Software » Video Players » Zoom Player 20.1 / 21 RC1

"*" = New
"+" = Change
"-" = Fix

What's new in Zoom Player v21 release candidate 1:

New :

* As part of the Modern UI overhaul, I created a new color control overlay
interface. It is accessible through the same color color keyboard shortcut
(Shift+"O") and the right-click context menu.

The new color control overlay is fully compatible with remote control
devices using the left/right/up/down/enter navigation style and provides
a more intuitive and less obtrusive interface.

The color control overlay is now the default option when picking the color
controls from the main home theater interface. You can change this under
"Adv. Options / Interface / Fullscreen Navigation".

* New Setting (Adv. Options / Playback / Video / Colors) that controls the
size of the new color control overlay.

* New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to show the
control overlay when opening a new media.

* Updated Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Fullscreen Navigation) to
allow the selection of the new Color Control Overlay interface as an
option when opening the color controls from the main Home Theater interface.

* New Setting (Adv. Options / Playback / IPTV) that controls whether
the stream list filter works when pressing enter or when typing in
each letter (default).

* The media library's Media Server (PLEX/Emby/Jellyfin) plugin now shows
TV episode numbers next to the episode name.
Changed :

+ To make sure the new Modern UI's control overlay works well when upgrading
from previous versions, the default skin has been applied. If you are using
a custom skin, you will need to re-select it from the skin picker dialog.

+ The IPTV player window has been optimized for smoother scrolling while
the stream's logo/image is being updated.

+ Pressing the ESC key in the Media Library's search window first clears
any existing searches and then a second press closes the search window.
Fixed :

- Streaming from the media library's "Media server" plugin did not respect
the "Use libVLC Engine to stream Media Server content" setting.

- Media Server paths are no longer displayed in the media library, they
were basically just gibberish to a human and a distraction.

- Media Server TV show listings did not show their duration in the
TV jukebox area.

What's new in Zoom Player v21 beta 3:

New :

* New media library search feature that works by filtering the
currently listed items. This feature will be expanded in future
releases to make it accessible using a remote control.

* You can now drag Zoom Player's window by dragging the title area
of a Home Theater interface. If you are not using the default
home theater skin, you may need a new version of the skin that
support this feature.

* New "/subtitle:[filename]" command line parameter that specifies an
external subtitle file that should be loaded when opening a media
file from the command line.

* Now showing the seek mouse cursor when the mouse is hovering over the
timeline area (can be disabled in the control overlay options).

* New keyboard shortcuts to switch between Classic & Modern user interfaces:
Ctrl+Shift+"F10" - Switch to Classic mode
Ctrl+Shift+"F11" - Switch to Modern mode

Classic mode :
- Fully skinned user interface with lots of buttons
- Control overlay interface is disabled
- Control bar appears when moving the mouse to screen-bottom (fullscreen)
- The space key shows the control bar
- Hot corners are enabled at 5%

Modern mode :
- Small frame user interface, no buttons whatsoever
- Control overlay interface appears over video area on mouse movement
- Control bar is disabled
- The space key performs a pause/play action
- Hot corners are disabled (feature conflict with control overlay)
Changed :

+ Opening a Home Theater interface while the control overlay was visible
now restores the control overlay when closing the home theater interface.

+ The control overlay's timeline position-hint now appears above the
current time/duration time display area, no longer obscuring the text.

+ The audio tag display position has changed from "Bottom" to "Center" in
order to make sure it's not obscured by the control overlay.

+ Moving between screens instantly redraws the control overlay with button
sized to match the screen's resolution.
Fixed :

- Upgrading from previous versions using the default skin now resets the
skin to the new default mode.

- The control overlay's button sizes should now appear reasonable on
ultra-widescreen monitors.

- Fixed a bug that caused some of the Modern UI buttons to randomly
appear as white boxes.

- The "Prevent mouse actions from moving or resizing the main window"
feature no longer blocks regular mouse clicks.

- One of the code optimizations I've made in v21 beta 1 broke some
command line parameter parsing.

- Fixed a crash trying to resize the player window to minimum size
on a 4K display.

What's new in Zoom Player v21 beta 2:

New :

* New Setting (Adv. Options / Playback / libVLC) allowing you to control
whether the libVLC media engine should be used to stream IPTV archived
(catchup) programs. This setting does not affect VOD playback.

* New feature to automatically resize the player window to hide aspect
ratio black bars, showing only the video. By default, this feature
is assigned to the Shift+"`" (~) keyboard shortcut.

* New feature to add the currently playing media to the favorites list. By
default, this feature is assigned to the Ctrl+Shift+"F" keyboard shortcut.

* New "Add to favorites" option on the Playlist Home Theater interface.

* New "Add to favorites" option on the Play History Home Theater interface.

* You can now add the "Add to favorites" button to the control overlay.

* New feature to show a pop-up Stream Selection menu. By default this
feature is assigned to the control overlay's stream selection button.

* When using IPTV's Xtream Codes API, icons (Live, Movie, Series) are now
displayed next to group names.
Change :

+ It took nearly 3 days of optimization work, but now the advanced options
dialog should open almost twice as fast.

+ Added a lot more control overlay button options including Play History,
Streaming Stations, Seek by duration percentage, DirectShow Zoom in/out
and many more (63 button options so far).

+ Zoom Player now saves the current play rate (speed) on exit. So if you
disabled the settings that automatically reset the play rate, reopening
Zoom Player now restores the previous play rate when playing the next
track.

+ Rephrased Zoom Player's function descriptions to make them more logical
and easier to find when sorted alphabetically.

+ Pop-up OSD messages are now shown below the control overlay's title
area when the control overlay is visible.

+ Added buttons to the Control Overlay setup page to make it easier to
reset only some of the settings to default, allowing you to more easily
experiment with custom designs.

+ The stream selection button on the default control overlay layout now
opens a pop-up menu instead of the Home Theater stream selection interface.

+ Updated Home Theater icons (media library, play history & color controls).

+ The multi-playlist manager can now be resized to a smaller window.
Fixes :

- Fixed a case where the pop-up OSD message would appear in the wrong
screen position.

- A pop-up OSD message (e.g. changing the volume level) would reset the
Control Overlay's auto-hide timer, causing it to show for longer than
specified.
What's new in Zoom Player v21 beta 1:

New :

* Introducing : Modern UI

Zoom Player's user interface has remained more or less the same over
many years and now it's finally time for a fresh new look.

Gone is the skinned user interface, replaced by a simple frame.
Hovering with the mouse cursor (or pressing the Ctrl+"Space" keyboard
shortcut) now brings up a new Control Overlay, a semi-transparent user
interface that appears over the video area.

I tried to setup the default control overlay layout similar to the
previous skinned layout to make the transition to a new interface as
seamless as possible, but at the same time maintained the option to
easily revert the user interface to the old design.

Since the control overlay replaces both the skin and the control bar,
some of the default settings related to the control bar have been
reset in favor of control overlay features. If these changes are not
suited to your setup, you can easily return to using the control bar
instead.

While designing the new Control Overlay interface, I took your feedback
on Zoom Player's reddit forum and made sure the Control Overlay is the
most customizable media interface ever created.

You can customize nearly everything:
+ Button selection across 4 different button zones.
+ Button sizes for each button zone.
+ Text fonts, colors, sizes and transparency.
+ Volume and Timeline color, size and transparency.
+ Element visibility (button zones, volume bar, widgets, etc).
+ Lots and lots of settings to manage the Control Overlay behavior.

The Control Overlay feature can be customized through the advanced
options dialog under "Interface / Control Overlay".

* The default skin modes have been updated. You can access the new modes
from the right-click context menu or using these keyboard shortcuts:

F3 = No user interface at all, just a floating video window.
F4 = The new default, just a thin frame around the video area.
F5 = Slightly larger frame with a title area and system buttons.
F6 = Charcoal UI using small buttons.
F7 = Full Charcoal UI (the previous default).
F8 = Show bottom bar with more buttons.
F9 = Show bottom bar with more buttons.

* New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
show the Control Overlay when hovering with the mouse (enabled by default).

* New Setting (Adv...

Home Theater PC made Simple
Zoom Player's fullscreen navigation interface is based on a simple 5-Key system (up/down/left/right/select). The 5-key system allows easy access and navigation to such interfaces as Media Library, File Browsing, Playlist, Color Control, Audio Equalizer, Chaptering, Play History and many more. The system's simplicity makes it ideal for users with no previous computer experience.

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Forward Thinking
Zoom Player's Install Center will scan your system for missing or outdated components and automatically present you with a list of recommended updates and patches. Using Zoom Player's Install Center technology, you can be sure your system is up to date with the most recent technological innovations without compromising security (all updates are digitally signed) while gaining access to a centralized location, removing the burden of manually searching for the latest updates yourself.

Technology meets Sophistication
Zoom Player installs easily, learning your computer's hardware and software setup. Using the innovative Smart Play technology, Zoom Player employs the ideal "play profile" for every session. This profile comprises the most suitable Audio and Video decoders matched with compatible components - a combination that guarantees a perfect viewing experience, time after time.

A tool for every need
Zoom Player addresses every aspect of DVD and Media control. Zoom Player plays media in every conceivable color composition, display type, playback speed and more. With Zoom Player you can create and manage personalized Media Libraries, virtual Chaptering and Bookmarks, cut and edit scenes with the Scene Cut Editor. Zoom Player employs customizable display characteristics and user defined presets, allows to Remote-Control all menu, navigation and playback functions via wireless (RF) or Infra-Red (IR) Remote Control units, and comes ready with a set of TCP/IP Commands to allow control of Zoom Player via the internet (or any TCP/IP based connection).

Customize, Modify, Reshape as you like
Use Zoom Player's flexible customization options to match your taste. Modify the Graphical User Interface, menus and splash screens. Change operation modes, control options, codec compatibility and many other features. Don't compromise. Make the system meet your EXACT needs.

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Flavors for All
Zoom Player comes in three flavors: Zoom Player Professional, Zoom Player Premium, and Zoom Player MAX Professional.