GOM Player

Description

South Korean developer Gretech Corporation released GOM Player in 2003 to address a problem that was frustrating almost every Windows user at the time: codec hell. Watching a video file required the installation of the correct codec, and installation of the wrong codec pack could cause other formats to break, conflict with existing software, or install bundled adware. GOM Player shipped with its own internal codec library covering the formats people actually needed — AVI, MKV, MP4, FLV and more — and added a Codec Finder service that fetched missing codecs automatically when GOM encountered a format it couldn’t play natively. Users received a working video player without having to manually manage codec installations.

The software went on to become one of the most downloaded media players in Asia, especially in South Korea where it achieved near-universal adoption, and developed a global user base based on a free model with advertising placed in the interface and a paid GOM Player Plus tier with no ads and additional premium features.

ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT

Gretech introduced GOM Player into a Windows media player landscape dominated by Windows Media Player and RealPlayer, but which handled format diversity poorly. Both required separate codec installations for anything outside their default support lists, and the codec installation process was not without risk — third-party codec packs varied a lot in quality and often bundled unwanted software. GOM’s internal codec approach and the Codec Finder service eliminated that friction and the player spread through word of mouth in South Korea and then through download directories around the world.

GOM Media Player’s development continued through the 2000s and 2010s with 360 degree video support added as VR content became more common, and screen capture tools integrated into the player for users who wanted to grab frames or record clips. The company changed its name from Gretech to GOM & Company as the line of products grew to include other software products.

A major security incident happened in February 2014 when South Korean security researchers found that GOM Player’s update mechanism had been compromised in a supply chain attack. Attackers replaced the legitimate update server response with malware that was targeted at specific high-profile users in South Korea’s military and government sectors. GOM & Company patched the vulnerability and issued a security advisory, and the incident raised awareness of supply chain attack vectors that became a recurring issue in software industries in the following years.

Mobile versions for Android and iOS came along to bring GOM’s local file playback capability to smartphones and tablets.

KEY FEATURES

Internal Codec Library and Codec Finder

GOM Player is able to play most video and audio formats via its internal codec library without the need for the user to install external codec packs. Supported formats include AVI, MKV, MP4, MOV, FLV, WMV, ASF, MPEG, and audio formats including MP3, AAC, and FLAC. As GOM encounters a file that it cannot play using its internal codecs, the Codec Finder service communicates with the GOM’s servers to determine and download the appropriate codec automatically.

Subtitle Support

GOM Player automatically loads external subtitle files in SRT, SMI, SSA and ASS formats, if a subtitle file has the same filename as the video. The subtitle settings are used to control the font, size, colour, position and timing offset for cases where the subtitle file is slightly out of sync with the video. Online subtitle search links to subtitle databases to download matching subtitles using file hash.

360-Degree Video Playback

GOM Player supports 360-degree video files in equirectangular projection format, which is displayed in the navigable sphere. The viewer controls the camera angle using mouse drag or keyboard input or connects a VR headset for immersive playback.

Playback Speed Control

Playback speed can be changed from 0.1x to 3.0x using keyboard shortcuts or the speed control in the interface. Pitch correction maintains audio at original pitch when playing at speeds other than 1.0x to avoid the chipmunk effect at fast playback and unnatural deep voice at slow playback.

Screen Capture and GIFs

Still frame capture is used to save the current frame of video as a jpg or bmp. The capture section records a series of frames and composes them into an animated gif, which is useful for creating short clips from video files without having to install a separate video editor.

A/B Repeat

A/B repeat is used to mark two points in the video and play the section between them in a loop. Language learners and musicians use A/B repeat to listen to a passage over and over without having to manually go back to the beginning every time.