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Does anyone know much about the VLC (VideoLAN) Media Player? I have RealPlayer already & I quite like it. I have been told that this is good for playing damaged files. I am just interested in anyone's experience with this software before I decide on downloading it or not.
The advantage to vlc is that it is codec independant. By that I mean that it comes with it's own set of built in codecs which are known to run many of the videos (ripped or downloaded {just to name two:divx, xvid}) that other media players will not without additional codec packs.
Go ahead and download. Give it a shot. It's not very glamorous but is handy to have as a second option for playing a video that will not play in realplayer or wmp. Just don't associate it with any extensions and only run it when you choose to.
Last edited by goddez1; 10th October 2008 at 15:59.
The advantage to vlc is that it is codec independant. By that I mean that it comes with it's own set of built in codecs which are known to run many of the videos (ripped or downloaded {just to name two:divx, xvid}) that other media players will not without additional codec packs.
Go ahead and download. Give it a shot. It's not very glamorous but is handy to have as a second option for playing a video that will not play in realplayer or wmp. Just don't associate it with any extensions and only run it when you choose to.
OK, thanks for that. I take it that you mean I should not use it as a default player. I am not sure what you mean by not associating it with any extensions. Do you mean I should not download any extensions for it once it is installed?
I am not sure what you mean by not associating it with any extensions.
No, I merely meant that, during the install, if given a choice which file types you wish to associate or allow vlc to play by default don't check any. This will ensure that your player of choice "realplayer" will be the "default player".
It's been a while since I installed this and don't remember the options presented during the install. The advice was generic. I just wanted to make sure you didn't find yourself clicking on an *avi file (for example) and find it opening in vlc rather than realplayer.
No, I merely meant that, during the install, if given a choice which file types you wish to associate or allow vlc to play by default don't check any. This will ensure that your player of choice "realplayer" will be the "default player".
It's been a while since I installed this and don't remember the options presented during the install. The advice was generic. I just wanted to make sure you didn't find yourself clicking on an *avi file (for example) and find it opening in vlc rather than realplayer.
OK cheers, I understand what you mean now. Thanks. I just downloaded it. It seems fine. RealPlayer is still on default. As you said, it is not particularly glamorous, but it looks quite useful. It seems I can get free French TV (I think), mind you ... who on earth would want that LOL?
Last edited by Davezilla; 10th October 2008 at 21:14.
I am afraid my French is not very good. There again I am English & we don't always get on too well with our Gallic neighbours. Even my degree is in English!
It seems that the version of VLC that I have downloaded doesn't work too well in Vista. It seems to play files with video but no sound. It will play sound files however.
I am going to uninstall it, unless there is an easy way of fixing it.
Choice is yours. I personally very rarely use this, especially since the newer codec pacs such as klite have been made available. It is small and not a bother so I keep it around to test the occasional video that still gives me a fuss. I never meant to infer that it should become or take the place of a main default player. I think of it much like I would notepad or wordpad. Good for occasional or quick small tasks but will never take place of an office suite.
Don't know what to say about your problem with it. Mine worked for me when I needed it. No big deal either way.
by the way...my French is only as good as the web translator I used. Guess you could say my attempt at light hearted gag lost a lot in the translation.
Last edited by goddez1; 11th October 2008 at 07:13.
Yeah, I often read Russian newspapers with a web translator, sometimes it is quite funny. I think that translating is an art, translation engines tend to use odd syntax. The result can be quite humorous , although it often wasn't meant to be!
I actually did uninstall VLC (0.9.4), then I tried to download a version that was supposed to be Vista compatible. The download wasn't successful. I re-installed the original. I think there is a way to tweak it to play sound with video, so I will keep it for a while. Meanwhile RealPlayer is working fine.
Thanks for the heads up on RealPlayer mattman. I originally installed it because I couldn't seem to run 3gp files I had uplinked from my phone. If I remember right it was a recommended add on/plug in as I had never heard of it before. This would be in April this year, I had not much experience on the net at the time. So how does having Rhapsody Player on my computer affect me? I have multiple anti-spy programs on my laptop & none of them have ever detected anything bad. I did waste a hell of a lot of tracking cookies once! It (RealPlayer) is my default player at the moment, to be honest I only use it to watch Nasa TV & listen to RTE radio or sometimes watch some of the files I have recorded from my phone (most are of my Dad who died in January). I have noticed the adverts on it sometimes when I open it up but they never bother me when I use it for watching anything. There again I don't use it a lot. I thought it was quite well designed. I didn't realise it was spying on me. Should I be very worried about this?
The information seems to say it is a "mild" form of spyware.
It might be just me, but I watch the connection activity carefully, especially when I open a program. Lots of activity makes me suspicious. I use WMP and I disable as much "get updates" or other send/receive information in that as I can. I don't like things going on in the background (some form of malware may be piggy-backing on it). If I see unexplained activity, the red "malware sign" starts flashing in my head.
They term it "badware", not exactly malware. Real yell "There is no cause for alarm". It might be a personal choice if you want to allow it.
My real "beef" is about it not uninstalling completely..."Oops, we seem to have accidentally left a mild form of spyware behind", or "Sorry your system doesn't work correctly any more after trying to uninstall our product".
If I find Realplayer installed, and it seems to be affecting the performance, I might disable anything it might run at startup and delete any shortcuts to running it (icons, All Program links,etc) and leave it "disabled", rather than trying to uninstall it and risk damaging the system.
It is a free program and is probably the equivalent of WMP. They need to pay for it's development though and some people might consider the method a little "suspicious".
It's up to you, but if you want to stop using it, I recommend disabling it, rather than running the (dodgy?) uninstaller.
Matt
PS Sorry I don't know Rhapsody, do some websearches on it Edit: "Rhapsody +review" maybe. I have seen good things about Media Player Classic, but have never used it.
Last edited by mattman; 19th October 2008 at 00:42.
Reason: Extra info
To be honest I always thought it was quite a good player. I even think it is well designed & I actually prefer it to WMP. I have heard of 'Real Alternative' & the BBC even do their own version of RealPlayer. I have seen that there are uninstalling tools to help taking it out completely. It can't be more difficult than uninstalling Norton ! Maybe things have improved. I tried to sign on to RealPlayer's forum, it recognised me as their newest member but has never let me sign in. It keeps telling me I can't possibly be the person who is logging in as they already are or something. Must be an omen, I reckon. I don't think I have Rhapsody anyway. I do remember unticking a lot of boxes on the start up wizard, so it may not be as bad as we think.
I must say though, I will think twice before I ever install it on another computer. I am not sure I would know how to disable it either.
Ok I uninstalled RealPlayer 11 & it has left some residuals in the computer. I downloaded the BBC version so I could still listen to the radio. I have problems now playing some files I recorded on RealPlayer but apart from that everything seems fine. All my other files I can play on WMP or QuickTime.
The uninstallment does not seem to be having any adverse effects on my computer............ YET
Last edited by Davezilla; 19th October 2008 at 19:08.
I use VLC all the time and prefer it. Have never had any problems and it has overcome some problems I have had with Real as well as Windows Media player. Also, if you use Portable apps on PCs not your own such as in hotels, there is a VLC version for that. Do not like Real Player as it likes to take over my system and i have to stops parts of it from running all the time. Have Win XP so don't know re its working with VISTA.
Thanks for the input jorjab, I have VLC but it doesn't seem to be able to play sound with vision when I try to play files on it. I have been told this is a Vista thing. I actually downloaded Real Alternative for a bit but I eventually uninstalled it. The BBC version of RealPlayer lets me listen to the BBC & RTE & is easy to uninstall. I know this because I tried it! I would dearly love to know what RealPlayer 11 left on my computer & I would like it removed. It told me this as I was uninstalling it. Like an idiot I didn't write down or screenprint what I saw. Do you know how to save files on Windows Media Player? I used to be able to do this if I was watching a stream on RealPlayer.
by the way...my French is only as good as the web translator I used. Guess you could say my attempt at light hearted gag lost a lot in the translation.
No TLC with the VLC
, although it often wasn't meant to be! 
Must be an omen, I reckon. I don't think I have Rhapsody anyway. I do remember unticking a lot of boxes on the start up wizard, so it may not be as bad as we think. 
