.

MPC-HC is also one of the first media players to support Dolby Atmos audio natively.

MPC can use an INI file in its application folder,{{cite web |url=http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=42 |title=Media Player Classic v6.4.9.1 |work=The Portable Freeware Collection |date=2012-08-20 |access-date=2013-01-23}} making it a portable application.

Media Player Classic is primarily based on the DirectShow architecture and therefore automatically uses installed DirectShow decoding filters. For instance, after the open source DirectShow decoding filter ffdshow has been installed, fast and high quality decoding and postprocessing of the MPEG-4 ASP, H.264, and Flash Video formats is available in the original MPC. MPC-HC and MPC-BE, however, can play videos in these formats directly without ffdshow.

MPC-HC and MPC-BE also provide DXVA support for compatible Intel, Nvidia, and ATI/AMD video cards when using a compatible codec. This provides hardware-acceleration for playback.

In addition to DirectShow, MPC can also use the QuickTime, RealPlayer, and SHOUTcast codecs and filters (if installed on the computer) to play their native files.{{cite web |url=http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/installing-media-player-classic-step-step-guide.htm |title=Installing Media Player Classic - A step by step guide |work=Gizmos Freeware Reviews |date=2012-06-15 |access-date=2013-01-23}} Though some of these files may play without the external codecs or filters installed. Alternatively, QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative can be used in place of their player installations for expanded support of their respective file formats.

MPC supports playback and recording of television if a supported TV tuner is installed.

{{Portal|FOSS}}

• Comparison of video player software
• DirectVobSub
• WASAPI
• VLC media player

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category}}

MPC-HC

• {{URL|https://mpc-hc.org/|Media Player Classic - Home Cinema's official website}}
• {{GitHub|mpc-hc|MPC-HC - official (inactive)}}
• {{GitHub|clsid2/mpc-hc|MPC-HC - clsid2 fork (active)}}
• {{Openhub|mpc-hc|MPC-HC}}

MPC-BE

• {{SourceForge|mpcbe|MPC-BE}}
• {{GitHub|Aleksoid1978/MPC-BE}}

guliverkli

• {{SourceForge|guliverkli|guliverkli, Host of the original project}}
• {{SourceForge|guliverkli2|guliverkli2, Patched build of MPC}}

{{Media players}}

Category:2003 software

Category:Free media players

Category:Free software programmed in C++

Category:Free video software

Category:Software that uses FFmpeg

Category:Windows media players