CSPlayer

Before the Internet got so powerful and forced every activity into being performed online as an alternative, media disks were the trend. This includes videos as well, with specialized players required to read content. If you happen to still use this method of entertainment, CSPlayer is able to fulfill most of your playback needs.

It comes in a lightweight package and doesn’t even ask you to spend time, nor effort to get it running, because installation is not required. This means you can carry it along on a USB flash drive along with multimedia files, so you can enjoy them on other computers as well, without worrying that the target PC gets affected.

On launch, a compact main window shows up, looking pretty much like the common Media Player Classic. A simple window frame is wrapped around a preview area and a set of controls which includes playback options, volume slider, playback slider, and general video state, name, and time.

The application also comes with a playlist editor, but it can’t open such files, or save it for later use. What’s more, videos need to be stopped in order to be able to open another one, or simply add it to the playlist. This also applies to access the options panel, and can quickly become frustrating.

There’s the possibility to disable the visibility of all panels except for the preview area. Luckily, this can be an advantage, because the application supports hotkeys, which can be viewed or configured from the options menu. There’s also the option to enter full-screen mode, but double-clicking the preview area doesn’t trigger it, unlike most common video players.

CSPlayer comes with good intentions, but not quite prepared for the existing abundance and variety of alternatives. Most options become unusable whenever a video is playing or the other way around, while the general look and feel leave more to be desired. Practicality is tipped a bit in its favor thanks to drag and drop, as well as hotkey support.