VideoLAN is open source and IMO, one of the best free players available today.
I have not had any trouble using it for audio or video files in WXP, W7-64, and a couple of flavors of Linux.
It has replaced WMP on all of my computers.
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VLC media player is the best
Home » Forums » AskWoody support » Questions: Browsers and desktop software » Other desktop and Microsoft Store software » VLC media player is the best
- This topic has 20 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 2 months ago.
AuthorTopicRussB
AskWoody PlusViewing 17 reply threadsAuthorReplies-
Paul T
AskWoody MVP -
WSCLiNT
AskWoody Lounger -
WSRobyn
AskWoody Lounger -
WSmkurios
AskWoody LoungerI know VLC plays about anything. But certain faculty at the university I work had problems using it.. “too much options”… “where’s the normal windows player”… were a lot of heard complaints..
So I’ve learned to stick with K-lite mega codec pack…. you get media player classic, which I use myself for everything… and it has the added advantage of allowing you to use the normal windows player with any format, as it extends and uses windows own codec libraries (which VLC doesnt do).
I have had occasions when a DVD wouldn’t play withouth VLC, but otherwise our faculty is happier with the normal WMP. -
WSleolyons
AskWoody PlusI really like VLC – especially the tools which allow me to quickly assess how ‘tweakable’ less than perfect clips are before I try to include them in a project but……I can never get my mouse to work with it at all. I have to use my wacom graphics pen. Not the end of the world but annoying all the same.
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WSMregan
AskWoody Lounger -
WSjohne3065
AskWoody LoungerBoy, I am really surprised everyone likes it so much.
I think it is far to geeky. It crashes unexpectedly. It is so hard and unintuitive to set the default, such as the default interlace and resolution options. I get it to display full screen on my monitor and then find it extremely hard to get out of that. It really does not seem like a user friendly program to me at all. My install has set me with German language when I right click on a file. But it does play most file types, which is its saving grace.
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WSjoey aka pepe
AskWoody Lounger -
JeremyGH
AskWoody Lounger -
Paul T
AskWoody MVP -
WSLadyAudio
AskWoody Loungeroh agreed on the VLC player. Since I discovered it a few years back it’s been my GO-TO player for pretty much everyting. I’ve had a few issues here and there, but for the most part it’s handled everything that I’ve thrown at it as well. The majority of players are super-bloated and just ridiculous. I did like MediaMonkey a bit, but I just switched over to 64-bit and haven’t really tested it yet. Did you know there are old tv shows and other unusual video programming available thru it.
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WSCLiNT
AskWoody LoungerI used to get crashes on the player, but since I’ve uninstalled the skins I have yet to have any.
For most people, the advanced settings can be ignored and the default settings used without issue.I use VLC as a video player exclusively along with WMP, they work well side by side.
If you listen to music alot, I would recommend Winamp for that sole purpose only. -
rc primak
AskWoody_MVPHas anybody used VLC Player in place of Flash Player? I mean, has anyone actually dumped (completely removed) all traces of Flash Player, and then tried to watch streaming videos at PBS.org, Hulu.com, You Tube, and TV.com? Do these sites work with VLC Player and no Flash Player installed? Or do they insist that you must download and install Flash Player or a modified Flash Player, such as the ABC Move Player? So, did you folks really dump Flash Player? I sincerely doubt it!
-- rc primak
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WSCLiNT
AskWoody Lounger -
Paul T
AskWoody MVP -
rc primak
AskWoody_MVPVLC is not a replacement for Flash player, but it will play Flash video format.
cheers, Paul
Which was my point. I like all the enthusiasm for VLC Player, and I have it on both of my laptops, but it cannot do everything. Sort of like Linux, which I do not have.
Oh, and as to the DEP and ASLR security issue which Woody Leonhard has recently raised, the current version of VLC Player has fixed that issue, and Secunia now rates VLC Player as being as secure as Flash Player, which is actually pretty good. When used with Chrome (secure, according to Secunia) instead of Firefox or IE or Opera (none of which is currently listed by Secunia as secure), the security is very good.
-- rc primak
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pfvincent
AskWoody PlusThe big advantage of VLC for me is that it can be set up to automatically display the output full-screen on a projector and keep the controls on the laptop monitor.
There may be others that can do this, but if there are I have not found them.
However, it does have the big disadvantage that its help screens etc. are not particularly user-friendly, and that if one searches for information on how to get round a problem there are replies around that relate to older versions, and no longer work!RussB
AskWoody PlusWSJezsik
AskWoody LoungerVLC is indeed a great player, but I have to agree about the “too many features” complaint. Novice users are often baffled by some of the control options. I know I’m still baffled about some of them.
On of the most important features for me, is that VLC enables you to speed up the recording without affecting the pitch. It’s a great way to get through TV shows that use slow pans and drawn out scenes to fill in for actual content. It’s also useful for slowing down content when you’re trying to figure out what just happened.
Any one discovered any other game-winning features?
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WSrlindsay
AskWoody LoungerAny one discovered any other game-winning features?
You can use VLC and a portable version of VLC to stream videos from your desktop to your Android OS smart phone. I just stumbled on to such apps over the weekend and haven’t tried it yet. This might be of interest to some. Look for the portable/mobile side apps at the AndroidMarket or my favorite appbrain.com .
Viewing 17 reply threads -

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