VLC is known and used by many people as a video player, but the reality is that it is an all-terrain multimedia application that is not only capable of playing video, but can also be used as an audio player with its playlists. listen to podcasts, you can play content remotely, it has desktop or webcam recording options, supports format conversion and even allows you to apply effects to videos.

Development VLC, which stands for VideoLAN Client, started in 1996 as a French academic project. initiated by students from École Centrale Paris. Its beginnings were rather humble, as the intention was to build a media server and client that could stream video from satellites over the school network. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Linux kernel, the development of which was started by Linus Torvalds more as a hobby than with the intention of creating the giant that it is today.

VLC’s turning point was probably in 2001, when its source code was released under the GPL after the application was rewritten from scratch in 1998. The server part called VideoLAN Server (VLS) was more or less scrapped. the foundations of the multimedia application we know today. On the other hand, the long-term development is ensured by the non-profit institution VideoLAN.

The rest is history, as VLC is one of the most famous and well-known graphics applications in the world, especially when it comes to video playback. The trajectory of the application has been confirmed by its high quality in many aspects, although for recording problems, more specialized solutions such as OBS Studio take the cake. Also, Due to the fact that its code is published under the GPL license, it has become one of the great prides of free software and open sourcealthough it is no less true that he has run into some controversy in this sense.

At first, those responsible for the application refused to officially update the GPLv3 license in 2007 due to compatibility issues, so it retains the GPLv2 used by Linux among others. Second, it was the first video player that can play encrypted DVDs on Linux and macOSbut the library with which this support is provided, libdvdcss, raises licensing-level questions, so the repositories of many Linux distributions do not contain it. Third, and perhaps because Apple’s AppStore isn’t very GPL-friendly, the iOS app is relicensed under the Mozilla Public License 2 (MPL 2), which is the license used by Mozilla Firefox and Brave.

VLC is currently distributed through three licenses. The iOS app, as we said before, is published under the MPL 2 license. For the rest of the platforms, most of the app’s source code is under the aforementioned GPLv2, while some parts of the engine are under the LGPLv2 .one. This last license gives a little more freedom when it comes to bundling proprietary components with other free components.

After revealing a little about the history and situation of VLC, we will mention five interesting features that users can find in the desktop applications, more specifically those available for Windows, Linux and macOS.

Record from desktop or webcam

As we said before, VLC supports it capture function, both from the desktop and from some video device that the user has joined. However, if you are looking for a professional result, you can use another application like OBS Studio. Another detail to consider in Linux is that the screenshot only works during an Xorg session, so Wayland, at least for now, is not supported.

Getting VLC’s capture feature up and running is as easy as going to Media > “Open Capture Device”. The user will be presented with an “Open Media” window and a “Capture Device” tab at the front where they can select the media and capture conditions.

Adjust video image and sound

VLC allows you to apply effects to the video image and adjust the sound with an equalizer, compressor, volume meter and stereo expander. All of this is available via the Tools > “Effects and Filters” path.

From there, two possible uses can be found. One of them is to have fun with exaggerated picture or sound adjustments, but this function can also be used improve the experience with the video file itself contrast, image clarity or sound quality settings. Thanks to the equalizer, it is possible to work with music, whether it is a video or an audio file.

Convert media to other formats

When we say that VLC is a versatile multimedia application, we do not do so for its own sake, but because it has all kinds of characteristics related to this sector, including conversion to other formats. Granted, this is something that many other apps implement, but it still doesn’t hurt to remember that it’s in VLC too.

The VLC converter is available by executing the route Medium > Convert. Then, on the File tab, you need to click the Add button and select the media files you want to convert to another format. After that, you need to click on “Convert / Save” button and go to the options of the conversion tool.

In the Profile, in addition to choosing the format of the resulting file, there is a button with a key that gives access to the choice of format (again), codecs and quality in order to further refine the result of the conversion. It already depends on the user and what he wants to do.

Before the conversion process can be started, it will be necessary to define the resulting file and its path using the Browse button.

sound normalization

Using the path Tools > Preferences > Sound, the user can use normalization to set the sound volume firmly any medium. Using this function, it is possible to improve the sound quality and make it more enjoyable, especially when playing content in which there are parts that sound very soft and others that are too loud. Please note that its operation is not perfect, but at least it provides some mitigation.

Subscribe to podcasts

VLC supports it listening to podcasts via the menu View > “Playlist”. The user will be able to see podcasts on the left side of the window. By default, the application offers content hosted on Jamendo and Icecast servers, and it is possible to save locally those that the user likes the most. It is also possible to add more from the URL by clicking the plus (+) button in the Podcast option that appears just below.

Conclusion

And for now, our list of VLC features. Obviously, this player is worth a lot more, but covering everything it has to offer would be enough to write an encyclopedia. Because it is actually a multimedia solution with many options, perhaps for more than one VLC is more of a bloated application than anything else, as there are many who prefer other simpler solutions such as MPV for video playback.