Windows 7: Why are media players so awful?

I have used various media players and most of them are awful.
My favourite media player is WMP 10!

WMP 10
The layout isn't too bad and there are only a few haphazard control/option placements.
The library is reasonably easy to use.
This player is the one I use in XP.

Winamp
The control/option placements are fairly haphazard.
Updating track info in the library has to be done one track at a time.
This is the player I use in Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit).

WMP12
This player is awful.
The control/option placements are totally haphazard (scattered over several windows).
It has horrible problems (e.g. it refuses to obey instructions/settings).
There are many web pages about its bad behaviour.
The library isn't too bad.
I refuse to use this player because of the problems it has caused me.
See this thread for examples:
Stop media updating

VLC
The control/option placements are fairly haphazard.
The Playlist and Media library are awful.
I only use this player for rmvb files.

Media Player Classic
It's not particularly user friendly.
In April or May, something changed on my XP and Windows 7 installations and it couldn't play rmvb files correctly (video OK, audio broken).
See this thread:
Did MS patches (May) break rmvb support in MPC?
It doesn't really have Playlists or a Media library.
I use this player for all my videos (except rmvb) in XP and Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit).

Real Player
The installer is horrible.
The installation scatters files all over my HDD (requiring me to conduct "search & destroy" missions).
Updates require a complete reinstall (i.e. it doesn't remember any of the previous installation settings).
It always hijacks my file extensions even when I tell it not to.
The control/option placements are fairly haphazard.
The library isn't too bad.
It seems to have a good CD database.
I use this player for ripping CDs.

WMC
I find navigation is difficult.
The control/option placements are fairly haphazard.
Overall it's not too bad, but I don't use it.

I have also tried other programs at various times in the past:

• GOM Player
• DivX
• Aktiv Player
• jetAudio Basic
• Music Match
• SMX

Does anybody else have any media player horror stories? What are your favourite media players?

I use VLC for all of my MKV-contained content. I find that given it's overall slim size in comparison to others like WMP and iTunes it gets first run.

When I have my stuff converted out of MKV and into MP4 containers, I send them to iTunes. iTunes has everything I watch or listen to. Almost 500GB worth.

I see Zune Player is missing from your list... >.>
You don't need a Zune to use it. <.<

The Zune Player is freaking gorgeous, best looking thing there is.

I use Zoom Player from Inmatrix.com - Zoom Player Download to play almost all of my video files.
For files that have issues I will use VLC.
For music I will either use Zune, itunes or WMP12, depending on what I am doing at the time.

Thanks for commenting.
I thought that it was only reasonable, to complain about programs that I had actually used.

On the PC "Flame" blog that I read, Windows users are always complaining about iTunes and Mac users say it's fantastic.
The consensus seems to be, that it is great on Macs and only so-so on Windows.

On that same blog, a lot of Windows users praise Zune (and of course the Mac users don't really like it).
I have considered trying to get a copy, but since I have already got everything set-up for Winamp, it hasn't been a high priority.

Thanks for that link Zepher. I'll add it to my collection.

BTW, Merry Christmas everyone.

Agreed. It has it's moments. I've just gotten use to it. Apple made a great product on the mac so-so on Windows just to gain more market share. I think they felt they "HAD TO" in order to look like they like Windows+iPod users.

I use VLC for most of my videos and MediaMonkey for my songs. I guess, I'm just simply used to how MediaMonkey works. XD

Mac users cannot actually use it, It is Windows only so I would take what they say with a grain of salt. Plus most are anti-microosft anything even if it is good. :P

It shouldn't alter your collection or anything. It will just use not alter unless you tell it to, any music in the Music library. Makes it easy to test it out.

Thats because Itunes is the most god awful piece of software known to man. You know how every other media player, all you have to do is point it to your music library and it figures it out? Well Itunes doesn't like that, it has to create its own special folder, so you have the same Music twice....

Frankly, I like WMP12 it does what I want it to do. WMP10 caused me no end of issues, I think i can think of about 5 files (out of 2000 odd media files that I have) which WMP12 won't play. For those I use VLC.

I get what you mean about the controls though, they are a bit all over the shop. This is why I always just use the "Alt" key, basically everything you want is in those 5 little dropdown menus. I dont know why Microsoft think that "File Edit etc." offends our eyes so much and insists on hiding them away. This is my main gripe with MS Office too. The Ribbon just makes no sense to me at all.

I had assumed that they either saw it on their friend's PCs or they were dual booting Windows.
I agree that the vocal Mac advocates generally hate anything made by MS.

WMP 12 shouldn't either.

I hate installing and uninstalling programs.
There always seem to be orphaned folders and leftover Registry entries to deal with.

Even more so now, after the discussions about winsxs on:
Winsxs - Safe to delete?

I agree with you about the Ribbon (in Office 2007, I haven't used 2010).

The first time I encountered it, I couldn't figure out how to print a document.
So much for all the common functions being easier to access because of the Ribbon.
I didn't realise that the "lollipop" logo was actually a button.
I was so bamboozled, I forgot that I could use Ctrl + P.

Ironically though, I think that it could actually work in a media player.
You could have tabs for Media Library, Music, Pictures, Playlists, TV and Video.