VLC was created 15 years ago, in the year 1996. It was planned to work as a client to play video files on a remote server. Initially there was a VideoLan Server and VideoLan client. The goal is to enable student creators to stream videos from a specific server going to their television. At present, the actions that a VideoLan Server can do have been incorporated to VideoLan Client or well-known as VLC.

             In the year 2001, the developers of VLC were convinced to release the source code of this great software under a GPL license or General Public License. Within a couple of months VLC became popular all over the world. After six months, VLC had been ported to Windows. Because of that, the users of Microsoft Operating System can enjoy the great advantages of this incredible media player.

             VLC media player became the favorite software by a lot of video lovers as well as media player enthusiasts. Want to know why? The reason behind this is because it is not hassle to use and it can support a lot of video formats without the need of using a codec.

             Indeed that VLC player download can play almost all the videos that you can find on the web. It is also useful for playing DVDs and music files. There are certain kinds of media player that requires a user to download codecs in order to play a specific type of video file; a very good example of such media player is the Windows Media Player. Popular examples of codecs are Xvid Files and DivX Files. Both codecs are famous formats that are being used in order to show the videos on the computer.

            Though these codecs are considered useful, unfortunately it can serve as a source of many viruses that can render a bad effect on the computer system. This fact justifies that VLC player download is safe to use, that there is no risk of acquiring any computer viruses. You will be able to play various kinds of videos without worrying about possible threats to the computer system.

            Another great advantage of VLC player is that it is considered as user friendly. You don’t have to be a techi type of person in order to understand the run around of the media player. It is very simple in nature. Though considered simple, it is incredible compared to other commercial media players. This magnificent player was developed by VideoLan Project. It is also considered as cross platform, in simpler terms, it works well on Linux just as how it works with Windows or Mac. This great software is an open source, which simply means that anyone who uses it can edit, download, read and update its programming code.

            Yes, the popularity of VLC is undeniable. You don’t need to have special computer skills or be a computer wizard in order to use it. Video players or media players should not bring hassle to users and should not have complicated features. Thanks to the people behind the VLC player, because it is easy to operate compared to other types of media players.

            The VLC media player is an open source program that is basically free for anyone to download and use.  It is also cross-platform multimedia player that was originally developed under the VideoLan project.  The VLC media player was created by group students studying at the Ecole Centrale Paris in France.  The original meaning of VLC is VideoLan Client.  But this name has been drop since the current VLC media player no longer supports the previous Server-Client architecture.  Most if not all known operating systems out there can support and play the VLC media player.  For those who want to try it, the VLC media player download site is available to every one for free.

Can VLC media player run every known audio and video format?

            The answer is no.  Yes it can play almost all of the available audio and video codecs and formats.  Since new audio and video formats as well as codecs are being released from time to time, the VLC media player allows its library to be updated with the new codecs and formats.  However, there are some formats that the VLC media player does not support.

            The VLC media player may not support some Indeo video codecs.  The reason is may be because the Indeo video codecs are essentially proprietary which menas that they are not offered for free.  Meanwhile, Intel which developed the Indeo video codecs has stopped further development and marketing of this proprietary video codecs.  These particular codecs also have some security problems that can be exploited by hackers and have never been fixed.  Under the circumstances, the developers of the VLC media player probably deem it wise not to support such codecs anymore.          

Features that VLC media player has

            First, it has playlist as well as subtitle support.  It has a playback speed that you can either increase or decrease.  It can record the activities happening on your desktop screen.  It has the capability of delivering live streaming to your desktop monitor or any HD television.  It has various controls in which you can add some audio or video effects on the song or video that you are playing like equalizers and contrast and hue control.  It can also play audio and video files that are still incomplete or unfinished as well as those with damaged contents. The VLC multimedia player can play any DVD regardless of its regional restrictions as well as the older VCD format.  It can even give you access to .iso disk images.   This amazing player also allows you to use it as a wall paper or in desktop mode but fully functional for video playback.

            If for some reason you have not tried it yet, just surf to the official VLC media player free download site to get it.  You do not need to spend you hard earned money on some proprietary media players whose capabilities are probably the same as the VLC media player but just more expensive.  In fact some of these commercial media players do not have as much support as the VLC multimedia player.