VLC Media Player is a long-time open-source favorite, and the latest version is also the first to be
out of beta development. It's not the only option for free video playback, but it's one of the best,
and the feature updates in version 1 make it well worth the upgrade.
Users can now get
frame-by-frame advancement, granular speed controls allowing for on-the-fly slower or faster
playback, and live recording of streaming video. The toolbars are fully customizable, so you can
have only the buttons you need in the interface, there's AirTunes streaming, and there's better
integration in Gtk environments. Along with the improvements, VLC continues to offer robust support
for a wide range of video and audio formats, including OGG, MP2, MP3, MP4, DivX, HD codecs like
AES3, Raw Dirac, and even support for playing back zipped files. The default interface is still
a stripped down player that belies VLC's functionality and features. Skinning can fix that quickly,
but behavior can still be a bit unpredictable depending on the quality of the skin. VLC's
open-source foundation and community ensures that it evolves quickly and often, with new features
and fixes released frequently. Overall, VLC Media Player is a must-have application for its ability
to open just about any type of video file you throw at it.
