MPC-BE suits Windows users who want a light, free player for both video and music files. Version 1.9.2 is 19 MB and costs nothing.
A player built around decoders and renderers
The project is a free, open source audio and video player. Its changelog is organized by components such as MPCVideoDec, MpaDecFilter, AviSplitter and BinkSplitter, which shows how much of the work happens in decoding and rendering.
This build adds H.264/HEVC 4:2:2 support for the NVDEC decoder and VP9 4:2:0 12-bit support. It also improves BT.2020 handling and adds BT.2020 support for PGS subtitles.
What to check before installing 1.9.2
If you use madVR or MPC VR, note that this release fixes retrieval of the original video frame size for both. The installer bundles MPC Video Renderer 0.10.9.
For scripted setups, the package ID is MPC-BE.MPC-BE.
What's new in 1.9.2
Version 1.9.2 adds a dark theme for dialog boxes and fixes rare EVR-CP freezes. It also adds extra search paths for audio tracks and subtitles.
MPC-BE pros and cons
Pros
- Free, with a GPL-3.0 license
- Small at 19 MB
- NVDEC support extended to 4:2:2 H.264/HEVC
- Dark theme added for dialog boxes
- Installer translations updated, including German and Dutch
Cons
- No interface preview is available on this page
- Windows only
- Source description gives little feature detail
Is MPC-BE safe?
MPC-BE is published by the MPC-BE Team under the GPL-3.0 license, and its source code is listed on SourceForge, so anyone can inspect how the player is built. Scanning the downloaded file with your usual antivirus before running it is a sensible habit.
How to install MPC-BE
- Press the download button to get the official file.
- Run the installer you saved and confirm the Windows security prompt if the publisher matches.
- Follow the setup steps, then start MPC-BE from the Start menu.
