It's also that the playback quality is much better than it was under 9.x. I used to see moire patterns in some of the movies I played. Wherever there were thin lines against a contrasting color, you could seee moire patterns if the camera moved (this can easily be seen in the dojo fight scene in The Matrix).
Under the player in 10.1, I don't see those patterns anymore. Also, the player will now play well in the background. It's nice to be able to have a movie going in the background while I type this.