SMPlayer

SMPlayer is a free media player for Windows and Linux that plays virtually every video and audio format without requiring additional codec packs. It uses the mpv engine under the hood and remembers the playback position, subtitle track, and audio settings for every file you open.

What it does

Drop a video file onto the SMPlayer window or use Open > File, and playback starts immediately. MKV, MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, MOV, and dozens of other formats work without installing codecs. The playback position memory is the feature that sets SMPlayer apart from most other players: close a two hour movie halfway through, open it days later, and it resumes from the exact second where you stopped. This works across sessions and even after restarting your computer.

Subtitle support handles SRT, ASS, SSA, and SUB files. Place a subtitle file in the same folder with the same name as the video, and SMPlayer loads it automatically. You can adjust subtitle delay, position, font size, and encoding from the Subtitles menu without pausing playback. Audio tracks in multilingual MKV files are switchable on the fly through the Audio menu.

SMPlayer also streams content from YouTube and other sites when yt-dlp is installed on the system. Paste a URL into Open > URL and the video plays directly in the player window. The audio and video equalizers let you adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and frequency bands in real time. Playback speed controls range from 0.25x to 4x.

Who it is for

I keep SMPlayer installed specifically because of the playback memory feature. If you watch long movies, series, or tutorials across multiple sittings, not having to scrub through the timeline to find your spot is genuinely useful. For users who only need basic playback and already have VLC or MPC-HC, there is less reason to switch, but the resume feature alone makes it worth trying.