For what it's worth, from the perspective of someone who uses Windows, Mac, Linux, and others every day, Windows Media Player isn't any different from the above. -ALL- these media players are hogs with their tentacles reaching throughout the system. I don't trust -ANY- of them.
I use WMP to play audio files, but that's all. Used to use WinAMP on Windows but it got invasive. I use iTunes to rip MP3s and sync my iPod, but that's all. I prefer Cog on the Mac, nice simple player. Haven't used RealPlayer in 5 years.
All the "system standard" players are bloated and invasive, by design. They're all intended to take over your system.
Just from my Windows perspective——
Window’s Media Player uses lots of resources but it doesn’t keep on trying to get me to deploy it to open up all my audio and video files. But that’s what quicktime did and same for real player. Plus I could not get these off the windows start up list. I would delete them off the Win Start Up list but they would worm their way back on.
This is how it was 4-5 years ago. That’s how it was. The two are banned for good so perhaps they have changed
And Windows Media Player does not insist on being on the program start up list. Those programs churning in the background in a 3 watt mode
Get old version. (v2.95 here) and its still light on its feet.
CDEx to rip, old school WinAMP to play. It's all good, and free. :-)