Guys,
Just wanted you to try out the open source crossplatform multimedia framework.
http://pymedia.sourceforge.net
It is dedicated for Python language and can do almost everything in multimedia. You may take a look a the pycar app which is based on version 1.2.1( http://pymedia.sourceforge.net/pycar/index.html )
It plays mp3/2, wma, ogg, ac3, avi, divx, xvid, mpeg1/2, asf, mov, mutlichannel sound.
Here are additional things you can do:
- grab AudioCDs, DVDs
- display simple visualizations
- grab/record voice/linein
You may use additional frameworks such as pygame, pyQT, wxPython, pyOpenGL to present the information on the screen with your own look and feel.
There is a great frontend already created such as freevo( which is not using pymedia as of now )
Here is what you'll need to get started:
Python2.3
pygame with overlay support: http://pymedia.sourceforge.net/pygam...in32-py2.3.exe
pymedia 1.2.2:
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/p...3.exe?download

No need for additional codecs or apps to be installed. Of course DirectX for true overlay support is preferable.
Simplicity and power of Python makes it unique for creating, enchancing and maintaining mutlimedia apps in different environments and OSes.

Enjoy.