I like RealPlayer and the QuickTime Player because I occasionally need to look at Real or QuickTime content. I dislike RealPlayer and QuickTime player because they're annoying and they're always showing you ads and they insist on running even when you're not using them and they have annoyingly nonstandard user interfaces and they put icons all over the place to remind you of how very GOOD THEY ARE!
And it looks like I'm not the only one. . .
Here's a group of folks who have pruned out the QT and RealPlayer plugins and built a dirt-simple little player and installer for 'em. It works as a standard browser plugin so you can play QT and Real content in a browser. They also work through a little player called 'media player classic' that looks like the old Windows Media Player (circa 1998 before it got skins).
In short, they're exactly what I want. QuickTime and RealPlayer content without QuickTime and RealPlayer annoyances.
One warning. The download site pops up ads, tries to install spyware, wants you to purchase a Russian bride, and is a general nuisance. Once you get past that and get to the download, though, the rest is smooth sailing.
Having read that warning, go here, scroll down to 'QuickTime Alternative' and 'Real Alternative', download 'em, uninstall any existing Real or QT player you've got installed, and enjoy. Been using it for six months now, and I love it.
