So you’ve been using a Chromebook for a while and are not satisfied with the default video player that comes with it, right? Well, I guessed it because I experienced it a couple of months back. So I know how bland and annoying the native media player is. And they also encounter some playback errors and glitches that may interrupt our video playback. In this scenario, it’s obvious that a third-party media player can help. But which ones are worth considering? That’s exactly what we are going to review in this article.
So here are the best video players for Chromebook that can offer solid performance and a satisfying video viewing experience.
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7 Best Video Players for Chromebook
1. VLC Media Player
Irrespective of the operating system, talking about media players bring VLC player straight to the limelight. And the case is not different for ChromeOS too. Since Google Play Store is available on Chromebooks, you can easily download and use the VLC media player for video playback. Here you can either use the VLC lite version or the Linux version, which has a few more features than the former.
The VLC media player is a free, open-source, and cross-platform video and audio player that supports a wide range of media formats such as MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, ACC, and network streaming protocols as well. As a port of the full-blown desktop version, the Android and Linux versions will also support nearly all video and audio formats with all codecs embedded within the app.
Furthermore, besides the essential media player features like auto-rotation, aspect ratio adjustment, volume, brightness adjustment, seeking, etc., it supports gesture controls, multi-track audios, subtitles, closed captions, and Teletext without the need for any additional downloads.
2. MX Player
If you’ve ever used the MX player on your mobile device, you’ll definitely find it an excellent media player for a fine-tuned video viewing experience. It packs a multitude of playback and streaming functionalities along with multiple web shows, series, and movies for you to stream right from the app. While the free version comes with all essential features that would be enough for most users, the Pro version lets you unlock all the premium features and make use of its full potential on your Chromebook.
What’s more interesting about MX Player is its support for a wide range of next-level features like multicore decoding, kid lock, hardware acceleration (SW, HW, and HW+ decoders), subtitle moving and enlargement, etc.
The app’s only downside is that it doesn’t support DTS and Dolby audio codecs. Due to licensing issues, videos with DTS, DTSHD, AC3, EAC3, and MLP codecs won’t give out audio while playing. However, you can fix this issue simply by installing a custom codec with AC3 audio support.
3. KMPlayer
KMPlayer is a perfect media player for Chromebook with a buttery smooth user interface and loads of playback features incorporated into it. Without lag, it can play almost all kinds of high-resolution videos, music, subtitle files, etc. While providing a flawless playback experience on ChromeOS, the player also lets you enjoy some rich features such as a quick button, timer, equalizer, zoom and move, cloud streaming, etc.
In addition to the free version, the app also comes in a VIP version by which you can unlock loads of premium features. They include a magnet client to play videos in real-time while downloading, GIF Toast that lets you create dynamic pictured GIFs from videos, media cropping, an MP3 converter, a customizable player theme, and more!
4. Wuffy Media Player
If you want something more than a decent video player for Chrome OS, you can always opt for Wuffy Player, as it can work as both a video player and an IPTV player. The player comes with support for almost all media files like DivX, Flv, m3u8, Mkv, MOV, mp3, mp4, mpg, Mts, Ogg, rm, Rmvb, ts, WMV, and network streaming protocols like http, https, MMS, RTMP, RTSP, acestream, torrent, etc.
The Wuffy Player also shines in its convenient and powerful user interface that can make use of the full potential of your device while playing media files.
5. GOM Player
GOM Player is quite a well-known moniker among media players, irrespective of the devices and operating systems. While being one of the most popular and used media players for Windows, the app extends its support for Android and, thus, for Google’s Chrome OS. Apart from a mediocre player’s basic functionalities, the GOM player has way more features to offer. They include support for non-encoding, speed control, gesture control, light control, section movement, etc.
What makes it even more interesting is its support for 360-degree videos. You can easily play 360-degree videos at their full potential, just like you see on social media like Facebook. And the best part? You can now enjoy the theatre-like viewing experience with its new VR theatre mode, and that too with hands-free control provisions.
6. CnX Player
CnX is another powerful media player for Chromebook that lets you play all video formats, even 4K/UHD/2160p resolution videos, smoothly. What makes it unique in playing high-resolution videos is that it is the only video player with excellent settings and filters for custom saturation, brightness, and contrast for an enhanced video playback experience on your device.
Some of the cool features of the player include using theatre mode simultaneously while browsing the media gallery, natural and intuitive gesture controls, colorful player themes, floating window media player, etc.
7. Plex
Plex is another trusted name on the list when it comes to media players. Plex is a combination of a streaming platform and a media player that offers a wide range of video playback features.
Plex offers a media server solution that lets you curate and stream your favorite videos and music anywhere on all your devices. For this, plex scans and organizes your personal files and sorts them automatically to showcase them intuitively.
With Plex installed on your Chromebook, it can serve both the purposes of a media player and a TV & movie streaming application. And the best part is that you don’t need a subscription to access its content.
Top Chromebook Video Players Ranked For You
So these are the best media players for Chromebook handpicked for you. While some a lightweight and some are not, all of them can provide you with far better performance and features than the native Chromebook media player. As you can see in the list, I prefer using the VLC media player in the first place, but if you want to try something different, try other media players on the list.
If you think we missed something that deserves to be on the top 7 list, feel free to drop a comment below and mention the app.