I need a very simple Windows XP application to play FLAC files. I use Mediamonkey or EAC for my encoding, and library management but what I really would like is the ability to double click on a FLAC file and for it to evoke a small player with buttons for:
- play/pause
- skip forward
- skip backward
- time elapsed / to go
- volume
- mute
- title of track played (maybe even just a tooltip).

Most of the apps that support FLAC are monstrous beasts that can do everything you ever wanted with an audio file, when all I want to do when I double click a file is play it, and for it to take up the least pixels possible on my screen.

Any suggestions?

Ta.

foobar2k?

Only thing you have to do is customize the UI (very easy since 0.9.5.x) to you get rid of all the unwanted features and to minimze the space it uses on the screen.

use foobar with advanced controls:

Also:

Billy (latest beta)
http://www.sheepfriends.com/?page=billy

1by1 (with in_flac.dll (the Winamp2 plugin))
http://mpesch3.de1.cc/1by1.html
http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html

VLC
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

There are many simple and/or light Windows players for FLAC files.

My personal preference is foobar2000 for many reasons (two of the most important ones being: good Unicode support and proper gapless playback).

Thanks Viktor, Foobar with advanced controls is just the job!

Using the "minimize to notification area" and setting the shortcut to open minimized and I have a fully functional FLAC player about 30 pixels wide.

Excellent!

OK, I've installed this but how do I get it do minimise to the system tray? I can use the controls in the toolbar but I Foobar is still there. Is there anyway I can minimise it to the system tray so it's not visible?

File - Preferences - Display - Default User Interface
Tick the box "Minimize to notification area".
Press "save all" then close.

Minimizing it will then just leave you with the small application in the notification area.

preferences/display/default user interface/minimize to notification area

edit: ok, you were faster

Not all features you mentioned when minimized.

Juha

Thanks.

Personally, my foobar has all playback hotkeys configured to global so I can control it from any application I want. Also, I've added a hotkey to bring/hide the foobar application when needed, and in file|preferences|general I turned off the option "bring to front when adding new files from commandline". Saves me a lot of time. I love foobar.