1. VLC Media Player
Released back in 2001, VLC Media player is one of the oldest and the most popular video players available on the internet. The reasons for its popularity are many. Not only is it available for Ubuntu, but for countless other operating systems as well including Windows, Android, iOS etc. This open source media player can support almost any media file you throw at it without the hassle of any additional plugins. Besides the flexibility to play most kinds of audio and video files on VLC, viewing subtitles is also a breeze.
What also makes it stand out is the support for DVD and videos saved on your USB flash drive which is not very common in media players available for Linux. The list of features is endless; streaming and downloading videos from websites like Youtube, add-ons for browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, support for high definition videos such as MPEG and HEVC, ability to download subtitles without any additional plugin, and so on.
Installation of VLC on Ubuntu is as simple as typing:
sudo apt-get install vlcon the command line.
2. SMPlayer
Another favorite of Ubuntu users, SMPlayer, is actually an upgrade of the older Mplayer with a user-friendly interface. Released in 2006 under GNU GPLv2, this media player is just as capable of running most audio and video files without the requirement of any additional plugins as the first one in our list.
Without any additional codec, you can use the software to play and download Youtube videos, search and download subtitles from the internet and load them into the video via the player, and resume videos from the point where you stopped watching. Other features include countless skins which can easily be downloaded from the internet, the ability to adjust playback speed, the presence of effective audio and video equalizers, and a customizable toolbar.
All the attractive features apart, a good media player should offer a great playback performance and SMPlayer maintains a reputation for delivering exactly that. Download SMPlayer simply by running the commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayersudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install smplayer smplayer-themes smplayer-skins
3. MPV Player
MPV Player is another free media player released in Oct 2016 under license from GPLv2. Similar to SMPlayer, this media player is also an advancement to the older MPlayer. The primary reason for this advancement was to make the media player easier to use by including a graphical interface. Certain other features were introduced as well to make the overall experience better for the user. Another improvement in the design of the original MPlayer worth mentioning is the improved quality of client API which MPV offers since it can be used by other programs with a library interface by the name of libmpv.
Although you will not find an option to open a media file using the player, you can drag and drop a video or audio file on the video player to play it. What's distinguishing about MPV is its ability to decode 4K videos which is better than what you would find in most other video players available for Ubuntu. With the use of youtube-dl, you can play high definition videos from Youtube and hundreds of other websites using the video player. Besides supporting almost all the different video and audio file extensions, MPV also offers media encoding, smooth transition between two frames, color management, and more.
Here are the commands using which you can get MPV Player on your system:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mc3man/mpv-testssudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mpv
4. XBMC - Kodi Media Center
Kodi, which was originally known as Xbox Media Center or XBMC, is a cross-platform media player licensed under GNU which is quite a popular software for playing audio and video files on Ubuntu. It offers support for most formats of audio and video files that are available online or saved in your system. In the form of add-ons, it offers loads of attractive features including screensavers and themes for a customized interface, syncing and downloading subtitles, video streaming, and visualizations. As Kodi was originally designed for a gaming console, Xbox, it also offers support for joystick and other gaming controllers.
Downloading Kodi on Ubuntu is very simple using the commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppasudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y kodi
5. Miro
Miro, which was formerly called Democracy Player or DTV, is a free audio and video player and also an internet television application which you may use on Ubuntu besides all the other major operating systems including Windows. It is released under GNU General Public License and offers support for almost all media formats including the ones with HD quality. It also features a user-friendly video converter based on FFmpeg which can convert almost any video/audio file format into mp4 or h264. The media player is easy to use and allows you to download and watch videos from various websites on the internet using RSS.
Type the following commands on the command line to get Miro on Ubuntu:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:joyard-nicolas/ffmpegsudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg miro
So, now that you have the top 5 video players for Ubuntu on your fingertips, it shouldn't be hard to pick the one that suits your requirements best. Download your pick right away and start enjoying your favorite movies and songs without a hitch.