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VLC 0.8.6 Released
h2g2bob writes "VideoLAN yesterday released a new version of VLC media player. A shout out goes to ffmpeg for many of the codec improvements." From the blurb: "Building on feedback from the 29 million downloads of VLC media player 0.8.5, we bring you version 0.8.6 with many bugfixes, as well as a couple of new features we think you will truly enjoy. Most prominent are probably Windows Media Video 9 and Flash Video. Other important changes are improved H.264 decoding, better Windows Unicode support, a Fullscreen controller, and Apple Remote support for Mac OS X."
I realize Flip4Mac exists for this, but does the new VLC implement Windows WMV9 DLLs for the Intel OS X version?
A sentence you'll never see on an Internet discussion board: "You know what? You're right."
This program is cross-platform and this build has Windows- and OSX-specific features. Why is this under Linux? Just because it's open source?
Scorta futuere amo!
> "a Fullscreen controller"
Woohoo! I've been a tad frustrated with the lack of control while in fullscreen. I suppose I could memorize all of the keyboard shortcuts, but I use several different viewers between the Mac, Linux and Windoze...it just gets too confusing. I can't wait to try this out!
http://nightlies.videolan.org/ is still online
Ok, it is time that you all stop covering software releases. You /.'d a college; now cut it out. My porn is of a greater urgency than your reporting.
> "How is this news?"
When Microsoft Windows Media Player, QuickTime or Real Player release a new version, it makes the front page of CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times. So, when a free, open-source player releases a new version, is it not appropriate for a promoter of open-source software to announce it?
For bug fixes I could see a 0.0.1 increase but don't new additions and features generally come with a 0.1.0 increment at least? Maybe the devs are too scared of developing a true 1.0 version? =)
Since it's using ffmpeg to decode WMV9 instead of using Windows DLLs, both PPC and Intel Macs enjoy native decoding of the codec in question. No wrapper, no drag.
Incidentally, it looks like the new version is finally available in Universal Binary as well as Intel- and PPC-specific builds. And it seems to load subtitle texts automatically from the get-go without mingling with the preferences settings (yes, I confirmed this by trashing the existing preferences file). I say job well done for the VLC developers.
Serving time in Aristotelean prison for violating laws of physics
- VideoLAN primary mirror - France - Download (HTTP)
- VIA Centrale Reseaux, École Centrale Paris - France - Download (HTTP)
- Twente University - Netherlands - Download (HTTP)
- IRCAM - France - Download (HTTP)
- Université de Strasbourg - France - Download (FTP)
- Cr@ns, ENS Cachan - France - Download (FTP)
- Providence University - Taiwan - Download (FTP)
- Endpoint Corporation - Sweden - Download (FTP)
- Optralan - USA - Download (HTTP)
- Brno University of Technology - Czech Republic - Download (HTTP)
- Brno University of Technology - Czech Republic - Download (FTP)
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - Brazil - Download (FTP)
(These are all Windows downloads. Remove the filename and last directory from the path to explore other download options.)This flies in the face of science.
Is there an official torrent of the releases hosted somewhere reachable?
"Words of wisdom: drop that zero and get with the hero" -- Vanilla Ice
On windows platform, when I play h264 video files the cpu usage is considerably less than other players. Especially in comparison with mplayer-classic using ffdshow. I usually encode all my home-videos using x264 and use VLC player for playback. VLC player uses minimal cpu and video quality is awesome. Thanks guys!
Mirrors:
l c/0.8.6/
http://ftp.snt.utwente.nl/pub/software/videolan/v
http://videolan.kn.vutbr.cz/vlc/0.8.6/
$2B OR NOT $2B = $FF
I use VLC player for playing all my videos under Linux, both standalone and as a firefox plugin (in conjunction with the MediaPlayerConnectivity Firefox addon extension).
The only downside I find is that actions are a bit laggy compared to frame-based players. For example, if I hit pause, it doesn't pause instantaneously.
Also, and I'm not sure if it's a limitation of being a packet-based player, but I wish it wouldn't close the video right after it's done playing. I prefer the last frame to stay on the screen.
P.S. For those using VLC under XGL and get a weird green-tinted bar at the top of your videos, change the Video output module to "X11 video output". You'll need to toggle the Advanced Settings checkbox.
http://www.filemirrors.com/search.src?type=begins& file=vlc-0.8.6-win32.exe&action=Find
.fr one. worked fine.
I used the
VLC is a very significant piece of software, not just for Linux users (for whom its especially significant) but for anyone who watches a lot of movies or other media files.
This version introduces a number of new and long-requested features, beyond what the point-release number upgrade would lead you to believe.
In many ways, I'd say that a new release of VLC is probably more significant than the latest "marketing department" release of Quicktime Player or Windows Media Player.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
Gack, good! One of the best things about VLC is that there is no annoying "control" eating screen space when you go fullscreen. The keyboard shortcuts remain fully functional, so use those.
I've seen way too many public presentations that begin with the Windows Media Player controls present, then sliding away, not to appreciate the value of VLC.
How is a bit of numerology really relevant to this?
I'm grateful for the news myself as some of these features were pretty substantial.
Don't stare yourself blind at the version number.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
They are artificially deflating the version number, if anything. Why do so many people think you have to be thirfty with version numbers?
Yeah, more or less. You have to download the .swf file, then extract the url of the .flv file from it, then download that. There's a script to get the URL at http://www.keepvid.com/. There's also a firefox plugin that'll do it for you.
Because like oil, the whales, and oxygen, version numbers are a non-renewable resource!
I have not tried the new version yet but in the old version moving the mouse to the top right corner of the screen would pop up the controls.
Took me a while to figure that one out...
What post? The one you're carrying inside your rusty innards!
Is it just me, or does it make NO SENSE that this is a point.point upgrade? I don't care who you are, 0.0.1 upgrades are for things like bug fixes, small new implimentations, slight library recompiles... fuck: a new ICON. NOT major format additions, a UI overhaul, and a boatload of additional features!
I can understand the concern for version number inflation (Netscape 4 -> Netscape 6 was idiotic, same with Winamp 3 -> Winamp 5), but let's not be overly humble to the point of confusing users. Version Number Deflation looks just as silly.
I remember a time in which anything under 1.0 meant that a program was practically unusable and ONLY for elite users. But I've started to see a trend in the OSS community towards NEVER releasing a 1.0, as if 1.0 means that you're now an evil commercial entity that must be punished. No, 1.0 means "finished to the point of usability and beta tested to a certain level of solidity". Obviously, the finer points of this can be debated and are up to the descresion of the developer, but at a certain point, COME ON! When you've been working on a reasonably small audio player for over 4 years, and haven't even reached your 1.0, this tells me one of two things 1) You don't know how to code, and probably should find a new line of work, or 2) you're using numbers under 1.0 as a symbol of you're elitist OSS community status.
Seriously, I've tried VLC... it crashes sometimes... not as often as Windows... not as often as MPlayer... it's been above a 1.0 for YEARS now, just fucking call it what it is, and cut with the ritualistic, elitist, OSS symbolism bullshit.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
You may find it surprising, but when I saw the title of the article I literally almost fell out of my chair I was so excited. It could have been because I was sitting all the way back in my 135 degree angle but out of the 10ish media players I use, VLC is by far the simplest of most comprehensive one I have ever used and because of how long it has been since it was last updated and because of how many new features makes this big news. Also, consider the fact that I, along with many others who use it a lot, probably would not have realized that it was updated because the regular news outlets don't cover geek news... that is what /. is here for. Also, unlike these other services you are mentioning, VLC chooses not to spam you every time you open it with the option to upgrade which I think also deserves recognition.
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
> Gack, good! One of the best things about VLC is that there is no annoying "control" eating
> screen space when you go fullscreen. The keyboard shortcuts remain fully functional, so use those.
MPC interface is vastly superior, there is nothing on the screen until you move your mouse, then a nice control bar slides up, that works miles better than the lame one separate one in VLC. Especially since it works really well in MPC when you just click the positin bar anywhere.
Anyway still nothing in VLC, moving mouse does nothing. Pushing F does nothing.
Sometimes it's hard to masturbate frantically and not move the mouse around. When you really get into it, and you start thrusting, you'll make your whole bed shake. If the mouse isn't on the floor or upside down, it'll move and bring up the on-screen controller, which is very distracting. Putting the mouse on the floor is suboptimal as well. One video isn't enough for me to get off anymore. I speak from experience.
I use VLC here at home to play the videos Quicktime won't, and I have a copy on my USB drive so I can also play videos and listen to AAC files on the Windows 2000 machines at work that I don't have admin permissions to install anything else on. Thanks for making a great player, a cross platform player, and a portable player. Software the way it ought to be.
I had that problem too, but if you go to Settings -> Preferences -> Video -> Output Modules and then check the Advanced Options box, select "Windows GDI video output" from the drop-down list, and it should work.
Sometimes I feel like +1 Reasonable should exist.
I'm just stopping by to point out that the new FFMPEG codecs included with VLC are dreamy. Fullscreen video looks twice as good as it used to. And having Apple remote support in fullscreen mode is fab. Truly an excellent release.
Wish I knew how to make shuffle default to off
My only issue with VLC is still there, why cant the slider go where you click it, instead of randomly skipping in the direction you click. Why cant you click ahead to whatever part like every other media player ever?!? And why cant i get keyboard media key support. Those are my only 2 complaints though, and i use VLC as my primary player, so thats pretty good.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
VersionTracker.com also has it for download on their mirrors.
I think it's fixed. When I was still using VLC under Windows, the subtitles looked pretty nasty. But it's been a while and I've been using Ubuntu Edgy now and recently watched some stuff with softsubs and they were very nice and not all chopped up.
The version I'm using is 0.8.6-svn20061012.debian-1ubuntu1 from Ubuntu Edgy.
That feature alone makes it my default media player. VLC rules.
This might be offtopic but could we get a separate Open Source section on /.?
It seems that everything related to OSS is filed under Linux these days...
Christ man, how lazy do you have to be that after downloading your movies for free you can't be bothered to un-rar them? Perhaps you'd like VLC to support torrents and write up a summary of each video for you - cut out the human interaction all together.
Can someone point me to a way to view what other people are watching in VLC? It's my job.
Dwight Shrute.
I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
.. although I wish there was some care being taken about the interface. Most of my comments are about the Mac version, but some of them should be relevant to other versions as well.
1. The OS X version shows the video with controls in the same window as the video, but ALSO shows a separate controller window. This is redundant. All the necessary options should be able to fit into the video window.
2. There is a stop button that afaics just closes the video window. Why the need for this redundant option?
3. Skip buttons have been combined with the fast forward button in almost any interface by now. Just do that in VLC as well.
2. and 3. gets rid of three redundant buttons in the interface.
4. The equaliser is not important enough to warrant a button of it's own. The menu is fine.
5. There is an awful lot of so-called "unbreak me" options. Options to make things work if your system is somehow weird. Just check this automatically. I know this can be a lot of effort from the programmer, so I can understand a Free Software project not doing to much about it. Nevertheless, there are too many weird options that clutter up the interface.
6. The preferences window has a "Reset All", "Cancel" and "Save" button. These are completely out of place in a program in OS X. Instant apply and a reset button would be better.