VLC Media Player

Video files may cause serious headaches sometimes. Your default player may not be able to run a certain format, the playback can be choppy, you may need new codecs and so on. With VLC media player you will not encounter such problems. Many users choose it over other players, due to its functionality, the fact that it is free and, of course, it can play pretty much any audio or video file out there. By using VLC, you can say "goodbye" to searching the Internet for codecs. Besides installing the software, there is nothing else you will have to do.

Regarding compatibility, the program does not limit itself only to Windows, Mac OS X and Linux platforms. It also comes with full support for other operating systems, such as BeOS, Syllable BSD, MorphOS, Solaris and Sharp Zaurus. The setup file is 21 Mb large, so it may take some time to download if you have a slow connection, but the wait is absolutely worth it. After downloading it, you only need to go through a fast setup process.

Like all media players, VLC will play videos on the main area of its interface. It is possible to customize the interface with various skins, which can be found here. The playback options, volume control and other functions are found on the lower part of the window. Extra settings can be brought up on a separate window by clicking one of these buttons. The window contains a graphic equalizer, compressor and many more options for applying effects and synchronizing the audio track or subtitles. The volume control has always been one of VLC's most appreciated features. You can go from 0% all the way to 200% and even higher by using the mouse wheel.

VLC is capable of playing any audio or video format you want. You can load a file with the options in the File menu, drag and drop a file over the interface or associate the player with your media files and run them in Windows Explorer. Regardless of how you load a file, the software will not prompt you for anything. The video will start playing immediately. You can also open a location from the clipboard. If you have copied a path to a video or a URL, you can use this option to open all the videos immediately.

Besides playing mostly any media file, VLC can also be used to stream in unicast or multicast, in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network, transcode multimedia files, convert files to mp3, copy and rip DVDs. The options can be found on a tabbed window, if you choose the "Open (advanced)" option in the File menu, or use its designated shortcut key.

A playlist can be displayed over the main area of the interface by clicking one of the buttons on the bottom edge. Besides the queued files, you can also access various locations on the hard drive, like My Videos, My Music or My Pictures, disks or your local network. You may also add podcasts, free music charts, and other elements from the Internet.

The software comes with many other features, which are too many to count. What you should know is that VLC is also portable. You can store it on a USB flash drive, CD/DVD or any other removable device and take it with you. Wherever you go, you can have the program's full functionality ready to go at any time.