Movie Player – Plays any Video 2.5.3
It’s a mystery why Movie Player still exists in the App Store. Dominic himself recommends - upon launching Movie Player - that users download version 2, which is “rewritten from scratch and optimized for iOS 7 with a beautiful new UI, improved performance and a lot of new features!” Following our testing, we’ve concluded that everyone should take him up on his advice.
Looks as bad as it works
Movie Player may have looked decent in the iOS 6 days, but right now it pales in the face of even the lowest-rated media players. The UI is severely outdated and, at times, counter-intuitive. The spotlight-themed selection model is a nice touch, and the library view is actually quite pleasant to look at. But that’s about all the good things we can say about the visuals.
Everything else is a complete mess in these iOS 7 days. Also, the playback controls are unnecessarily large. You’ll be lucky to get a full run of even the simplest formats. On iOS 6, it works a little better, but it lacks too many features to make it an asset on your Home screen.
Plays blank screens
Movie Player is marketed by Dominic as “Plays any Video.” However, it doesn’t. Many formats will show a blank screen, and the app often has trouble decoding, resulting in crippled playback and endless graphical glitches, as shown in the screenshots below.
The player lacks numerous functions, and while the iPad version certainly handles larger files better, it’s still a pain in the neck. You’re better off using any other player in the App Store, to be frank.
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0/5
Hits & Misses
hits
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misses
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Bottom Line
Design / UI3
We’ve seen unoptimized interfaces before, but Dominic has left Movie Player out to rot. |
Function2
Playback is so crippled on iOS 7 that the player is virtually unusable. You’ll be lucky to get a full run of even the simplest formats. |
Security5
Here, Movie Player scores well, but only because it offers the option to lock down your videos with a passcode. But even this doesn't work well. |
Battery3
Highly unoptimized, Movie Player puts strain on the CPU/GPU and uses unnecessary amounts of resources to deliver what is ultimately nothing in terms of visual experience (other than annoyance). |
Price6
It's free now, but it used to be a paid app (before version 2 came about). So whoever bought it is now stuck with a $3/€3 piece of junk. |
Compatibility7
Scores relatively well here, but only thanks to the low firmware requirement. Actual device support is a different matter altogether. |
Get it only if there's no other option / no time to waste looking for something else
Specifications
- price:
- 100% Free
- current version:
- 2.5.3
- reviewed version:
- 2.5.3
- developer:
- Dominic Rodemer
- category:
- VIDEO
- os version req.:
- 5.1
- age rating:
- 4+
- in-app purchases:
- No
- hits:
- 304