player

RuneScape, a popular massive online swords-and-sorcery game, is at last dumping Java and becoming a Web app.

Jagex Games Studio released the first RuneScape 3 beta yesterday, embracing HTML5 and related Web standards that offer programmers a more modern option for writing software that runs on a variety of operating systems.

About time, I say. Java had some potential years ago, and it still has its place elsewhere in the computing world. But as a way to extend a browser's abilities, it's history. If the plague of Java security vulnerabilities weren't enough to convince you otherwise, the … Read more

Meson Player (32bit, 64bit, Mac)

Meson Player is a tiny music player without a conventional graphical user interface (GUI). The lack of a GUI puts the bulk of the application control in hot keys rather than the usual mouse and click. Using your keyboard's number pad, you can quickly skip tracks, turn volume up or down, and save and open playlists. Meson Player can handle a variety of audio file formats as well as Internet Radio playlists. Meson Player also supports the multimedia keys on some keyboards for advanced functionality.

Barely consuming any system resources, the software leaves a … Read more

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Notable New Products

GOM Media Player for Windows handles most of the more common video formats, including MP4, AVI, MKV, and more. It comes with a sleeker, more media center-focused design and packs plenty of codecs under the hood to play just about any media format you throw at it.

The initial installation is standard, like any other Windows product: accept a couple terms, set a destination folder, and choose to opt in or out of an offer from AVG. After installation completes, GOM will guide you through an optional setup process to optimize initial use based on sound and monitor setup.

You'… Read more

If you're an audiophile, the built-in media players in Android are never going to wow you. Even Google Music lacks advanced audio control. Android Equalizer Player, however, gives you a quality audio equalizer to enjoy your music more. Your mileage will vary based on how good your speakers are, but the extra control this player gives is welcome.

The app's blank, black layout is a minimalist's dream. It's just white text on a black background with no frills. That gives you all the room you need for music, but tapping the right buttons requires plenty of … Read more

I get asked this question a lot: "Does anyone still make great-sounding affordable CD players?" Sure, most of the major brands do, but only NAD currently offers a large slate of players starting with the $300 C 516BEE, and it's a honey.

Before we go any further I want to first clarify why I'm reviewing a CD player in 2013. Despite the naysayers the CD isn't "dead," far from it. Music lovers are still buying hundreds of millions of CDs every year. Download sales just barely surpassed sales of physical music (CDs, LPs, … Read more

Finding suitable programs to play certain audio and karaoke files can be difficult. While basically functional, QMidi for Mac's dated interface and lack of instructions could make it a less attractive download for all but the most experienced users.

QMidi for Mac comes with a free trial version with a pop-up nag screen. After the installation completed, the user is prompted to purchase the full version, which costs $12. This menu can be dismissed after waiting a few seconds. The program lacks user instructions, but support for updates is available and additional program versions have fixed reported bugs. The … Read more

Heavy audio users and those who like karaoke need specialized programs. MidiCo Karaoke Player and Maker for Mac purports to allow a number of karaoke related features, but its confusing interface and program glitches are problematic.

MidiCo Karaoke Player and Maker for Mac offers a free trial version, but playback is limited to two minutes. Unlocking the full version requires payment of $25.90. The program downloaded and installed quickly, which is expected from a small application. Upon startup, the application loads into a small window, which is difficult to interpret. After searching the drop-down menus, we found a link … Read more

Don't let its name fool you; Cyberlink PowerDVD may sound like a name that's stuck in the past, but it's a media player and library manager that goes beyond just standard disc playback. Instead, PowerDVD 13 aims to distinguish itself from the premium media player crowd with features like "TrueTheater" enhancements, presentable media browsing, and customizable playback tools. To wrap it all up, PowerDVD also aims to rope all your media devices into one experience.

Installation is the standard shindig: Cyberlink takes about 360MB of space and leaves a light footprint. And like any good … Read more