VLC Media Player 0.8.6f

Publisher's description of VLC Media Player

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VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, MP3, and OGG, as well as for DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It also can be used as a server for unicast or multicast streams in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. The most prominent additions to version 0.8.6 are probably Windows Media Video 9 and Flash Video. Other important changes are improved H.264 decoding, better Windows Unicode support, and a full-screen.

Version 0.8.6f may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

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Editor's review of VLC Media Player

When it comes to video files, nothing is ever as easy as it should be. Thankfully, VLC Media Player offers a one-stop solution for the file-format problem. The program supports playback of OGG, MP2, MP3, MP4, DivX, DVD, and a whole slew of other file types. In addition, it also can function as a streaming media server. Because of its open-source foundation, VLC Media Player evolves quickly, with new features and fixes released frequently.

Though the interface varies from platform to platform, the sparseness of the Windows version leaves plenty to be desired. The skinned mode perks things up slightly, but the program seems to suffer from unpredictable behavior when skinned. Also, the basic task of opening a file is far more confusing than it should be; the program gives you several options, including the head-scratching Quick Open File. Overall, though, VLC Media Player is a must-have application for its ability to open just about any type of video file you throw at it.

User reviews of VLC Media Player

• Average user rating: out of 1138 votes
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  VLC Media Player

  Seems to deal with any audio/videol file I try it with just fine.

  by: UKposter on 10-Apr-2008 10:32:05 AM

  Pros: Plays all the file types that I've tried it with fine, pretty easy program to learn to use, a reasonable set of preferences to play with, in summary this is a good all round player, not one that's too flash with no substance, but who needs that when it's the content that you want to see/hear at the best possible quality, both sound and vision come over well using VLC Player.

  Cons: One problem I have encountered, not a major one though, is that I can't use the slider to forward .flv files, I seem to be able to do that with all other audio and video file types that I've tried to do this with, but that's just a minor 'con'.

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  VLC Media Player

  What more can you want, good at all.

  by: tucifurlan on 12-Apr-2008 03:56:53 PM

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  VLC Media Player

  Not the best

  by: nigc on 13-Apr-2008 03:21:38 AM

  Cons: Doesn't compare well to WMP, RealPlayer or DIVX. While it may cover a lot of media formats, it doesn't seem to do any of them as well as those listed above.

  Found it slow, with poor definition. Would also hang unacceptably when jumping to a particular scene.

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  VLC Media Player

  Realy plays everything!

  by: cptrob on 01-May-2008 11:16:52 AM

  Pros: Not only all the video extensions, but also many audio ones like flac and ape files.

  Cons: It's pictogram, but who cares...

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  VLC Media Player

  I am impress

  by: FrenchyHey on 13-Apr-2008 11:08:28 AM

  Pros: It does evrything it suposed to do and it is free and free of spyware, I just love it.

  Cons: Would like to see a less rough design. Maybe more explanation for the advance feature so that I coud use them.

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