ShiningSoft Free Video Player

If you're looking for a straightforward, no-fuss application that's capable of playing movies, you can check out ShiningSoft Free Video Player. Wrapped in a clean and intuitive interface, the tool is specially made to play SD and HD videos.

As far as file formats are concerned, the program can load AVI, MP4, MPEG, MTS and M2TS videos, along with DVDs, among others. It has controls dedicated to DVDs, giving you the possibility to select a preferred title or chapter, as well as to play the previous or next title or chapter.

If there are multiple audio and subtitle languages available, you can pick the favorite stream. It's also possible to change the audio channel (left, right, stereo, reverse stereo, switch to full screen or set another screen size (e.g. half), as well as make image adjustments and preview results while making them. These focus on the hue, brightness, contrast, saturation and gamma levels.

Several deinterlacing methods are supported for video playback, such as Blend, Mean, Bob, Linear, Z, Yadif, Phosphor, and Film NTSC. You can even capture the current frame and save it to an JPEG, BMP or PNG photo.

The application is easy to install and doesn't contain advanced configuration settings that are likely to scare off casual users who are just interested in a simple video player. It had minimal impact on the computer's performance in our tests, using minimal system resources. Plus, it offers support for a wide range of media formats, including audio tracks.

On the other hand, ShiningSoft Free Video Player is not designed for advanced users looking for complete control over the entire configuration process. Nevertheless, it's ideal for casual nights with your friends when you just want to enjoy the latest movie without having to worry about complex video player features.