One of the best multimedia players, AVPlayer (HD), removed from AppStore - here's a list of the best alternatives

UPDATE (21/Dec/2012): it's BACK! See THIS.

Original article:

I've recommended AVPlayer (HD) in several of my articles as a player with an excellent video decoder and feature set and one of the most recommended, best titles for iPhones and iPads alike.

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Unfortunately, it (both the small-screen and the iPad versions) has been recently removed from the AppStore. I've talked to the developer. Currently, it's unknown when AVPlayer(HD) is put back to AppStore - it won't happen in the near future (1-2 weeks), that's for sure.

That is, in the meantime, if you haven't purchased AVPlayer previously and want to purchase a new player now, you'll definitely want to check out the alternatives. If you do know what file formats you want to play back, some of them:

- WMV playback (see THIS): ProPlayer, GoodPlayer and, if you're jailbroken and don't need iPad 3 Retina screen support, XBMC.

- video playback with embedded VobSub subtitles (see THIS and THIS): ProPlayer

- H.264 playback with DSP's (see THIS): It's Playing

(A screenshot showing AVPlayer(HD) belons to the (unfortunately, very small) set of iOS multimedia players capable of hardware accelerating MKV and AVI playback.)

- MKV playback: BUZZ Player (HD) (review; it's currently offered at a discounted intro price of $1 / $2 for small-screen-devices and iPads, respectively, which makes it a very good buy for new customers; note that it won't play MKV files with DTS audio!), It's Playing (note that it stutters a bit more than the other, recommended titles; however, the excellent and absolutely unique DSP's it has may make up for this problem), HD Player Pro (if you don't need TV output - see THIS) and, if you're jailbroken and don't need iPad 3 Retina screen support, XBMC. But, of course, if you have MKV files, you'll always want to remux them to native iOS formats (mp4 / mov / m4v). Under iOS, there is simply no way to play back local MKV's flawlessly, not even on jailbroken devices. Remuxing is best done via Subler - see my dedicated article series ((currently) last part). In THIS MacRumors thread, I also discuss these questions.

- MPEG-2 DVB playback, including even 1080i60 (not only lower-res): yaPlayer (see THIS), Oplayer HD.

- MS-MPEG4 (MP4 ASP) playback: ProPlayer, Oplayer (HD for iPad) by olimsoft, GPlayer by Ginkgo Tech, GoodPlayer by Hustmobile - and XBMC if you're jailbroken (and don't need iPad 3 Retina support). Also see THIS for my list.

- SSA subtitle rendering and playback: HD Player Pro (see THIS) and XBMC.

 

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Author Details

Author Details

Werner Ruotsalainen

<p>Werner Ruotsalainen is an iOS and Java programming lecturer who is well-versed in programming, hacking, operating systems, and programming languages. Werner tries to generate unique articles on subjects not widely discussed. Some of his articles are highly technical and are intended for other programmers and coders.</p>
<p>Werner also is interested in photography and videography. He is a frequent contributor to not only mobile and computing publications, but also photo and video forums. He loves swimming, skiing, going to the gym, and using his iPads. English is one of several languages he speaks.</p>