Manage updates with the Download AppCNET Editors' note: The VLC Media Player source code is also available.
CNET Editors' review
VLC Media Player is a longtime open-source favorite, and the latest version offers fixes and feature enhancements for the Mac version that make it a must download. It's not the only option for free video playback, but it's one of the best, and it's often the go-to media player for Mac users who can't seem to play a specific media file.
VLC Media player offers a number of tools and customization options to manage and watch video. Users get frame-by-frame advancement; granular speed controls allowing for on-the-fly slower or faster playback; and live recording of streaming video. The toolbars are fully customizable, so you can have only the buttons you need in the interface.
This version comes with improvements to the interface, support for MxPEG files and streaming, and more. Along with minor tweaks, VLC continues to offer robust support for a wide range of video and audio formats, including OGG, MP2, MP3, MP4, DivX, HD codecs like AES3, Raw Dirac, and even support for playing back zipped files. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.
The default interface was improved in recent updates, but integrated skinning can make it even better. Behavior can still be a bit unpredictable depending on the quality of the skin, but VLC's open-source foundation and community ensures that it evolves quickly and often, with new features and fixes released frequently.
Overall, VLC Media Player is a must-have application for its ability to open just about any type of video file you throw at it, making it a great option for Mac users having trouble playing certain file types.
VLC Media Player:Publisher's Description
From VideoLAN Project:
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.
What's new in this version: With faster decoding on multi-core, GPU, and mobile hardware and the ability to open more formats, notably professional, HD and 10bits codecs, 2.0 is a major upgrade for VLC.
Twoflower has a new rendering pipeline for video, with higher quality subtitles, and new video filters to enhance your videos.
It supports many new devices and BluRay Discs (experimental).
Completely reworked Mac and Web interfaces and improvements in the other interfaces make VLC easier than ever to... See all new features
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All versions:
4.2 starsout of 325 votes
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Current version:
3.0 starsout of 10 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-10 of 10
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"Doesn't work at all on my mac."
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
none. It doesn't even work on my computer at all.
Cons
I have OSX 10.5. There is no sound, and no way to fix it. I am searching for old versions now.
Summary
Maybe it works on new macs and windows, but it doesn't do squat for me.
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"Awesome app. You have to download this"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
Everything. Set it as the default for all of your video files.
Cons
There are no cons at all. Unless you don't play any media on your computer.
Summary
I downloaded this app at first so Handbrake would work on my mac and it turned out to be one of my most used apps. I download a lot of torrented videos and Quicktime doesn't support most of the files I play. VLC has solved the problems Quicktime has been giving me and works with absolutely no issues. Definitely worth downloading.
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"plays various types of video formats"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
Plays everything I have thrown at it
Cons
Seems to take a while to do some font caches update, not sure why? Nothing else for now.
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"LOVE IT SO FAR!"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
IF something does not play in another application, I just drop it in here and it plays.also like the CAPTURE feature, where you can take a picture of the movie while playing, you pause it and boom, picture
Cons
none so far
Summary
I have been using this for a while and like it and the new interface is cool
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"Absolutely the best!"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
Watch all movies using VLC with no problems
Cons
No complaints with new version
Summary
A must have!!
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"New and improved but..."
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
VLC has long been a preferable choice over other media players like Quicktime for me due to its versatility in playing almost any media file. With its new GUI and some interesting new features this certainly wont change as I have yet to find anythin to compete with it.
Cons
However one small complaint I have to say is that they have adopted OS X 10.6's latest annoyance when it comes to trying to display media and other content fullscreen on another display e.g. a TV. This is that it will only display full screen content on your primary display even if you have e.g. a TV connected as a secondary monitor. Previously for VLC this was not a problem and one of the reasons I used it over other players, however now the only way is to make your secondary screen the primary (drag the menu bar across to your second device in display prefs).
Summary
Still a brilliant media player with improved functionality and compatibility, which I will continue to use despite the small annoyance.
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"Not for Intel32!"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
Dunno. (need 5 more characters, dammit)
Cons
Not for 32-bit OS. Doesn't say that *anywhere* that I could find.
Summary
Intel64 says it all, but otherwise obscured.
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"The latest version doesn't work properly"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
Nothing whatsoever.
Cons
The latest auto-updated version of VLC (2.0) doesn't work properly on my Mac Mini (OS 10.6).
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"A must have !"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
Still the best video player with a new interface.
Cons
Be careful. the link is for 64 bits computers only. You have to the official site, download section to find a 32/64 bits version.
Higher video bit rates in transcoding are not proposed (max. 3072) -
"Crap experience!"
Version: VLC Media Player 2.0.0
Pros
Don't know if there are any pros
Cons
Get a message telling me "You can't open the application VLC because it is not supported on this type of Mac"
Summary
Really helpful! I don't think so.
I saw the CNET email notifying the arrival of the new version, read the reviews, clicked to download as I do whenever a VLC update comes along. It downloaded. I clicked to install but it appeared as the traffic cone with a NO logo (white circle with white diagonal line across it) and I thought they must have changed to logo to distinguish it from the old version. During installation it asked if I wanted to delete the old version. I clicked on yes. Now it's gone. There seem to be versions for systems going back as far as OS9 so why it won't open on my OS10.6 I have no idea and it's not telling. Can't find any discussion of anyone else having the same problem so will have to dump it, try to find somewhere to download the old version that worked and forget about all the advantages until someone explains to me what Videolan is doing wrong. Most unhappy about the time wasted.
Results 1-10 of 10
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