VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is much more than a simple video player. It is designed to handle a very wide range of audio and video formats and often plays files without requiring users to install additional codec packages.

VLC can play local video and audio files, DVDs and network streams. Playlists make it suitable for larger media collections, while subtitles, audio tracks, playback speed and many other settings can be adjusted directly during playback.

The program also includes conversion and streaming functions. Media files can be converted into other formats, and content can be streamed across a network.

VLC therefore becomes especially useful when Windows' built-in media applications refuse to open an unusual file.

Why we selected it

A media player should ideally disappear into the background and simply play the file you give it. VLC comes very close to that goal. At the same time, more experienced users will find an extensive collection of additional functions. Its combination of broad format support, straightforward everyday use and advanced options makes VLC one of the most useful open source applications for a Windows computer.