Winamp

Well, if you took my advice and checked out Limewire, then you may need a media player. Windows comes preloaded with the Windows MediaPlayer. News Year Eve was the first time I actually used it in a few years. I was really surprised. It’s come a long ways. You can create libraries, do sorting. A decent little app.
The reason for my non use of the Windows MediaPlayer, is because years ago I was turned onto another media player by a former coworker. What is this media player?
Winamp. It’s very cool. It appears to be able to do all the things Windows MediaPlayer does and more. The part I like the best is you can change the skins. There are some really cool ones available.
Winamp can be broken down into 5 different sections.

Main Window:

Winamp 5 features our new Modern Skin that’s easier to use and more powerful than ever
Easily access the Media Library (ML), Playlist Editor (PL), integrated Video or Visualizations (Video/Vis Drawer), or the EQ, Skin Options, and Color Themes (Config Drawer) from the Main Window
Includes over 50 color themes that suit nearly every mood or occasion!
Winamp 5 carries forward the unobtrusive “Window Shade”

Playlist Editor:

Drag and drop media directly into a Playlist from Windows Explorer or the Media Library
Jump directly to an item within the list by double clicking it or selecting the item and press Enter
Sort Playlists by title, file name, or path and file name
Easily Open and Save Playlists from the Manage Playlist button

Library:

Organize and find your favorite songs and videos in ONE place
Rip your favorite music CDs into AAC or MP3 (Ripping limited to 2x speeds for free users. MP3 encoding is only available in Winamp Pro)
Burn your favorite music compilations to CD (limited to 2x for free users)
Media Library “Views” allow you to easily create rule based lists of your media
Easily modify your music collections tags (Artist, Album, Song name, etc.)
Internet Radio and TV
Easily tune into user created Internet TV and Radio stations
Over 4000 Internet Radio stations and 40 Internet TV channels to choose from
Bookmark your favorite stations and channels for future access
Winamp Now Playing
View album art, artist biographies, discographies
Keep track of your favorite artists by browsing fan sites and news articles presented in the client
Easily buy your favorite CDs, memorabilia, or just sell your own

Video:

Play many major video formats (NSV, WMV, MPG, etc.) with ease
Easily resize video playback using the 1x, 2x, and Maximize window buttons
Watch your favorite videos in Full Screen mode
Quick access to dozens of Internet TV stations created by users
Detach the video window from the main player

Visualizer:

Winamp 5 comes bundled with the latest version of the ground breaking AVS (Advanced Visualization Studio) and Milkdrop visualizers
Enjoy over 100 bundled visualization presets created by users
Switch between presets manually or sit back and watch your presets on Random
Easily jump to Full Screen mode
Download new visualizations and presets from Winamp.com

Equalizer:

Shift the sound from both speakers to left or right using the Balance slider
Enable Cross Fading to transition the audio smoothly from one song to another
Select from the dozens of EQ presets to tune the sound
Create your own EQ settings and save them for future use

Version 5.33 has just been released. Did I mention you get this media player with all these features for free? Yup, Winamp is a free download, so check it out.

BTW, there is a pro version with even more features:

Unrestricted CD Burning

Winamp Pro enables you to burn your favorite music compilations at your computer’s full potential. Once registered, Winamp Pro will allow you to burn your CDs at speeds up to 48x, 9 times the speed of Winamp 5! (Actual speeds may differ, depending on your computer’s specifications.)

MP3 Encoding

With Winamp Pro, you can rip all your favorite music CDs into the industry leading MP3 format. When all your songs are encoded in MP3, it provides you the freedom to play them in all MP3 capable hardware and software media players.

Unrestricted CD Ripping

Buying Winamp Pro enables you to convert all of your favorite music CDs into digital files at your computer’s maximum potential. Once registered, Winamp Pro can rip your CDs at speeds up to 48x, 9 times the speed of Winamp 5! (Actual speeds may differ, depending on your computer’s specifications.)