VLC for Android is the usual answer for a free video player, but NOVA Video Player from Courville Software leans harder toward building a library of movies and TV shows. It pulls posters and descriptions from online sources and merges files from several locations. Version 6.4.3 needs Android 6.0 or newer and is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
Who a NAS and Android TV setup suits
NOVA fits people who keep videos on a home server or NAS rather than only on the phone. It reads from FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB and UPnP sources, and from external USB storage. All of these appear in one collection.
It is built for tablets, phones and Android TV devices. A dedicated leanback interface for TV matters if the main screen is a set-top box.
Library, subtitles and sync in practice
The app retrieves descriptions, posters and backdrops for movies and TV shows automatically. You can browse by name, genre, year, duration or rating, view shows by season, or fall back on plain folder browsing. NFO metadata files are processed too, and Trakt can track what you have watched.
Playback uses hardware decoding on most devices and formats, with multiple audio tracks and subtitles supported. Subtitles can be downloaded inside the app and their timing adjusted by hand. A private mode pauses history recording, and network resume works across devices. If hardware decoding misbehaves, preferences allow forcing software decoding.
Library setup and file size limits
The app shows nothing until it has content. You need video files on the device or must index network shares first, as the developer notes.
The package is 79.1 MB, larger than many simple players. Google Play lists it at over 1 million installs with a 4.2 rating from about 13.6 thousand ratings.
NOVA Video Player pros and cons
Pros
- No ads and no in-app purchases, with a price of zero
- Plays from FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB, UPnP and USB storage
- Automatic posters and descriptions, plus NFO and Trakt support
- Source code is public under the Apache-2.0 license
- Dedicated Android TV interface and multi-audio and multi-subtitle playback
Cons
- The 79.1 MB download is sizable for a video player
- Shows an empty library until local files or network shares are added
- Version 6.4.3 is the current release
Is NOVA Video Player safe?
The unmodified APK is stored here, and its SHA-256 checksum is c8b06c2d5a97c3ea7b1309e57365ef9d921244baf36023b637a1ff48e4804e5c. Compare it with the file you download. The source code is open under the Apache-2.0 license on the project's GitHub page, so anyone can read how the player works. Courville Software publishes the app, and its content rating is Everyone.
How to install NOVA Video Player
- Download the APK with the button on this page and wait for it to finish.
- Compare the file with the SHA-256 checksum shown here if you want to confirm it arrived intact.
- Open the file on your phone and allow installs from this source when Android asks.
- Finish the install, then open NOVA Video Player from your app drawer.
