Open source media player
Banshee is a free and open-source media player developed by Novell Inc. Originally called Sonance until it was officially renamed in 2005, Banshee was the Ubuntu and Linux Mint’s default music players. It is capable of playing from both online and local sources.
Stable Releases
Since Banshee was originally developed for Linux, it is the only platform that received a stable release. The releases for Mac and Windows are in beta and alpha stages. respectively. That said, even the alpha version for the Windows platform is still usable and well-designed.
Interface
Banshee’s interface is very sleek and modern. It features the popular layout for media players that consists of a side-panel where users can easily access all of their media files. At the top of the window, users will find a control bar. Unfortunately, since Banshee for Windows is still in the alpha stages, the controls are very rudimentary. It only has a play/pause and next/preview buttons.
Adding Media Files
One of the biggest issues one would come across with Banshee is the difficulty of adding media files to the queue. Users can’t just drag and drop files to the interface to add them to the queue. Instead, they must manually look for folders using Banshee’s Import command.
Great With Online Media
Online media files are where Banshee really excels. It may be difficult to work with it when it comes to local media files, but adding online files like audiobooks from Livribox works like a charm. Banshee may not be as advanced as other players, but it still has some use.
