VLC Media Player is a verifiable institution. The ever-reliable media player has been around on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android and iPhones for what feels like forever and can play pretty much any video type or codec that has ever been invented is as popular now as it has ever been. It is the versatility that has always made VLC so popular with so many users but did you know that VLC is even more versatile than most people know. VLC can do so much more that think it can because of something very simple: extensions.
Yep, there are many VLC extensions, add-ons, and plugins that you can install to further augment VLC’s features. There are lots available too. If something about VLC has been frustrating you, there is likely an extension to fix the problem. If you’ve ever thought the VideoLan video player was missing a vital feature, there’s a good chance there is a VLC addon or plugin available that will add that feature to your version of VLC. Let’s take a look then at some of the best VLC Media Player add-ons, extensions, and plugins.
VLC plugins, extensions, and addons
These are all the best VLC Media Player extensions we’ve found to help you get more from the most popular and versatile video and media player available today.
SyncPlay
SyncPlay for VLC Media Player truly is an extension for our times. We’ve all had to deal with being away from loved ones recently, stuck at home and unable to spend time with friends and family. Sure, apps like Zoom and Skype have allowed us to chat with each other but when it comes to actual activities, it’s been tough. SyncPlay solves this problem, for one activity anyway, by making it possible to watch the same video concurrently on multiple computers at the same time. Yep, SyncPlay allows you to watch the same movie with friends and family even if you’re not in the same house.
To work you need to install VLC Media Player and the SyncPlay extension on all the different computers. Each PC then needs to connect to the same server and you’re ready to go. Once it has begun, one user can control playback on all the systems at once.
TuneIn Radio
The TuneIn Radio plugin for VLC does exactly what you think it does. The plugin automatically grabs and displays all available TuneIn Radio stations instantly turning your VLC Media Player console into a massive and powerful internet radio. This means you can browse TuneIn’s extensive list of active radio stations without having to open Google Chrome, go to the radio stations web page, or look for it on a search engine.
With TuneIn installed on your VLC console you can easily browse radio stations by Music Genre, Local Radio Stations, News, Talk, Sports, and more. This extension basically puts radio stations from all around the world at your fingertips.
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Remember “Now Playing”
This simple extension works a little like Shazam but with audio tracks, you listen to while using internet radio stations. Yep, this extension will work perfectly alongside the TuneIn Radio extension we’ve just told you about. Basically, whenever you’re listening to internet radio you can use this extension to grab all of the metadata relating to that song so that you can then go and search for it and play it on your own. This extension keeps track of everything you’ve listened to so that you don’t have to.
Resume Media V3.4
The thing with VLC is that you usually use it to consume large media files. Whether they be movies, TV shows, or podcasts they all can last well over an hour. Sometimes you might not have all the time you need to get from start to finish and have to interrupt your playback. Of course, you can try to remember where you left off so that you can get back to it later, but wouldn’t it be much better to have VLC do that for you?
The Resume Media V3.40 plugin does exactly that. Whenever you close VLC Media Player with an active video or audio file, the extension will automatically start that file at the exact moment you left it when you open it up again.
Click to Play/Pause
As more and more online streaming platforms have launched a number of them have added cool new features that make so much sense. We’ll get to the Skip Intro button in a minute but first we’re going to show you a simple extension that will make a big difference to how you use VLC. Straight out the box, VLC offers two ways for you to control playback. You can hit the tiny Play/Pause button in the bottom left of the screen or you can hit the space bar on your keyboard.
This extension makes it much easier to control playback by allowing you to click anywhere on the video to play or pause the action. As we said, it might not sound like much but trust us, it will make a big difference.
Skipper
Please don’t misunderstand this as hyperbole or fluff. We think that the Skip Intro button might just be one of the greatest inventions of the 21st Century. Show intros and credits are incredibly annoying when all you’re trying to do is binge a season or two of your favorite show. Even if you like the intro, watching it 10-20 times in a single day is going to drive you crazy.
Well, the Skipper extension for VLC brings this wonderous innovation to the world’s most versatile media player. You can simply type I the amount of time you want skipping at the beginning and end of every media file and you’re good to go.
