DMediaPlayer

When it comes to multimedia playback, the Internet is probably the primary source nowadays, but dedicated applications are still required to run offline playback of media files. Some have built quite the reputation over the years, with VLC media player being a suitable example. In close relation, DMediaPlayer wants to provide a lightweight environment, and only features you need for multimedia playback.

There are several things you need to check before you can run the application. First of all, .NET Framework is a required component, but it’s a default feature in modern Windows iterations. On the other hand, you also need a VLC media player, because DMediaPlayer uses some of its link libraries.

The visual design is minimalistic, with a large preview area which can be adjusted by resizing the window, and the corresponding playback controls in the bottom toolbar. A progress slider helps you skip through content, while volume is adjusted in a similar manner, including the mute function triggered at the press of a button.

When it comes to file support, DMediaPlayer leaves a bit more to be desired. Dragging files over the main window has no effect, so you’re stuck with the browse dialog to select formats like AVI, MPEG, WMV, MP3, WAV, or WMA. Playback immediately starts, with the possibility to enter fullscreen mode by double-clicking the preview area.

Unfortunately, this is about everything the application is prepared to handle. This means that audio playback needs to be monitored so you’re around to load a new song every time the current one ends, because of the lack of a playlist editor.

Bottom line is that DMediaPlayer wants to be a lightweight counterpart of the popular VLC media player, but isn’t really prepared to handle this task. Sure enough, operations at your disposal are simple, but it’s stripped of some useful functions, such as playlist manager, or a bit more flexibility in file support.