VLC hits version one eight years after launch

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 7 Jul 2009 at 17:22

The highly regarded media player VLC has reached version one, more than eight years after the project first began.

VLC has earned a reputation for playing even the most obscure of file formats, and version one continues the trend by introducing support for a host of high-definition codecs.

Among the more interesting additions, VLC now supports AES3, Dolby Digital Plus, True HD/MLP and Blu-ray Linear PCM decoders, meaning even those with the most niche of needs should be catered for.

Other new features to be found in version one include "instantaneous" pausing, frame-by-frame playback, better live recording and smoother speed control during playback. There's also the ability to customise toolbars, and support for streaming over Apple's AirTunes.

Thanks to its open-source nature, the media player is available on all operating systems including Windows 7, Mac OS X and Linux.

The VideoLAN team is also claiming to have sifted out dozens of bugs, leading to super-stable version of what was already a remarkably reliable piece of software.