video player Archives

BetaBeacon

May 17, 2025

The 5 Best New Apps for Android and iPhone this Week

- EA SPORTS FC Tactical is a mobile game that offers a turn-based system for making strategic decisions during key moments of a football match. - The game combines realistic player models with stylized animations and a rock-paper-scissors-style attribute system to determine the outcome of encounters. - The game features a unique approach to traditional football elements and offers a cinematic experience with dynamic music and visual effects.

Winsage

May 6, 2025

Ready to ditch Windows for good? This is the Linux distro I recommend for beginners

SDesk is a free Linux distribution designed for users hesitant to explore Arch-based systems. It features a user-friendly interface utilizing the GNOME desktop environment, with a traditional layout that includes a panel, menu, top bar, and desktop icons. Pre-installed applications include LibreOffice, Geary, GNOME Music, GNOME Video, Octopi, GNOME Maps, and Swirl. Users can install additional software easily through Octopi and Flatpak. SDesk offers commendable performance with swift application launches and effective window snapping capabilities. However, it has some issues, including a bug that can cause the desktop to freeze upon reboot after an update and the lack of multimedia codecs for MP3 and MP4 playback, which can be resolved by installing VLC media player.

AppWizard

February 13, 2025

Hands-on: Apple TV finally comes to Android phones, tablets

Users of Android devices can now access a dedicated Apple TV app available in the Google Play Store, improving the experience compared to previous web and PWA access. The app features a user-friendly interface with a bottom navigation bar for Apple TV+, MLS, Downloads, and Search. It incorporates Material 3 design elements and offers a hamburger menu for tablet users. The app allows streaming options over cellular and Wi-Fi with high quality and data saver modes, and it includes download options for offline viewing. It features content carousels and a "Continue Watching" section that syncs across devices. The video player supports portrait mode and picture-in-picture functionality. However, the app currently lacks Casting support, notifications for new episodes, and requires users already signed into Apple Music to log in again. It supports Google Play Billing for subscriptions.

AppWizard

December 27, 2024

YouTube for Android testing ‘Play something’ FAB

YouTube has introduced a floating action button (FAB) labeled “Play something” in its mobile app, which leads users to content in the Shorts player and regular videos in a portrait interface. The layout includes buttons for liking, disliking, commenting, and sharing, with a timeline scrubber at the bottom. When the miniplayer is activated, the “Play something” button disappears. This feature has been tested since last year and is available in version 19.50 for Android devices.

Winsage

December 25, 2024

6 open-source alternatives to Windows Media Player that are probably better than it

Windows 11 introduces a revamped media player called Windows Media Player, which has a modern interface but may lack certain functionalities, leading users to seek alternatives. Audacious is a straightforward audio library manager with a minimalist design that allows users to import music collections and create playlists, supporting internet streams. MPV is a lightweight video player with a minimalistic interface that supports a wide range of formats and allows drag-and-drop playback, primarily functioning through command-line. SMPlayer provides a user-friendly graphical interface on top of MPV, enhancing usability with features like dual subtitle support and internet streaming, while remaining compatible with various formats and codecs. Clementine offers advanced music management with an intuitive interface that organizes tracks and generates playlists based on listening habits, integrating with internet services for streaming music and radio. MPC-HC is a lightweight media player known for extensive codec support, offering features like subtitle support, playback position saving, and content streaming from platforms like YouTube. VLC Media Player is renowned for its versatility, supporting virtually every audio and video format, including DVD playback, and can search for subtitles online, making it a top choice for media playback across platforms.

AppWizard

November 11, 2024

Android users spot a TikTok-style swipe on YouTube’s horizontal videos

TikTok has introduced a swipe-up gesture for video consumption, which has been adopted by competitors like Instagram and YouTube. YouTube is exploring the integration of this swipe-up feature into its standard video player, which is typically designed for horizontal viewing. This potential change was noted by Digital Trends contributor Tushar Mehta, who highlighted user skepticism about scrolling on long-form videos. Reactions on social media have been largely negative, with users expressing frustration and humor about the idea. Currently, this change is an unofficial test on Android devices, and YouTube has not made any formal statements regarding its implementation.

AppWizard

November 11, 2024

YouTube is testing the worst change ever in its Android app

Recent changes in the YouTube app for Android have altered the swipe-down gesture used for fullscreen video playback. This gesture now plays the next video instead of exiting fullscreen mode, aligning with similar functionality in YouTube Shorts. Users have expressed concerns about this change disrupting their established viewing habits and muscle memory. The swipe-down action now complicates the immersive experience of long-form content, as it does not allow for a quick return to the standard viewing interface. While the button option to enter and exit fullscreen remains, many users prefer the convenience of gesture controls. The modification is currently in a limited testing phase, with no official confirmation from Google. Community feedback shows a preference for retaining the original swipe gesture for fullscreen navigation.

Winsage

November 1, 2024

If you’re ready to leave Windows 11 behind, I recommend this distro for new Linux users

SDesk is an Arch-based Linux distribution designed for new users, featuring a user-friendly GNOME desktop environment with a traditional layout. It comes pre-installed with applications such as LibreOffice, Geary, GNOME Music, GNOME Video, Octopi, GNOME Maps, and Swirl. Users can install additional software easily through Octopi or Flatpak. The distribution offers a clean and visually appealing interface, with good performance and enhanced window snapping. However, it has some bugs, such as desktop lock-ups during login after updates, and lacks codecs for MP3 or MP4 playback, which can be resolved by installing VLC media player.

AppWizard

October 31, 2024

Android Studio getting more Gemini to help app development

Google has introduced several updates for developers, enhancing Android Studio and the Play Store. Key features in Android Studio include Gemini Code Transforms for code modification, automatic commit message generation, a tool for renaming classes and variables, a prompt library for frequently used prompts, composable preview generation, documentation assistance, unit test scenario generation, build/sync error insights, and app quality insights. These features are available in the Android Studio canary channel and will be rolled out in stable form with the upcoming Ladybug Feature Drop in late December. In the Google Play Store, a fullscreen portrait video player for app listings is being introduced, which has shown to increase total watch time by 7%, video completion rates by 9%, and conversions by 5%. Google has encouraged users to set up payment methods, resulting in a doubling of purchase-ready accounts this year, exceeding half a billion users. Biometric authentication for purchases has tripled in adoption in 2024. The introduction of Cash App eWallet will offer an additional payment option for U.S. users, and inline reminders will prompt users browsing products in games. On the security front, Google is enhancing the Play Integrity API for improved app and device verification on devices running Android 13 and above, making it more difficult for attackers to bypass security measures.

AppWizard

October 24, 2024

YouTube could soon make it easier to stop binging past your bedtime (APK teardown)

The YouTube app for Android is testing a beta version (19.43.32) that may simplify the activation of bedtime reminders by integrating it into the video player window. Users could set reminders in 15-minute increments or receive notifications when the current video ends. Options for time frames include 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes, as well as a reminder when the video concludes.