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AC3 stands for Audio Coding 3, an extension for surround sound audio files. It is a digital audio compression format developed by Dolby Laboratories in 1987 for DVDs, Blu-ray players, HDTV broadcasts, and other home entertainment systems. It supports up to 5.1 audio channels and contains up to six discrete channels, five for normal-range speakers and one for low-frequency.
Unlike MP3, AC3 is not widely supported by media players. Therefore, if you want to play AC3 files, you need a dedicated AC3 player or AC3 codec. In this article, we will share the 10 best AC3 players for computers and mobile devices.
• Platform Compatibility: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, Mac OS X 10.9 or above (macOS Sequoia included).
• Supported Formats: AC3, FLAC, WAV, WMA, MP3, MP2, AAC, AIFF, APE, CAF, MPC, QCP, OGG, M4A, M4B, AUD, MKA, AIFC, RA, RAM, AU, AIF, CUE, etc.
• Best for: Users who need a comprehensive media player with excellent audio support that can handle a wide range of audio formats and play them in high quality.
AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is one of the best media players for playing AC3 and other digital audio formats. In fact, it is an ultimate multimedia player that can smoothly play any audio, video, DVD/Blu-ray disc, folder, and ISO image file with lossless quality on your computer. In addition, this AC3 file player supports Dolby, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC, TrueHD, surround sound 5.1, and 7.1 channels including. With the support of technology, you can enjoy superb sound quality at home. It also has many playback control options that allow you to adjust the audio effects of AC3 files, including selecting the audio tracks, devices, and channels to suit your ears.
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• Platform Compatibility: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11, Android, and iOS.
• Supported Formats: AC3, MP3, AAC, M4A, WMA, OGG, AIFF, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, APE, MKA, AU, M4R, Audio CDs, etc.
• Best for: Those who want an AC3 media player with strong format support, automatic subtitle downloading, and a straightforward interface.
ALLPlayer is a globally popular free movie and music player. Its modern and intuitive interface is closer to the operation of mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, with all features easily accessible. With built-in codecs, ALLPlayer can play virtually any multimedia format, including AC3. It also works with the leading subtitle service, Opensubtitles.org, to automatically find and download perfectly matched subtitles, making it easy for users to watch movies in all languages.
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• Platform Compatibility: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista, Android 5.0 (Lollipop), and later, iOS 11 and later.
• Supported Formats: AC3, AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, M4A, MP2, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA, MKA, APE, AU, DTS, etc.
• Best for: Anyone who needs a customizable media player that can handle AC3 files and optimize the listening experience of AC3 files.
KMPlayer is an adware-supported AC3 player for PC. It has a user-friendly interface, support for a wide range of media file formats and codecs, the ability to handle common and less common formats, and features such as audio output options and online streaming. It also comes with a wide range of preset equalizers that allow you to enjoy rich sound quality while watching videos or listening to music. Moreover, KMPlayer features hardware acceleration to minimize CPU usage, enabling high-quality audio and video playback even on low-end PCs or in multitasking environments.
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• Platform Compatibility: macOS 10.7 and later, Windows XP SP3 to 11, Linux, Android, and iOS.
• Supported Formats: AC3, MP3, AAC, Vorbis, M4A, ALAC, FLAC, WMA, WAV, Speex, Opus, APE, AIFF, TrueAudio, DTS, etc.
• Best for: People who prefer a free and reliable media player to handle AC3, etc., different media file formats on any device.
VLC Media Player is a free, open-source, and cross-platform AC3 format player. It is known for its wide audio format support and can play most multimedia files, including DVDs, audio CDs, VCDs, various streaming protocols, and most audio file formats, without the need to install codec packages. VLC also has some advanced audio features such as surround sound, audio passthrough, audio synchronization or filtering, etc. Furthermore, VLC Media Player has no spyware, ads, or user tracking, making it a free and reliable AC3 audio player.
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• Platform Compatibility: macOS 10.12(Sierra) or later.
• Supported Formats: AC3, MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, M4A, WAV, FLAC, FLAC, AIFF, APE, MKA, AU, DTS, etc.
• Best for: Mac users who are looking for a versatile AC3 media player offering comprehensive format support, advanced playback, and streaming features.
Elmedia Player is a specialized Mac player that supports a large number of audio and video multimedia formats, including AC3, without the need to install any plug-ins or codecs. It uses a variety of flexible settings to optimize your audio, offering an audio equalizer, audio visualizer, synchronized sound, and more while playing audio. In addition, it has options for advanced sound control in the background without interfering with your other applications, adding different audio tracks and more audio settings.
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• Platform Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.6 - 10.12 Sierra.
• Supported Formats: AC3, MP2, MP3, WMA, AAC, DTS, MPEG, WAV, Audio CD, M4A, OGG, ALAC, APE, FLAC, etc.
• Best for: Mac users who need a basic player that supports a wide range of standard formats and includes DVD playback capabilities.
Mac Media Player (Macgo Free Mac Media Player) is AC3 player software for Mac OS X. It supports the DTS5.1 audio system and can output AC3 or most other common audio formats at a high level without any quality loss so that you can enjoy great audio and visual effects. In addition, it can play almost all types of media formats, including movies, videos, picture media formats, and so on. However, it may lack some advanced customization options and features compared to paid players.
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• Platform Compatibility: Android 5.0 and newer, iOS 15.0 or later, Windows 7 or above, macOS 11 (Big Sur) or above.
• Supported Formats: AC3 (need to install a custom codec), AAC LC, MP3, FLAC, Opus, Vorbis, 3GPP, MPEG-4, MIDI, etc.
• Best for: Users who want a versatile video player that can play almost any local audio and video file and stream online on mobile devices.
MX Player is a media player available on multiple platforms, especially Android. It is a popular and powerful local video and audio player app with support for a wide range of audio formats. Due to licensing issues, the latest version of MX Player has removed support for some audio codecs, including AC3. However, you can still use it to play AC3 audio formats by installing custom codecs, which may be inconvenient for some users.
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• Platform Compatibility: Android 6.0 and up.
• Supported Formats: AC3, MP3, AAC, WAV, WMV, M4V, TS, FLAC, MPG, RMVB, etc.
• Best for: Those who want to play AC3 audio files and make ringtones on Android and do not mind ads.
Video Player for Android is an audio video player that supports all types of video formats and audio formats. It comes with an equalizer that lets you enjoy ultimate high-quality audio playback and a bass booster for extra bass. It also has an MP3 cutter for making ringtones and the ability to create ringtones out of your favorite songs. However, this application comes with ads, and some users have reported that they sometimes have problems loading some videos with it.
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• Platform Compatibility: iOS 6.0 and higher, iPadOS 9.0 or later, macOS 11.0 or later, and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
• Supported Formats: AC3, EAC3, MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, HE-AAC, etc.
• Best for: People who need to play a wide variety of media file formats, including AC3 on iPhone or iPad.
AVPlayerHD is a player designed for iOS and iPad. It can play almost all audio and video file formats, including AC3, fast and smoothly without conversion. Besides AC3, it also supports EAC3 (Dolby Digital+) audio, which is a key feature that sets it apart from other players on iOS. It is easy to add files to the player with gestures and swipes to adjust the playback speed. Additionally, it encrypts your music and playlists to protect your privacy.
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• Platform Compatibility: iOS 6.0 and higher, iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later.
• Supported Formats: AC3, MP3, WAVE, AAC, LPCM, AMR, WMA, and more.
• Best for: Anyone who focuses on wireless streaming of their existing media files from their home network to their iOS devices.
MCPlayer is a high-definition wireless streaming media player app for iOS devices, which means you can enjoy your favorite audio or video directly from the Internet or your home network. It supports a wide range of audio formats, including the officially licensed Dolby Digital + Surround. It also comes with Dolby Digital + Surround for easy and high-quality playback of your audio files. However, if you want to play AC3 audio files, you will need to purchase an AC3 decoder within the app. It controls volume and playback through Chromecast support, which allows streaming on Chromecast-enabled devices.
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What is EAC3?
E-AC-3 is a digital audio format developed by Dolby Labs, which is also known as Enhanced AC-3, Dolby Digital Plus, or EC-3. It is used for transferring and storing multi-channel digital audio content.
Does MX Player support AC3 audio?
Due to licensing issues, MX Player doesn't support DTS and Dolby Audio Codecs, so it doesn't support AC3, a Dolby-developed format.
Is AC3 the same as Dolby Digital?
AC3 is used in place of Dolby Digital, which is essentially Dolby Digital. Therefore, the answer is yes for most situations.
Among the AC3 players we have introduced above, AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is undoubtedly the best. It is an all-in-one ultimate multimedia player that can be used on your Windows or Mac computer for lossless playback of digital audio like AC3, digital video, DVD, and Blu-ray. Relying on Dolby, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC, TrueHD, and 5.1 and 7.1 surround channels, its sound quality will give you the ultimate listening experience. It is time to try this AC3 file player for free by clicking the download button below!
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Based on our sharing, you should have mastered 10 AC3 players for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iPhone. As you can see, it is not as difficult as you thought to enjoy high-quality AC3 audio files on a variety of devices, as long as you use the right media player. If you are looking for the best way to listen to AC3 audio files, try AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player, which is not only easy to use but also able to play AC3 smoothly and losslessly without the need for extra codecs.