VLCmediasoitin

VLC media player, often referred to simply as VLC, is a free and open-source, portable, cross-platform multimedia player and streamer. It is developed by the VideoLAN project. VLC is known for its ability to play almost any media file format without the need for external codecs, as well as its support for streaming protocols. It is available for desktop operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as for mobile platforms like Android and iOS.

The player's versatility stems from its inclusion of a vast library of codecs within the application itself. This eliminates the common problem of missing codecs that plagues many other media players, allowing users to play a wide range of audio and video files, including various container formats like MP4, MKV, AVI, and MOV, as well as less common ones. Beyond local playback, VLC can also stream media over networks using protocols such as HTTP, RTSP, and RTP, and it can transcode media files between different formats.

VLC's development began in 1996 as a student project at the École Centrale Paris, a French engineering school. It was initially known as VideoLAN Client. The project was released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) in 2001. Over the years, VLC has grown in popularity due to its robust feature set, stability, and the fact that it is completely free and free of advertisements. Its simple interface is complemented by a wealth of advanced options for users who want more control over playback and streaming.