EveryPlay

EveryPlay is a Windows media player built with Python + PySide6 (Qt for Python) that uses VLC’s libVLC runtime (DLLs + plugins) for playback—meaning it can play almost any video/audio format that VLC supports.

It also ships with several custom-made companion tools (also written in Python) for converting, tagging, disc playback/ripping, and detailed media/codec inspection.

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Highlights

• Plays almost anything (VLC-powered)
  If VLC can play it, EveryPlay usually can too—because it uses the same libVLC engine.
• Modern GUI (PySide6 / Qt for Python)
• Playlist support
• Fullscreen mode + auto-hide controls (like VLC)
• Volume control
• Drag & drop media files into the playlist
• Extra Tools menu that launches bundled companion tools

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Supported formats

EveryPlay relies on VLC’s codecs/demuxers, so supported formats depend on your bundled VLC runtime (bin/VLClibs) and its plugins.

That generally includes (not limited to):

• Video containers: MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WEBM, MPEG/MPG, TS/M2TS, FLV, WMV, and more
• Audio formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG, M4A, and more
• Disc media: DVD Video and Audio CDs (via VLC)

If you’re unsure whether something is supported, test it in VLC—if VLC plays it, EveryPlay likely will too.

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How EveryPlay works

EveryPlay is essentially:

1. A PySide6 GUI application (Windows-only)
2. Embedding libVLC (from bin/VLClibs) into a Qt video widget
3. Controlling playback (play/pause/seek/volume/fullscreen) through python-vlc bindings
4. Launching companion tools from the Tools menu (EXEs in bin/)

Because VLC does the heavy lifting, EveryPlay doesn’t need separate codec packs.

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Folder layout (required)

EveryPlay expects this folder structure next to the main EXE:

EveryPlay/
  EveryPlay.exe
  bin/
    VLClibs/
      libvlc.dll
      libvlccore.dll
      plugins/
        ...VLC plugin folders...

    ToolResources/
      ffmpeg/
        ffmpeg.exe
        ffprobe.exe
      cdda2wav/
        cdda2wav.exe

    DiscTool.exe
    MediaInfoTool.exe
    MetadataTagEditorTool.exe
    VideoConverterTool.exe

Important notes

• Bitness must match:
  Your EveryPlay build (Python/EXE) must match the VLC runtime bitness (64-bit with 64-bit, or 32-bit with 32-bit).
• The Tools menu only shows the tool EXEs in the root of bin/.
  It ignores resource folders like VLClibs/ and ToolResources/.

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Included custom tools

All tools are made for Windows and are designed to be dropped into the root of bin/.

1) VideoConverterTool

Purpose: Convert one file or a whole folder using FFmpeg—no command line needed.

How it works:

• Scans a file/folder and builds a conversion queue
• Runs ffmpeg.exe to convert (or remux) each item
• Supports common output profiles (examples):
  • MP4 (H.264 + AAC)
  • MKV (H.265 + AAC)
  • WEBM (VP9 + Opus)
  • MP3 / WAV (audio-only)
  • Copy streams (fast remux)

Uses:

• ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.exe
• ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffprobe.exe (duration/progress help)

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2) MetadataTagEditorTool

Purpose: View & edit tags (title/artist/album/year/genre/comment) and optionally embed cover art for supported audio formats.

How it works:

• Reads tags using ffprobe
• Writes tags by doing a fast remux with ffmpeg (-c copy) and metadata fields
• Can embed cover art for common audio formats (depends on container support)

Uses:

• ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.exe
• ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffprobe.exe

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3) DiscTool

Purpose: One tool with two modes:

Mode 1: Playback

• Plays DVD Video and Audio CDs using VLC’s libVLC runtime.
• Includes volume control (0–200% like VLC) and keyboard volume adjustment.

Uses:

• bin/VLClibs/ (libVLC DLLs + plugins)

Mode 2: Ripping

• Audio CD ripping using cdda2wav.exe
  • Produces WAV tracks, then (optionally) converts via ffmpeg to MP3/FLAC
• DVD mode (best-effort)
  • Copies VIDEO_TS if the disc is readable/unprotected
  • Optional “best-effort” conversion of a VOB file to MP4

Uses:

• ToolResources/cdda2wav/cdda2wav.exe
• ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.exe
• bin/VLClibs/ (for playback mode)

Note: DVD ripping can be limited by disc encryption/protection. This tool only performs basic copy/convert workflows.

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4) MediaInfoTool

Purpose: Show detailed information about a loaded media file, including container details, stream list, and codecs.

How it works:

• Runs ffprobe on the selected file
• Displays:
  • Container + duration + bitrate
  • Per-stream codec name/long name
  • Video resolution/FPS/pixel format
  • Audio sample rate/channels/bitrate
  • Subtitle language (if present)
• Also shows raw JSON output for deep inspection

Uses:

• ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffprobe.exe

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Tools / libraries used (everything)

EveryPlay (main player)

• Python 3.x (Windows)
• PySide6 (Qt for Python GUI)
• python-vlc (libVLC bindings)
• VLC libVLC runtime (DLLs + plugins in bin/VLClibs/)

VideoConverterTool

• PySide6 (GUI)
• FFmpeg (ffmpeg.exe + ffprobe.exe)

MetadataTagEditorTool

• PySide6 (GUI)
• FFmpeg (ffmpeg.exe + ffprobe.exe)

DiscTool

• PySide6 (GUI)
• VLC libVLC runtime (playback)
• cdda2wav.exe (Audio CD ripping)
• FFmpeg (ffmpeg.exe) (format conversion)
• (optional) ffprobe if you expand features later

MediaInfoTool

• PySide6 (GUI)
• FFmpeg (ffprobe.exe)

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Build from source

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Python 3.x
• pip packages:

  pip install PySide6 python-vlc

Runtime files you must provide

• Copy VLC runtime files into:
  • bin/VLClibs/libvlc.dll
  • bin/VLClibs/libvlccore.dll
  • bin/VLClibs/plugins/ (entire plugins folder)
• Copy tool resources into:
  • bin/ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.exe
  • bin/ToolResources/ffmpeg/ffprobe.exe
  • bin/ToolResources/cdda2wav/cdda2wav.exe

Running from source

From your project folder:

python EveryPlay.py

(Or whatever your main script is named.)

Compiling (example: PyInstaller)

You can compile each tool and the main player with PyInstaller. A basic example:

pyinstaller --noconsole --onefile EveryPlay.py
pyinstaller --noconsole --onefile bin/VideoConverterTool.py
pyinstaller --noconsole --onefile bin/MetadataTagEditorTool.py
pyinstaller --noconsole --onefile bin/DiscTool.py
pyinstaller --noconsole --onefile bin/MediaInfoTool.py

After compiling, ensure your release folder still contains:

• bin/VLClibs/ (VLC runtime + plugins)
• bin/ToolResources/ (ffmpeg/ffprobe/cdda2wav)
• the tool EXEs in bin/

Tip: If you don’t want “onefile” mode, remove --onefile and ship the generated folder instead.

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Troubleshooting

• Black screen / no playback
  • Your VLC plugins folder may be missing or in the wrong place.
  • Make sure bin/VLClibs/plugins/ exists and contains VLC plugin subfolders.
• Tool doesn’t start
  • Make sure tool EXEs are directly in bin/ (not inside subfolders).
• FFmpeg features not working
  • Confirm ffmpeg.exe and ffprobe.exe are in bin/ToolResources/ffmpeg/
• Audio CD ripping fails
  • Some cdda2wav builds require different device arguments depending on hardware.
  • Try another cdda2wav build if your drive isn’t detected correctly.
• 32-bit / 64-bit mismatch
  • Everything must match (EveryPlay EXE + VLC runtime + tools).

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Credits / licenses (important)

EveryPlay is built on top of several third-party projects:

• VLC / libVLC (VideoLAN) — required for playback
• FFmpeg — required for convert + tag + media info tools
• cdda2wav — required for Audio CD ripping

Each of these has its own license/terms. When redistributing EveryPlay with these components, make sure you include the required license texts and comply with their redistribution rules.

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Name

EveryPlay = because it can play almost every video/audio format (thanks to VLC).