VPlayer video player for Android supports Xvid, FLV, MKV, WMV, and more

Update: Check out our list of 13 of the best video players for Android

There was a time… just a few short months ago, when it was incredibly difficult to find a media player for Google Android which could handle video formats such as DivX, Xvid, MKV, WMV, FLV and RMVB. Basically the default Android video player could handle H.264 and MP4 files, as well as any other formats natively supported by your phone, and that was it.

Now there are a number of third party apps that support a wide range of video formats, including Rockplayer, arcMedia, and now a new app called VPlayer, which uses FFmpeg to decode videos.

VPlayer is still technically in alpha testing, but it works great on my Google Nexus One. The app is about as simple as can be. Upon launch you’re presented with a file browser. Find the video file you want to play and click it to start playback. If your phone runs Android 2.1 and up, and has a fast enough CPU, it can probably handle most formats.

In the video window you can tap the screen to bring up a timeline and play/pause button. When you drag your finger along the timeline, the actual time will show up in large characters in the middle of the screen, making it very easy to jump to a specific point in a video.

When you hit the Home button to leave the app, playback will pause — and the video will resume as soon as you return to the app.

The only thing I’d really like to see added to VPlayer is a more robust file browser allowing you to access videos stored on a home network drive. The developer also plans to add support for subtitles. But overall I’m already very impressed with VPlayer.

VPlayer is available as a free download from the Android Market.