MPVMediaControl

For maximum convenience, ease of use and compatibility, many developers try their best to implement a variety of features within their applications that make use of the operating system’s native functions, such as the context menu or system tray area.

When it comes to cross-platform programs, accessing deeply embedded features can sometimes be much more challenging, since deviating excessively from the core development template can break compatibility with other systems, which is where dedicated tools such as MPVMediaControl come into play to add instant support for the audiovisual player to be managed by users from Windows’ native control menus.

With the latest iteration of Windows 11, the traditional On-Screen Display menu for currently playing media was shrunk down, placed to the bottom of the monitor and the controls sent to the Action Center to avoid taking too much screen real estate when adjusting the volume. However, its support for automatically detecting media playback can still vary depending on the developer’s custom implementation method.

As such, as soon as the required files are put into their corresponding directories, starting up the program initializes a discrete system tray icon accompanying the background process tasked with revealing the title, thumbnail and playback status of the MPV media player to Windows’ Media Controls. This ultimately lets users switch to the next track in the playlist or pause the currently playing song from a hub that most may find more accessible compared to reaching the app window manually.

Finally, given its open-source license, those with programming experience can make the necessary alterations for adapting the available framework to fit their own media players, thus enhancing the user experience to fit more interaction styles and extend compatibility with more native Windows features.

Whether you happen to use the MPV media player for both audio and video files and you want to control it from the Action Center, or you are looking for a way to add that support to your custom applications, MPVMediaControl may be the right tool for the job, given its accessible implementation method and lightweight form factor.