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Softonic rating:
Excellent
9/10
License:
Free (GPL)
Added:
November 28, 2005
Updated:
July 29, 2010
Publisher:
Videolan | More programs (4)
File size:
39.6 MB
Downloads:
426,519
Nick Mead

“The free media player that can play almost anything”

by Nick Mead

We've all come across problems playing videos for one reason or another. Thankfully, the open source community came up with a solution in the form of VLC Media Player which plays just about anything.

Version 1.0.5 doesn't actually look that much different from previous versions of VLC but it does introduce many new features, formats and codecs to the VLC multimedia framework. It also fixes several major bugs that were in earlier versions.

Firstly, don't be fooled by appearances. VLC Media Player may look basic, but it's this simplicity and power to play anything that makes VLC Media Player so good. This includes downloading streams from the web. Indeed, we've often found that where other media players have failed, VLC Media Player has always allowed me to stream content quickly and reliably. This is because VLC Media Player is so lightweight and doesn't spend as much time processing images as some players do. If you want to stream your own audio or video across the net, there's also a useful streaming wizard to help get you going.

VLC Media Player isn't quite as intuitive as iTunes when it comes to media management - it's much more basic and stripped down in that respect - but it's a much more flexible player in terms of file formats. And if VLC Player doesn't recognize the file type it will often try playing it anyway and will display the scrambled video in its raw form.

As regards control, VLC Media Player offers superb hotkey support allowing you to define a key to do anything from taking video snapshots to skipping tracks. It also features subtitle support for all major subtitle formats and even allows you to switch languages in the click of a button.

Note that all versions of VLC Media Player compatible with Mac OS X 10.1 to 10.6 are available here. The main download link is for the 64 bit Intel version compatible with OS X 10.5 and above. However, you will be offered download links for older OS X versions when you click the free download link. Alternatively, you can download older versions at the foot of this page if you know which one is compatible with your OS. There is not, and there will never be, a version for Mac OS 9.

There's very little to fault with VLC Media Player. It's a superb lightweight media player that will successfully play the most stubborn files where other players fail.

Languages:

English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese Simp, Chinese Trad, Danish, Finnish, Gallego, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese BR, Russian, Swedish, Turkish

Notes:

Note that all versions of VLC Player compatible with Mac OS X 10.1 to 10.6 are available here. The main download link is for the 64 bit Intel version compatible with OS X 10.5 and above. However, you will be offered download links for older OS X versions when you click the free download link. Alternatively, you can download older versions at the foot of this page if you know which one is compatible with your OS. There is not, and there will never be, a version for Mac OS 9.

Recent changes in VLC Media Player:

  • OS X 10.6.2: The VLC developers are glad to report that Apple's recently announced Mac OS X update to version 10.6.2 includes a fix which let's correctly you use the Apple Remote within VLC again. Prior releases of Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 included a bug, which caused interferences with iTunes or DVD Player when using the Apple Remote in 3rd party applications. According to Apple, this update also addresses video playback and performance issues on certain setups. Please note that VLC 1.0.3 is required to use the Apple Remote on Mac OS X 10.6.2.
  • What's new in this version 1.1.2:
  • Quite soon after the 1.1.1, we were able to squash more annoying bugs, hence a new release for you!
  • TS and DVB demuxing fixes
  • Audio filters fixes to solve the "mono" bug
  • Fix of the direct3d output module that display nothing on older nVidia and ATI cards, when overlay was activated
  • Extensions and scrips updates
  • Miscellaneous fixes in interfaces
  • Updated translations
  • Various crashes and errors fixed

OS requirements for VLC Media Player:

  • OS: Mac OS X

Minimum requirements:

  • Mac OS X 10.5 or later but when you click the free download link, you will also be offered downloads for every OS X back to version 10.1. Alternatively, you can download older versions at the foot of this page if you know which one you need for your OS.
Pros
  • Free to use
  • Plays almost anything
  • Great hotkey support
  • Lightweight
Cons
  • Basic interface limited by few skins
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VLC Media Player Softonic Rating: 9Featured program

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