Media Player Classic is a compact media player for Microsoft Windows that looks and feels like Windows Media Player 6.4 It’s small and lightweight, but it supports many video file types. Media Player Classic integrates most options and features found in modern media players, including support for:
- MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 playback
- DirectShow, QuickTime and RealPlayer architectures
- Matroska and Ogg containers
- TV tuners
Media Player Classic was created and maintained by a programmer named “Gabest” who also created PCSX2 graphics plugin GSDX.
The first version came out on May 30, 2003.
It was developed as a closed-source application, but later relicensed as free software under the terms of the GNU General Public License. MPC is hosted under the guliverkli project at SourceForge.net. The project itself is something of an umbrella organization for works by Gabest.
Media Player Classic development stalled in May 2006. Gabest, the main developer of the original version, stated in March 2007 that development of Media Player Classic is not dead but that he was unable to work on it. The community at the Doom9 forum has since continued the project in two main veins. The version known as Media Player Classic 6.4.9.1 was meant for fixing bugs and updating outdated libraries; its branch’s development is inactive. The other version, called Media Player Classic – Home Cinema, is meant for adding new features, as well as fixing bugs and updating libraries.
You can download the 6.4.9.1 version of Media Player Classic (MPC) here.