Top 5 Best Video Widgets Windows Users Can Grab
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ImageView
This gadget is a simple image viewer that also features a slideshow function.
Developed for the Yahoo! Widget Engine, ImageView is a lightweight app that can display images and create slideshows. It's easy to install and configure.
The interface of the tool is based on a small frame where you can load images by using the 'drag and drop' functionality.
So, you can create a slideshow or navigate through the pictures in the current location, as well as pause the slideshow.
By opening the right-click menu, you can go to the 'Widget Preferences' screen where you can configure some settings. So, you can write a subtitle for the image, specify an enlargement timer interval, write editor parameters, change the frame and thumb color, as well as enable the logging of error messages.
Furthermore, you can allow oversize settings, choose the image width and height, rotate pictures, as well as enable image scrolling, scrollbars and navigation arrows. When it comes to the slideshow, you can specify the image directory, show all images or just the ones with particular extensions, as well as select a random order for the transitions.
The widget puts little strain on the computer's resources, as it uses a low amount of CPU and system memory. It has a good response time and didn't freeze, crash or pop up error dialogs in our evaluation. All in all, ImageView provides a simple way for viewing pictures directly on the desktop.
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Stream Portal (formerly TV Jukebox)
This gadget provides access to a large collection of radio and television streams which enables you to listen or watch them with minimum effort.
Stream Portal is a handy tool for the users who want to access radio streams without using a media player or web browser. It provides you with a simple interface and a large list of channels that can be accessed with minimum effort.
The main purpose of the widget is to let you watch TV on your desktop by integrating the stream in the Windows sidebar. Thus, you can view the video stream and switch to full screen when an interesting broadcast starts.
You can select the TV station from the list of channels which also includes a large number of online radio stations. All the list items are grouped according to the country which makes it easier to find your favorite stations.
By default, the gadget displays the entire list of streams but allows you to select the prefered languages from the Settings window. If your favorite station is not yet on the list, you can place a request on the developer’s website using the Add new channel button.
Unfortunately, the gadget size cannot be modified which forces you to maximize the player in order to understand the broadcast. You can only change the playback volume from the main interface.
If you do not have a broadband connection you might have problems with the playback on certain TV stations. However, certain channels from the list enable you to choose the stream quality in order to optimize the output.
Although Stream Portal displays ads while playing the stream, it is a viable choice especially when listening to the radio.
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YouTube video player
An efficient and easy to use software solution that lets you listen to your favorite YouTube music, without needing a web browser.
YouTube video player is a simple and user-friendly application designed to provide you with access to your favorite YouTube videos, right from your desktop.
This piece of software evidently requires an Internet connection in order to work, but other than that, it is quite easy to use. All you need to do is input the keyword for your search, be it the song name or the artist, then press the 'Search' button or the 'Enter' key.
YouTube video player will return the found items, in the order you choose, as it offers the same criteria for displaying results as YouTube. As such, you can view the 'Recently Added' videos, or the 'Top Rated', 'Most Discussed Today', 'Most Viewed Today' and several others.
The program allows you to listen to music, as well as watch the video in a small window. Unfortunately, you cannot view it in full screen or in other quality.
The utility provides you with two buttons that you can use to play the previous or the next song in the list. However, it cannot render YouTube playlists nor can it move on to the next item from your search results, so you have to manually pick a new song or replay the current one.
YouTube video player can launch automatically at Windows startup and it can run minimized in the notification area, thus not interfering with your regular tasks and activities, but still allowing you to access it whenever you want. Also, you have the option of setting the application as 'Always on Top', and you can adjust its opacity levels, so it can be more or less transparent on your screen.
While YouTube video player offers several interesting options and benefits, enabling you to listen and watch your favorite music without having to use a web browser, it could use some improvement in what concerns its ability to continuously play YouTube songs.
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yPlayer
A simple-to-use gadget that allows users to view YouTube clips right from their screen, perform search operations, and adjust the volume.
yPlayer is a lightweight desktop enhancement utility designed to help users search for and view their favorite videos from YouTube right from their screen.
It boasts a clean and simplistic layout that offers a few configuration settings to tinker with.
The gadget gives you the possibility to view the YouTube videos in a small pane, which can be moved to any area of the desktop.
What’s more, the application lets you perform search operations for the desired clip, repeat the current video, open the clip using your web browser, adjust the volume, as well as go the next search result.
It doesn’t come packed with many configuration settings of its own, and for this reason even rookies can make the most out of every single built-in feature.
Other important options worth mentioning are represented by the possibility to make the program remain on top of other utilities, zoom in or out, as well as pick the quality (low, medium, or high).
During our testing we have noticed that yPlayer carries out a task quickly, offers very good video and audio quality, and no errors showed up throughout the entire process.
As it would be expected from such a small utility, it remains light on system resources, so it doesn’t hamper computer performance, nor interfere with other programs’ functionality.
All things considered, yPlayer proves to be a simple desktop enhancement utility that enables you to view YouTube clips with ease, without having to open your web browser. It can be mastered by all types of users, regardless of their experience level.
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The Magnifier
This utility is an easy to use and handy screen area magnifier.
If you're not satisfied with the built-in Windows magnification tool, The Magnifier is definitely worth a try, as it comes with an interesting feature package and easy to use options.
As compared to the standard Windows utility, The Magnifier places an icon in the System Tray and lets you access configuration options effortlessly.
What's more, the application also comprises a toolbar holding the essential magnification options, letting you choose magnification level, switch to full screen or windowed mode or show and hide the magnification window.
There are many more settings available via the Tray icon, including dedicated options to adjust transparency, the full screen mode, cursor parameters and window position.
The Magnifier is somewhat difficult to use, mostly because the built-in features aren't exactly intuitive, so users may spend some time trying to figure out the purpose of each option. A help manual is indeed included in the package, so you're highly recommended to read its content too.
In addition, switching to full screen completely hides the toolbar and turns the screen to black. The only way to get out of this without restarting the computer is to press the “Alt + F4” keyboard shortcut in order to close the app.
The Magnifier doesn't have any special hardware requirements and runs okay on most Windows workstations out there.
Overall, The Magnifier isn't quite a helpful replacement for the built-in Windows magnifier. Truth is, it comes with some handy options, but the way it interact with the user is absolutely disappointing.
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