Editing Winamp (section)

== Features ==
; Playback formats: Winamp supports music playback using [[.mp3|MP3]], [[MIDI]], [[MOD (file format)|MOD]], [[MPEG-1]] audio layers [[.mp1|1]] and [[.mp2|2]], [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]], [[MPEG-4 Part 14#.MP4 versus .M4A|M4A]], [[FLAC]], [[WAV]], and [[Windows Media Audio|WMA]]. Winamp was one of the first widely used music players on Windows to support playback of [[Ogg Vorbis]] by default.<ref name="AutoMZ-1"/> It supports [[gapless playback]] for MP3 and AAC and [[ReplayGain]] for volume leveling across tracks. CD support includes playing and [[ripping|importing]] music from [[Red Book (audio CD standard)|audio CDs]], optionally with [[CD-Text]], and [[Optical disc authoring|burning]] music to CDs. The standard version limits maximum burn speed and datarate; the "Pro" version removes these limitations.<ref name="waFeat"/> <!-- reference for the whole paragraph --> Winamp supports playback of Windows Media Video and [[Nullsoft|Nullsoft Streaming Video]]. For MPEG Video, AVI, and other unsupported video types, Winamp uses Microsoft's [[DirectShow]] API for playback, allowing playback of most of the video formats supported by [[Windows Media Player]]. 5.1 [[Surround sound]] is supported where formats and decoders allow.<ref name="cnetdixon"/>
; Media Library: At installation, Winamp scans the user's system for media files to add to the ''Media Library'' database.<ref name="VanBuskirk"/> It supports full [[Unicode]] filenames and Unicode [[metadata]] for media files.<ref name="PCWelt"/> In the ''Media Library'' user interface pane, under ''Local Media'', several selectors (''Audio'', ''Video'', date, and frequency) permit display of subsets of media files with greater detail.<ref name="VanBuskirk"/>
; Adding album art and track tags: ''Get Album Art'' permits retrieval of cover art, and confirmation before adding the image to the database. ''Autotagging'' analyzes a track's audio using the [[Gracenote]] service and retrieves the song's ID2 and ID3 metadata.<ref name="VanBuskirk"/>
; Podcatcher: Winamp can also be used as [[RSS]] media feeds [[feed aggregator|aggregator]] capable of displaying articles, downloading, or playing such content as [[streaming media]]. [[SHOUTcast Wire]] provides a directory and RSS subscription system for [[podcast]]s.<ref name="VanBuskirk"/><ref name="Graffeo"/>
; Media player device support: Winamp has extendable support for [[portable media player]]s and [[USB mass storage device class|Mass Storage Compliant]] devices, [[Microsoft PlaysForSure]], and [[ActiveSync]], and syncs unprotected music to the [[iPod]].<ref name="VanBuskirk"/><ref name="Hart-Davis"/>
; Media Monitor: Winamp ''Media Monitor'' allows web-based browsing and bookmarking music blog websites and automatically offering for streaming or downloading all MP3 files there. The ''Media Monitor'' is preloaded with music blog URLs.<ref name="VanBuskirk"/>
; Winamp Remote: ''Winamp Remote'' allows remote playback (streaming) of unprotected media files on the user's PC via the Internet. ''Remote'' adjusts bitrate based on available bandwidth, and can be controlled by web interface, [[Wii]], [[PlayStation 3]], [[Xbox 360]], and mobile phones.<ref name="VanBuskirk"/>
; Plug-ins: In February 1998, Winamp was rewritten as a "general-purpose audio player"<ref name="WAv1.90"/> with a [[plug-in (computing)|plug-in]] architecture. This feature was received well by reviewers.<ref name="Gibbs"/><ref name="MaxPC"/> Development was early, diverse, and rapid: 66 plugins were published by November 1998.<ref name="AutoMZ-2"/> The ''Winamp [[software development kit]] (SDK)'' allows software developers to create seven different types of plug-ins.<ref name="AutoMZ-3"/>
:*''Input'': decodes specific file formats.
:*''Output'': sends data to specific devices or files.
:*''[[Music visualization|Visualization]]'': provides sound activated graphics.
:*''[[audio signal processing|DSP/Effect]]'': manipulates audio for special effects.
:*''General Purpose'' plug-ins add convenience or UI features (''Media Library'', ''alarm clock'', or ''pause when logged out'').
:*''Media Library'' plug-ins add functions to the Media Library plug-in.
:*''Portables'' plug-ins support [[portable media player]]s.<ref name="MP3.com"/><!-- reference for this whole paragraph -->

[[File:Milkdrop Spikeball.jpg|thumb|[[MilkDrop]], a visualization plug-in in Winamp]]

Plug-in development support increased Winamp's flexibility&nbsp;&ndash; for example, the creation of specialized plug-ins for [[console emulator|game console]] music files such as [[NES Sound Format|NSF]],<ref name="AutoMZ-4"/> [[Nintendo Ultra 64 Sound Format|USF]], [[Game Boy Sound System|GBS]],<ref name="AutoMZ-5"/> [[GBA Sound Format|GSF]],<ref name="AutoMZ-6"/> [[MOS Technology SID|SID]],<ref name="chip"/> [[VGM (file format)|VGM]],<ref name="chip"/> [[SPC700 sound format|SPC]],<ref name="chip"/> [[PlayStation Sound Format|PSF, and PSF2]].

; Skins: [[Skin (computing)|Skins]] are bitmap files that alter the aesthetic design of the Winamp [[graphical user interface]] (GUI) and can add functionality with scripting.<ref name="Tidwell"/> Winamp published documentation on skin creation<ref name="Beggs"/> in 1998 with the release of Winamp 2<!--cited in History--> and invited Winamp users to publish skins on Winamp.com. As of 2000, there were nearly 3,000 Winamp skins available.<ref name="SHacker"/><ref name="AutoMZ-7"/> The ability to use skins contributed to Winamp's popularity early in MP3 development.<ref name="AutoMZ-8"/> With the increasing number of available skins, [[genre]]s or categories of skins developed, such as "Stereo", "Anime", and "Ugly". Online communities of skin designers such as 1001Skins.com and Skinz.org have contributed thousands of designs;<ref name="Hacker141"/><ref name="AutoMZ-9"/> also at GnomeArt.<ref name="Team GnomeArt"/> Designers see skins as an opportunity to be creative:<ref name="AutoMZ-10"/> nontraditional examples have included [[Klingon]], [[iPod]], and [[Etch-a-sketch]] designs.<ref name="AutoMZ-11"/> The Winamp skin format is the most popular, the most commonly adopted by other media player software, and is usable across platforms.<ref name="AutoMZ-12"/> One example is the [[XMMS]] player for [[Linux]] and [[Unix]] systems, which can use unmodified Winamp 2 skin files.<ref name="AUUGN"/><ref name="AutoMZ-13"/> Winamp 5 supports two types of skins&nbsp;&ndash; "classic" skins designed to Winamp 2 specifications (static collections of [[bitmap image]]s), and more flexible, freeform "modern" skins per the Winamp3 specification. Modern skins support true [[Alpha compositing|alpha channel]] transparency, [[scripting language|scripting]] control, a docked toolbar, and other innovations to the user interface.<ref name="WinampFAQ"/>