VLC 1.0 Release Candidate Now Available

@CaffeineCarlton: What exactly does the FF plugin do? I've always used the portable version. By the way, where can I get a portable version for this release? PortableApps still have v9.9.

ssj4Gogeta

Granted it can play anything, but its ugly and the skins are terrible, but the biggest problem I have is you cant detach the play controls. IE play the video on one screen and have the control bar on another.

BSplayer free allows this, matched with Klite codec pack, and don't look back.

I had never updated VLC since 0.8.6c, I just noticed it has doubled in size since. Don't get me wrong, I really like but wow :)

@MC Double Def DP: I'm with KMP 100% these days -- plays .mkv and decodes analog cable tv perfectly. Hey, Lifehacker, how about a nice big article about KMP and it's fantastic abilities for the uninitiated?

@Bobly: Oh and because it can effectively stream any video you can download, just run it before it's finished downloading and as long as it downloads faster than you're watching it then it will play it without stopping and you having to re-open it.

Bobly

@Adam: Because it can play any media file I can think of, XviD, x264, even Flash Video files (.flv)!

Bobly

Ever since I saw someone there criticizing VLC for its render errors and saying "KMPlayer", I changed back and haven't looked back yet. Really superior player with a really superior and stylish interface and lots of advanced options.

VLC = very lovable code

TheLouis

@johnhorneguitar: uncheck the option to install browser plugins while installing it to prevent it from messing around with online video playback

banda

@johnhorneguitar: you are able to uncheck check boxes in the installer. just make sure the install firefox plugin is unchecked..

video recording works perfectly, that's an awesome feature

now if only we could generate gifs...

mistermojo

Honestly, VLC is the only player that can play virtually anything I throw at it. The best feature though, is that it plays ISO files, such that I can watch my movies that I have ripped.

gerrrg

I don't understand why the KMPlayer isn't that popular. It's got a much better interface. (I hate VLC's ugly GUI. I hear it's not as bad on the Mac.) It has many wonderful features, plays just about anything, and the recent build just rocks.

UnaLaius

As much as I like VLC, it displays Fat outlined subtitles poorly on Windows and Linux. The Mac version seems to display subtitles better.

I just want the big white with black outline subtitles that I see in Windows Media Player Classic. Even Smplayer on Linux has the capability for beautifully done subtitles.

@Adam: as a iTunes replacement use floola 4.9 found at www.filepig.com

lbrtdy

@Duane: I think I'll give KMPlayer another try. Lately I've been using Dragon for video, and Amarok for audio.

@rhode:

1. Maybe they've upgraded it since you last tried it.

2. You can change your desktop to a dark one.

RyaninCalgary

Here's a download link that should be up for those experiencing problems.
[tr.im]

cyberguy91

@Twinnie: Sorry but the cone FTW. Its used cause the student who started it, collected cones, probs when drunk, like most people...

Theo Jones

@MC Double Def DP: I've used KMPlayer in the past, not bad. When I say not bad, that is a compliment; I say two things about media players generally, 1) Not bad 2) How do I uninstall this piece of ****?

@Astrophizz: I remember having some mkv (crashing during scrubbing) issues about 10 months or so ago, but currently (on OSX) it plays 1080i mkv files perfectly. I'd get the latest and try it again.

Theo Jones

I completely forgot that this program was in alpha...

By "Instantaneous pausing" does it mean pause actually works properly? That was one thing that really made VLC feel sluggish, so fixing that probably helps a lot.
I'll certainly update my portable copy, but it'll not shift MCP from my defaults.

OptionalJoystick

@Byron Yu:

I got it to work.

Byron Yu

I've been using GOM player for the last couple of weeks and it seems pretty cool. It doesn't have a record on the fly but other from that its interface is way better than vlc.

@MC Double Def DP: Was just about to say the same thing. I used to use VLC, but when I found out about KM Player, VLC got quickly disposed.

Orisue

Are there any other mirrors where the VLC 1.0 RC can be downloaded? FileHippo is down.

Byron Yu

it doesn't have gpu acceleration and shader support. so prefer mpc home cinema is the way to go.

AlainT

@Adam: Oh true! Plus it also says 'frame by frame playback' in the changelog

Looking good!

mejobloggs

word. "Media Player Classic + K-Lite Codec Pack" beats VLC hollow. Media Player Classic's video playback quality is light years ahead of VLC. Having said that, VLC is still my #2 fave.

sisya

@MC Double Def DP: Thirding this: I discovered KMPlayer one night at my house when trusty VLC player would not play a DVD properly (Skipping, distortion, etc). Having no high-speed internet at my house, I was able to download the lightweight KMP by tethering my cell phone and play the DVD.

spcomputing

@mejobloggs: "With VLC 1.0, you can expect all of the same great functionality, plus some additional features including:

*Instantaneous pausing*"

Does that help?

@MC Double Def DP:

Same here, I used VLC for years, but once I discovered KMPlayer, I never turned back. That being said, I'll probably try VLC again when 1.0 final launches.

@Adam: WAIT..one more question...
can it convert MP3 to AAC for my DSi? appearantly Nintendo is too cheap to add MP3 support to their newest console :p

@MC Double Def DP: Seconding this.

l337_7r4d3r

@wickedcupofjoe: Lifehacker does do a pretty good job of killing bandwidth!

Maybe they should talk to the owners before posting links :p

@JellyDoodle91: MPC HC for me too. VLC as standard does give a nice picture with DVDs though.

Brent James Millard

@alteran1: Hey im all for children coding, but not in sweatshops.

When I was 12, I was really excited to learn HTML, and now I am installing secret easter eggs in my sites (hint: Konami Code)

Horray! for all the young coders of the world!

@jameslheard: x2

rhode

What I don't like about VLC is if the video is paused, and you shift the slider, the picture doesnt update until you click play again

Pretty dumb. Makes it really hard to go back and look at a certain frame which I seem to want to do fairly often

mejobloggs

Maybe it would be worth having a high five for video players, I know there has been one for media players but I use different thing for music than I use for watching video.

jameslheard

yay!

Furgster

I've always been happy with K-Lite. I prefer when it just blends in seamlessly to the operating system's default operations which K-Lite does. Not only makes it easier for non-techies to use my machine but I find it a tidier solution and I don't have to use that awful VLC file icon for all my media (orange traffic cone, wtf?).

Twinnie

You can also get the Ubuntu version 1.0 by adding the following repositories and updating your current vlc:

deb [ppa.launchpad.net] jaunty main
deb-src [ppa.launchpad.net] jaunty main

My first use of VLC resulted in a crash, I checked out MPC (now MPC_Home Cinema) and never went back.

mjm01010101

@Kiri Komori: I've noticed a definite split between preferred client based on where/why they first started watching video. I'm in your boat. :)

katscanne

eh, I prefer Media Player Classic Home Cinema

JellyDoodle91

@bachya: And it's coded by underpaid Chinese children in sweatshops?

;) or :( depending upon how you look at it

alteran1

@katscanne: That said, I do recommend VLC to my friends who just want things to work.

katscanne

I don't see why the KMPlayer gets no love around these parts. At least on my computer, it has a much smaller footprint, better performance, better UI, album art mode, and a few other things. I dunno if it stream or rip DVDs, but we all have better programs to do the latter. I'm not an audio or videophile in any way, so maybe there's a quality difference to account for?

Well, with that being said, I still respect VLC, as it was on my computer before I discovered KMP.

I personally still prefer the CCCP (Combined Community Codec Pack) and Media Player Classic... but I'm old-school and have been doing this digital video thing for the past 10 years or so. I "get" code packs, CCCP covers every format I've ever tried, it works across all the apps in my system, and MPC helps me feel retro - and I like being able to remove all its chrome and have it float on top in the corner of my screen while I... um... word-process. And not anything related to WoW when I still played. Yeah.

katscanne

@Astrophizz: The subtitle thing was apparently a major focus of one of the last big revisions (the one that added the new skin, I think) but I've tried it recently and it's just as crappy as ever. Other than the subtitle issues, MPC with Haali actually consumes less resources playing HD content than VLC does, anyway.

Lightweight? Only if you're on OSX and the only alternative is iTunes.

I'm sticking with Media Player Classic/CCCP and using VLC only for Linux and as a portable player on Windows. Even on the USB drive I carry an installer for CCCP and try to use that if possible :\

protospork

Solid video player, okay audio player. No cue sheet support, no Monkey's Audio support, laughable cover art feature.

jeirich

Epic win... I haven't updated this thing since 0.6 and this is a huge improvement.

JonhMan

Won't use VLC for two reasons:

1. Subtitle rendering is awful, they look all pixelated on normal 624 x 352 video resolutions.

2. No checkbox for "exit fullscreen after playback". Really annoying if you're watching something to fall asleep and suddenly a bright light wakes you up.

For me Media Player Classic + K-Lite Codec Pack will do it. Until...

rhode

I used this a long time ago to watch anime, but it always messed up the subtitles

I use CCCP and MPC these days, but I'm curious, has VLC gotten better at playing anime?

Kiri Komori

VLC actually screwed up my ability to watch videos in Firefox until I uninstalled it. Not going to try it again.

@Adam: As one of my friends once put it, "It's the Wal-mart of video players. It has everything."

So that's why. :)

When they add support for .rm and .rmvb I'll download.

Can this playback ripped blu rays on the hard drive - that would be cool.

E_Merlin

@Adam: Fairly? like I said: everything.

Can it replay from the last position a video was at? If not, I'll stick to SMPlayer, it plays everything without codecs like VLC and is better in general.

jeremy_mccurdy

Have they fixed their issues with mkvs? Or with subtitles? These are deal-breakers for me, especially the mkv one which prevents me from watching HD content in VLC.

Astrophizz

Guess I'll have to wait to download, site won't load for me. Lifehacker strikes again. :)

@Adam: I guess ill try it, but only because it sounds lightweight and is fairly compatible with formats... (hits the link)

@Adam: From my experience, it's a small, simple program that can play a host of media types, stream over a network, and record some types of streams as well. I haven't explored all of its functions, but it's a pretty handy tool to have.

There's also a portable version for flash drives which can really come in handy if you want to watch a movie or listen to a song on a computer that you can't or shouldn't install onto, such as a library or school computer.

Bert Bronaugh

@Adam:
I have yet to throw a video file format at it that didn't work.

Quicktime, Windows Media Player, even MPlayer have been stumped by various odd file formats/codecs, but so far I've been able to play everything on VLC.

Zundfolge

@Adam: because it plays everything. If there's something VLC can't play, it's either a proprietry format only for use with one program (and if it becomes popular, VLC can play it), or not a media format at all.

@Adam: I did notice it say "convert for ipod"...is this only Converting, or actually syncing.
Once it can Sync, I am ready to uninstall i[amslow]Tunes

VLC is so amazing. Is the RC out for Mac?

Nickcompoop

VLC is the greatest!!! =D

pvtryan3

Can anybody tell me why i should use VLC? I see no reason to get it at this point.

I'm on it.

pdok

@MC Double Def DP: Another KMplayer fan in the mix.

People just don't know yet; hopefully LH will do some coverage to spread the love!

@Adam:I installed VLC a bit ago and it changed all my icons to freggin road cones--can't guarantee it but I'm a custom install guy and don't remember okaying file associations; perhaps, I'm mistaken and could have easily just clicked ahead.

Either way after messing around with it, I realized it did nothing KMPlayer (aka Kang Media) couldn't do and KM had stock functions VLC didn't, kept lean ram/cpu, and looked a whole lot better.

This was a good year ago and have since uninstalled VLC. Media Player Classic w/ K-lite codec and KMplayer run anything I throw at it: FLV, subs, broken *.rar converts, uncompleted wmv's/avis while retaining fast forward and speed controls... even does Quick Time.

Why everyone loves VLC, dunno, really.

Curious what do you guys use if not VLC...KMPLayer & Media Classic for me.

[www.kmplayer.com] My favourite/past build. Think that's it.

@E_Merlin: Why yes. Yes it can, depending on how it is ripped. I used to play h.264 rips when I lived in a house with a big HDTV.

JerryA

@pdok: That's what she said.

Tim Schwarz

@katscanne: for non tech people, I always point them to VLC

works like a charm in these situations

Kiri Komori

its a cool player, only thing, if they rearrange the interface it would be cool

srisar

@MC Double Def DP: Because kmp is illegal its on the ffmpeg hall of shame.
[www.ffmpeg.org]

@Nickcompoop: First two words of the post: "Windows only"

@katscanne: I think the split is something like this:
1) People who use things like MPC with codecs but do it terribly wrong and screw stuff up.
2) A bit more tech savvy and you use VLC because it "just works"* without the "trouble" of codecs.
3) More tech savvy and you realize that codecs aren't so bad or that VLC is just a mangled MPlayer.

I think the necessities of someone who watches anime quickly pushes them towards the 3rd group, or they really don't care and watch hard-subbed avis.

*the definition of "works" depends on how much you care about the videos you watch.

Astrophizz

The Linux version is also out, I am going to wait for the ppa to install it. :)

motang

@Theo Jones: Yeah well a few nights ago I was watching The Fall at a friend's and the output freaked a few times and I had to seek to clear it up :-/

Astrophizz

What does instantaneous pausing mean? I've used VLC for a while and pausing hasn't ever been an issue for me.

syko21

@protospork: Yeah I use MPC-HC with CCCP and CoreAVC and it works great. For OSX the other options (still superior to VLC I believe) are MPlayer and Perian.

Astrophizz

Is it still a ~60 mb install?

psid8

@pauldong: Well, you could dual boot with Ubuntu, there's a Linux version available.

Also I think you can save your position with XBMC, but I'm not sure.

jeremy_mccurdy

@Twinnie: Amen, I just don't understand why VLC gets so much love from Lifehacker. I use it on my Mac, but only because I have to, it's the lessor of the 2 evils between Quicktime. But on Windows, Media Center Classic and K-Lite rocks my world.

Hecubus452

Tried it out once again wanted to essentially rip a dvd to store on my cpu for future viewing not as user friendly as stated in LH write up (or Im just not totally up to speed on the workings) :( needless to say I dropped it again. Real frustraiting that Idelete the program and the icon still remains As before I had to resort to a system restore to delete the icon from my desktop .

SristiDia

@jeremy_mccurdy:

I wish there's a front end like that on Mac. Even Boxee can't do it.

pauldong

@MC Double Def DP: KMPlayer plays MKV's flawlessly where VLC stutters @ times.

Troy

I've had issues with VLC having trouble with .wmv clips. It plays, eventually, but there's a lot of pixellation and it takes about five to ten seconds every time a scene changes to work itself out. It's really irritating, especially if you try to go forward or backwards in a clip. I haven't been able to fix it; I haven't even figured out the right way to phrase what my problem to find if there's a fix on the forums. I've tried dropping late frames and skipping frames and stuff like that, but it still hasn't worked out. This has been my only issue with VLC. Other than that, it's been a great program.

SugouriBabbit

has anyone else try KMPlayer???

malafe07

I don't understand when everyone says VLC doesn't have good video quality. Is there an article anywhere that has comparisons etc?

mejobloggs

I used to use VLC completely, no other media player for me back then. But as I started transitioning from avi to mkvs I started having playback problems. I've tried many things, many have told me it was a codec problem but nothing seemed to fix it. I moved to Media Player Classic, yes it is simplistic, but it plays without problem and I haven't looked back at VLC since. Any reason this should change my mind?

FreemanDemigod

is the video back to being connected to the controls ? This was an issue in the Ubuntu version.

Audi5000

VLC handles ALMOST anything. It still doesn't work with Real Player and streams that require passwords. If they fixed that, VLC would become GODLIKE!

1.0.0 has a fully customizable interface similar to firefox (drag and drop icons, separators)

mistermojo

@SWC: You can turn off file associations during install. It's right there in the custom install field.

I do not use VLC in my day to day life. I prefer to use GOMPlayer [[www.gomlab.com]] it's small nice easy to use interface, plays almost everything.

But then there are times that I just need to open VLC to play some stubborn file :).

aadhu

Can it play *.rm, *.rmvb, *.qt et al?

I currently use Media Player Classic Home Cinema with Core AVC codec for x264 content. Would one be able to choose which codec to use to play video?

P.S. I need to use the Core AVC codec as I have some [1920x720 60hz] K-pop live perfomance and video clips and Haali could not play them back smoothly. This is a common issue with true HD videos and one of the solutions is to use Core AVC's codec which provides the best performance for x264 playback.

How does it stack against GOM player?

Micho

@kazemizuhi:
Along with less-than-remarkable subtitle rendering, the inability to load external codecs is VLCs biggest drawback. (Unless this has been changed, but I highly doubt it)

If you have MPC set up the way you want, there isn't really any reason to move to VLC. MPC is a much snappier and lightweight app. I see VLC as mostly for people who want their media player to work out of the box. (Or if you want to stream video over the net, VLC is what you want)

MPC+K-Lite Mega Codec... Tried VLC and would probably have kept it as my default, except that I couldn't stand the cones and I love the way I can +/- the volume in MPC simply by using the scroll on my mouse. VLC might have the same feature but I didn't bother looking anty further.

SharvaniHaruhite

I personally use SMPlayer - it can handle these file types flawlessly and often more smoothly (less video resources) than VLC:

3gp, ac3, ape, asf, avi, divx, dvr-ms, flac, flv, iso, m1v, m2t, m2ts, m3u, m3u8, mkv,mov, mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpg, mpv,mqv,nsv, ogm, pls, ra, ram, rec, rm, rmvb, swf, ts, vcd, vob, wav, wma and wmv,

Not sure how it stacks up next to VLC but it's done everything I've asked of it.

VLC still has loads of features over SMPlayer, though. Just thought I'd put it out there.

ThePioneer

@SugouriBabbit: I have the same problem... although I tend to play videos from a NAS, which I guess might have something to do with it (even though its gigabit LAN)

falter

VLC is my favorite video player, you can even rip DVD wiht VLC, that's pretty cool.

colarmac

@aadhu:
Vlc can play these video files format, Can anyone tell me other player which can able to play all these formats.

MPEG-1/2
DIVX (1/2/3)
MPEG-4 ASP, DivX 4/5/6, XviD, 3ivX D4
H.261
H.263 / H.263i
H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Cinepak
Theora Y
Dirac / VC-2
MJPEG (A/B)
WMV 1/2 Yes
WMV 3 / WMV-9 / VC-1
Sorenson 1/3 (Quicktime)
DV (Digital Video)
On2 VP3/VP5/VP6
Indeo Video v3 (IV32)
Indeo Video 4/5 (IV41, IV51)
Real Video 1/2
Real Video 3/4

@GuimiAlfaro: well, you can start downloading it because they work now.

ridgecity

@Brain.wav: I'm sure I've used it with external sub files in the past.

Spakkenkhrist

@Smok3y: Bingo. VLC has no support (that I know of) for external subtitle files. If you can't tell by my avatar, that's sort of a dealbreaker for me.
Also, at least on Linux, VLC dies when using any soft-subs. That could have more to do with the codec support on Linux though.

@SWC: Can KMPlayer read .ISO files? Last time I tried it, KMPlayer seemed to choke on those... or I had to go through some weird way of opening it. I would prefer to be able to drag the file onto the KMPlayer window and let it figure out the rest.

fritzk3

I've been using SMPlayer for a long time now.

1) It automatically saves your position in a video, so you can close and reopen it in same spot.
2) It looks so much better than VLC.
3) It plays everything MPlayer can (everything I've ever needed) once you install the extra codec pack.

Anyone else use it?

sb3700

"Instantaneous pausing"! Woohoo! I hated waiting .000001 seconds in previous versions.

Jason C

@phrend: Having to set up screen-savers on a daily basis won't cut it. And yes, for now I will stick with MPC HC and keep recommending it.

rhode

@RyaninCalgary:

1. Actually they haven't, this feature has been requested for almost a year now and no change.

2. I already changed my desktop but it's still disturbing..

It's a very simple feature that makes the difference. Not forgetting subtitle rendering.

rhode

@scottelsdon: You can detach controls from the window with the latest nightly built beta. You can check the site.

rhode

@FreemanDemigod: Since you're with MPC.. Imo No! =)

rhode

@balcis: You can configure that, under options.

rhode

@rhode: I guess you could set your screen-saver kinda like a sleep-timer to get around that issue, but it sounds like you've got something that works for you already.

phrend

Nice to hear VLC's features are being updated.

I use Media Player Classic with the K-Lite codec pack and it's great. I do use VLC, but so far it's too unrefined for my liking (basic things like instant pausing and instant timeshift.) So I'll definitely wait for 1.0 and download it.

Bassem B.

I avoided using VLC because of its horrible subtitle rendering, all pixelated and such. Will give 1.0 a try again once its final.

aarste

You will find that MPC does allow for various keyboard shortcuts. Try View>Options>Keys Mine replicates WMP- ctrl+N and ctrl+B

SharvaniHaruhite

isn't this the player you can NOT jump forward and backward by keyboard arrow keys?

oh great then! {smplayer btw}

balcis

@ssj4Gogeta: I guess you'll have to wait until they make it portable.

_Jonny

@protospork: Agreed, CCCP with MPCHC is great. Real Alternative might be desired as well.

A lot smoother and uses less resources than VLC in my experience, stuttering and high CPU usage vs smooth playback on my old computer. CoreAVC if you've got a lower spec PC (or just want to use less CPU) and some money.

I would only use VLC as portable VLC but even then, MPlayer portable does a great job.

_Jonny

I don't have much faith in this. Every time, every version of VLC I've tried, the video and audio have skipped a lot and pixelation was the rule, not the rarity. I got better results from Winamp or WMP.

Everybody's praising VLC for being able to play "anything". What they seem to avoid talking about, is the quality overall.

paintbox

Mmmmm... VLC, the swiss army knife of all that is video. <3

May you live long and prosper!

@Spakkenkhrist: Hmm, I've totally watched videos with external subtitles with VLC. Just as long as they're in the same folder with the same name (I think?) they have played without a hitch every single time...

[rapidshare.com]

@Barbas: Maybe they don't care?!

charlie7691

I'm still waiting for it to display playlist durations (Mac OS 10.4.11).

Viewer

You might want to get rid of the file name from the bottom of the screenshot.
VLC may not be the most beautiful media player, but it is definitely the best.

charlie7691

@Adam: why use it? what are you using as a media player?

it's a Universal player that's quick and easy to use and deploy. won't use it as my default player but i use it as a player if someone has a file there not even sure what format it is. How often does a non-tech user know what format a video file is? VLC FTW use it or the kmplayer.

chessyang

I wish they'd polish up the Windows Chrome.

That outsized "Play" button and garish vomit-esque Volume Control Slider have stopped me using the thing completely- particularly since skins break certain functionality (Full screen controls, for one).

AirRaven

@Adam: After I chose Windows 7 as my main OS, I've been using the version of WMP that comes with it for most video formats-I like it because it's a very lightweight experience compared to the previous versions. But I don't like the hassle of installing codecs, so for anything that WMP doesn't play, I use VLC (mainly .flv files).

Your screenshot says you are a pirate. :p

Barbas

@Nitrokart: Only to then be further confused by "Controllable by the Media Keys on modern Apple keyboards (OS X only)"

dix-huit

@MC Double Def DP: Another vote for KMPlayer. I used to use VLC on an old notebook but videos often "stuttered". Since I use KMPlayer every movie is fluid and enjoyable as it is on my desktop pc.

deadbrain

I replaced VLC with GOM about tow (three?!) years ago. GOM looks nicer, the buttons work more intuitively, it sees you're watching "DCMI0707.avi" and automatically plays "DCMI0708.avi", so watching things in order is as easy as clicking on the first item, and (most importantly) it lets me watch AVIs in 1.5x, 2.0x, ets, while adjusting the pitch. Because every TV show and movie I watch feels TOOO SLOOOOW... :)

jrocknyc

MPC + FFDSHOW>VLC

xaxa1

I use media player classic + CCCP
Much faster and snappier than VLC.

But I have also used VLC (portable version) in cases where I am not bothered to install MPC and CCCP on someone else computers.

I use VLC and it's very handy every now & then but, gasp, I really don't like it very much. It's got clownish icons & buttons, is generally not very attractive, and is generally a bit weird in use. If they could bring in some usability talent, that would be great.

jarmod

That looks like a copy of 30 Rock downloaded off the torrents? :P

Santosh GS

@edosan: KMplayer for me too. I don't see what VLC can do that KM can't. (maybe the convert files for iPod thing but since it probably doesn't sync I see no need to switch) Plus KMplayer looks a whole hellofa lot better

Paul Werner

I have yet to find a binary for OS X, but if you're comfortable compiling your own, the git repository has rc-1 available and it compiles fine (http://wiki.videolan.org/OSXCompile).

ImeldaCadmus

@MC Double Def DP: I really like KMPlayer. I have VLC installed out of habit, but I rarely use it any more.

@SWC: Another vote for KMplayer -- I especially like their video capture options.

@urbanturban666: define bloat

@JonhMan: get klite + mpc.... its better than the latest vlc...

urbanturban666

@rhode: klite and mpc is all you need...vlc is not that great for windows users...and mpc does quicktime and realmedia files if you get the "alternatives"

urbanturban666

@GuimiAlfaro: download real alternative and stick to mpc if you use it....vlc has become some bloated monster...

urbanturban666

@Adam: vlc is bloated now... mpc or smplayer is fine...

urbanturban666

Have they fixed that annoying video output setting?

lu6cifer

@undefined:

Does VLC has a subtitle editor?
Sometimes I need to fix some subtitle syncing issues with BS.Player's subtitle editor.
Can VLC do that, so I can use one less pirated software?

@[ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu] SHAME SHAME breaking a licensce that gives its software away for free and the disgusting people at GOMPlayer decide to break this license because they don't want to share, I love FFMPEG and the extremely hard work to get all those codecs and then GOMPlayer goes and rips it off! Disgusting!
[roundup.ffmpeg.org] <-- GOMPlayer issue.

@Adam: The clincher for me is the volume - most players unsurprisingly max out at 100%, but VLC goes up to 400%, so I can still hear my netbook's video playback while doing noisy things in the kitchen.

pipedreambomb

I just downloaded the VLC portable--again--to see if I was incorrect about its power.

After loading a bunch of files that otherwise would load on another media player, i found VLC pretty weak:

It handles firefox part files perfectly and misnamed extensions...great! Yup, excellent volume boost, stock!

Then...

One wmv clip was said to be lacking a codec for audio as "unf is unavailable and can not be corrected." Loaded a chunk avi; during fast forwarding, it would choke and polarize the colors for about 5 seconds, then settle back into the proper render. Then the straw that broke the camels back. Slid in a file w/ a bunch of mp3's and it crashed yet the files played individually on VLC.

Again, these are all files that would play properly elsewhere on several other players I have!!! Sorry, but i find VLC a bad joke likely pushed by people who haven't tried new media players since the switch; impressed it handles more than windows media default back in 2003. So i guess I'll leave VLC permanently unless I need to play so compressed telecoms files from the 90's .

I'm using MPC w/K-lite regularly. Although I do use VLC for one thing. ISO files. MPC sometimes have no sound, and don't support the chapters as well.

The biggest problem I have with VLC though, is that in full-screen, I can't use the mouse to move the slider to jump to another part. Like MPC you just move the mouse to the bottom of the screen, the slider bar comes up and you can browse around.
Is there a way to do that in VLC? (or is it just jumping with arrows?)

Another question. How do I keep the deinterlace setting saved to Blend? I seem to need to set that every time I open a file.

kyot

This post has to be updated. VLC 1.0 RC1 is now mentioned on the VLC website moreover you can also download VLC 1.0 rc1 source tarballs for Linux. For the curious [www.kabatology.com]

I'll take WMP11 + FFDShow over VLC any day.
That's not to say it's not a good player though.
One for the linux crew.

Um, Windows only? Am I missing something, or is this not the same program: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html I've been using VLC for over a year on my mac.

ParkerDion

Finally it can play my BD rips in MKV format.

Goodbye CCCP Codec Pack and Media Player Classic.

VLC > *

geoffrey2008

@Astrophizz: If you are "tech savy" you don't use VLC because it sucks and there are much better alternatives.

mrwumasta

@yonyz: GOM player has the best subtitle syncing I have ever seen.

mrwumasta

@Adam: I can give one one reason to not use VLC: GOM Player. GOMPlayer is soooooo much better its not even funny. Personally I think VLC sucks a fat one.

mrwumasta

@Adam: not only does it play everything but it also fixes corrupt files

VLC sucks horribly. MPC works far better.

thexile

@Spakkenkhrist: Then I'd love to know how to make it work. I've tried a few things, but it never auto-loads and I can't find a menu option to force it to load them.

I've been using Media Player Classic/K-Lite Codec Pack on XP for a while, but after reading this post I decided to try VLC. I was not impressed - although VLC does start up faster, it was plagued by crashes, hangs and rendering glitches - things I don't experience with MPC and K-Lite. So I've gone back to them for now.

BayardMozie

Streaming videos from Asian streaming websites are great! The most important trait for VLC, I could watch it offline!

Em Wai Zee

@WiseSalesman: My enthusiasm was apparently misplaced. My media keys and wireless remote still don't work. VLC recognizes them in the hotkeys section of the preferences - they just don't actually DO anything during playback.

global hotkeys! I'd given up hope! Must download immediately...

@rhode:
thank you

balcis

Coolness! Back when I was a total noob, I was always having problems with different types of media... Then I discovered the ACE Mega CodecS pack and VLC. I don't think I've discovered anything I can't play now...

I just realized that I sound like I'm giving an infomercial testimonial... Sorry about that.

GeauxGhoti

There seems to be some smudging if I pause or minimize the window or switch to another app. This does not happen with the K-Lite codecs. Also, sometimes when I minimize or switch to another window the video seems to stop for several seconds although the video is playing.

Someone mentioned the volume. For whatever reason this one goes up to '11'. It is very loud, I have to turn the volume down to like 15% or so and it is comparable to other media I use.

davomartinez

@Adam: Hi, I just downloaded the latest non-beta version 0.9 whatever.

You are right in asking, I was not sure either but it seems very popular. I guess not having to find codecs is one reason. I do very little media playback so I am somewhat ignorant about external codecs. When I reinstalled XP on my notebook I went and got the K-Lite codecs which has allowed me to play all the media (video stuff) that I need. I thought I would have to buy a codec(s) to play DVDs which I did do a couple of years ago but now I know they are freely available.

There seems to be some smudging if I pause or minimize the window or switch to another app. This does not happen with the K-Lite codecs. Also, sometimes when I minimize or switch to another window the video seems to stop for several seconds although the video is playing.

Someone mentioned the volume. For whatever reason this one goes up to '11'. It is very loud, I have to turn the volume down to like 15% or so and it is comparable to other media I use.

davomartinez

when would they change the skin!!
even the last one looked better.

It depends what you watch on your computer. If you download torrents, using VLC just makes the most sense becuase you can use it no matter the file type. If you just watch DVDs and movies from iTunes then there's no point. Just download VLC and have it on your computer just in case. You won't regret it.

@Adam:

stevendfrazer

I love VLC, but I hate the look of the border and the video controls under the video I'm watching. In Windows 7 media player and Jetaudio (Hide Window Border option checked), the control appears when the mouse is rolled over the video, but then disappears so only the video is seen. I really like that clean interface. Is it possible to do the same with VLC?

VLC on Ubuntu is my main media player, and I always, I said always, use it with soft subtitles. It works perfectly, it renders them far better than Totem, the default media player.

ShankhamalaEpeius