Freeware

VLC: The Uber-Player

By EAN ⋅ July 30, 2007 ⋅  Email this Post ⋅  Print this Post ⋅ Post a Comment

Developer: VideoLAN
Version: 0.8.6c
Download it Here.

Back when I was solely a Windows guy, I never really realized that I needed any other media players aside from Winamp and the built in Windows Media Player. As I got older and realized that there was more out there than MP3s and WMV videos, I quickly learned that these two players just weren’t going to cut it on their own. So I did what any respectable computer user would do - download media players until I found one that worked great for my needs. VLC happened to be just that player.

I never really understood what the deal was with VLC’s logo - but, like Smultron [review] the logo has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the program in this case, as VLC is an excellent media player that really can play just about anything I throw at it. From seemingly impossible to play music videos that must have been encoded on some alien technology to loops and samples that I preview before adding them to GarageBand, VLC is the tiny pack mule that can carry loads like a Mack truck.

But despite the amazing functionality packed into VLC, there are a couple of problems. For one, the interface is pretty minimal, which I like, but it lacks enough buttons to keep me out of the menu. While this is mostly localized just to the OSX version, it’s still somewhat problematic.

My other big beef with VLC is that it tends to generate a lot of errors. Error because of this, error because of that. Maybe it’s because I use it to play my most obscure media files, but having to click OK every few minutes can be a real pain after awhile - especially when I’m sifting through 2 or 3 hundred potential GarageBand loops. Even when I check off the “Don’t warn me again” box, if VLC crashes for whatever reason I find myself back at square one with errors galore. Oh, and the Mac version crashes all the time - rendering that check box practically useless.

Despite these problems, I still love VLC. It’s installed on all of my operating system, and although I really only use it from time to time, it always pulls through for me when I need it. And I just love the multi-platform functionality of the player. It’s so great to be able to know exactly where all of the buttons and menu items are no matter which OS I am using.

Try it for yourself.

- Eric Norton