|
|
|
|
|
Fouled Up Beyond All RecognitionPower users unite behind Foobar |
By Alex Muradin, Editor, Software Reviews
18th of November 2005, 16:15 GMT
Adjust text size:  
|
|
|
|
 Version reviewed: foobar2000 0.9 Beta 11
Foobar2000 Media Player is a very very recommendable player. It is developed by Peter Pawlowski who is or used to work on Winamp3.
FB2000 uses a plain and simple UI - no skins, no fuss. Filesize is 200 kb, while in playback mode the player approximately consumes 1.9 Mbyte of your RAM which is so much less compared to Winamp or MS Media Player.
Foobar2000 is an advanced audio player for the Windows platform.
 Features:
· Open component architecture allowing third-party developers to extend functionality of the player
· Audio formats supported "out-of-the-box": WAV, AIFF, VOC, AU, SND, Ogg Vorbis, MPC, MP2, MP3, MPEG-4 AAC
· Audio formats supported through official addons: FLAC, OggFLAC, Monkey's Audio, WavPack, Speex, CDDA, TFMX, SPC, various MOD types; extraction on-the-fly from RAR, 7-ZIP & ZIP archives
· Full Unicode support on Windows NT
· ReplayGain support
· Low memory footprint, efficient handling of really large playlists
· Advanced file info processing capabilities (generic file info box and masstagger)
· Highly customizable playlist display
 Download foobar2000
 Request a review
|
|
Where's The Cream Fillin'?
I heard that there's a little program floating around the internet for all the hardcore music fans out there. This mythical program that's simple, easy to use and hassle free, a player that's called Foobar. Let's find out if it's truly D-Day worthy or if it falls through the cracks.
Well, my first impression of Foobar wasn't exciting. A bland looking player with nothing really super special about it. In fact, it mostly relied on its simplicity to attract its user base. It plays music without a problem, loads playlists, even has some visualization options that are… how should I say this… a bit under par.
I can't say I'm at all impressed with this player. Yes, you can get WAV, AIFF, VOC, AU, SND, Ogg Vorbis, MPC, MP2, MP3, MPEG-4 AAC, but can you actually adjust the volume on this player? That's one of the more important questions I have to ask myself (you can but not with a volume bar).
Ergonomically, the design is solid, but I'm still questioning the lack of adaptability. I guess I'm not completely justified in saying it's not adaptable since it does offer the possibility for third party developers to add on to it. Open component architecture is a thing that should be included with more programs.
The
interface is easy to use and to manipulate with color themes and transparency, but that's about all the functionality you'll get out of it if you're not a power user. Power users get to enjoy the many benefits of Foobar after spending lots of time tweaking, fine tuning and tweaking what's already there.
With a few add-ons you do get the benefit of having FLAC, OggFLAC, Monkey's Audio, WavPack, Speex, CDDA, TFMX, SPC, various MOD types; extraction on-the-fly from RAR, 7-ZIP & ZIP archives. Sorry, but you have to go grab those yourself.
The Good
Foobar is definitely worth it if you've got a huge playlist and want to have an easy loader with efficient handling. It's got tons of customization possibilities for users who want to spend time and tweak it.
The Bad
For the basic user, it's going to look a tad bland. The lack of a volume bar is also a slight irritation. They've taken the word simplicity to the max.
The Truth
Normal users beware, power users be happy. For a player that plays songs and has a lot of available add-ons, this should attract a certain type of user. Overall, I can't complain too much because of its customizing perks, but it's still a very simple player. If you don't need the extra features that Winamp or Quintessential Player offer, this player's calling your name. Power users shouldn't go too long without having this tool in their arsenal.
Check out the pics below.
|
EDITOR'S RATINGS:
|
| User Interface: |   |
| Features: | |
| Ease of use: | |
| Pricing/Value: | |
| Overall: | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rating: |
|
NOT RATED |
0 vote(s) so far |
|
|
|
|
User opinions: |
No user comments yet.  Be the first to express your opinion using the form below! |
|
|
