VLC Player Review

     VideoLan Player, better known by many users as VLC, is very powerful open-source media player software that will literally play almost every single type of media ever created. VLC’s vast array of codecs makes it a must have on every computer, smartphone and tablet on the planet, but most importantly of course is the fact that is free! In other words, as Jon Jacobi of PCWorld.com states “VLC is the big dog in the multimedia playback kennel (2013).

     VLC allows the user the ability of playing most videos and music (to include DVDs, podcasts and online radio) without the hassle of surfing and downloading to find the right codec files because they are already integrated within the programming. This is a major convenience when compared to other media players such as Real Player, Windows Media Player, etc. It also offers great features such as track synchronization, effects and filters, subtitles, etc. in order to have a more enjoyable experience.

     If you are thinking ‘why would anyone spend the money to buy media player software when VLC is available’? The answer is very simple. VLC does not play Blu-ray movies; therefore, one needs to look for commercial media players such as PowerDVD for that (Muchmore, 2010). Nevertheless, even with this minor setback VLC remains a must have amongst media players, if for nothing else than having a backup for those files that your favorite software can’t seem to play. The chances are that it will become your favorite media player; I know it happened to me.

References

Jacobi, J. (2013). VLC review: 2.1 “Rincewind” looks the same, plays better. Retrieved August 17, 2015, from http://www.pcworld.com/article/2052152/vlc-review-2-1-rincewind-looks-the-same-plays-better.html

Muchmore, M. (2010). VLC media player 1.0.5. Retrieved August 17, 2015, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358995,00.asp