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."

Hmmm....WMV9 on OS X?

[xjerky (128399)]

I realize Flip4Mac exists for this, but does the new VLC implement Windows WMV9 DLLs for the Intel OS X version?

Re:Hmmm....WMV9 on OS X?

[Wesley Felter (138342)]

FFMPEG now contains an open-source WMV9 decoder.

Re:Hmmm....WMV9 on OS X?

[KonoWatakushi (910213)]

I have a PPC mac and it is great to have a native working WMV9/VC-1 codec. While I haven't tried it in VLC, I have used it in the recent MPlayer dev builds, and it is much better than flip4mac.

Re:Hmmm....WMV9 on OS X?

[stuuf (587464)]

I think it uses the new WMV9 decoder added to ffmpeg for Summer of Code, so it doesn't need windows DLLs or any other platform-specific or legally shady methods.

Re:Hmmm....WMV9 on OS X?

[kosmosik (654958)]

No. It would be illegal (in some countries) to use Windows files - they got its own license and it wold be sloppy. Instead VLC uses ffmpeg codecs which implement (partially) WMV9 decoding (but no DRM and no encoding *FIXME*). Ffmpeg codecs are another implementation (than Windows DLLs) achieved through reverse-engeenering (which also may be illegal to use in some countries).

As for now from ffmpeg documentation:
http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/ffmpeg-doc.html#SEC23 [mplayerhq.hu]

WMV8 and WMV9 are "not completely working". But I think they may work well for 90% of media files out there.

So kudos for VLC team for another great release. :)

Re:Hmmm....WMV9 on OS X?

[dr.badass (25287)]

Ffmpeg codecs are another implementation (than Windows DLLs) achieved through reverse-engeenering (which also may be illegal to use in some countries)

Um, no. There is no reverse-engineering involved. Windows Media Video 9 (fourcc: WMV3) is the same as VC-1 [wikipedia.org], which is an SMTPE standard, and a reference implementation has been available for a while now. I've been using ffmpeg builds with it for months.

Of course, I can't blame anyone for being confused, given how utterly useless the ffmpeg documentation is.

ffmpeg's WMV9 implementation

[wesley96 (934306)]

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.

Why is this under Linux?

[drcagn (715012)]

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?

Re:

[aero2600-5 (797736)]

It's under Linux because VLC runs under Linux, and is possibly the best media player for Linux. Yes, there are versions for Mac and Windows, but that's for many reasons. First off is that a tarball will do you little to no good on either of those systems. More importantly, and I'm not 100% sure because it's slashdotted, there are probably things added to the Mac and Windows versions that just won't work under Linux. Should the software runs worse than it's capable of under Windows because it's intended for

Re:Why is this under Linux?

[by Anonymous Coward]

Go show your mom this comment. She will get you some help.

VLC is teh woohoo!

[DaveM753 (844913)]

> "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!

Re:

[Jherek Carnelian (831679)]

I've been frustrated by 0.8.5's inability to remember deinterlacing settings,

You have to do more than just set the deinterlace method.
IIRC:
You have to add the deinterlace filter.
You probably also need to change the default setting for files (there are separate settings for files and for streaming).

I really like vlc a lot, but like a lot of Free software, the user-interface could really benefit from improvement.

Re:

[Miseph (979059)]

I think the key phrase was user-interface. Most free software does need a lot of fixing up in the UI department, and most commercial software needs a lot of improvement in the functionality department.

nigthlies is up

[gerbalblaste (882682)]

http://nightlies.videolan.org/ [videolan.org] is still online

/.ng

[by Anonymous Coward]

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.

Some help with versioning?

[dave562 (969951)]

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.

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? =)

How about a mirror?

[ZiZ (564727)]

Use a bloody mirror!

• VideoLAN primary mirror - France - Download [videolan.org] (HTTP)
• VIA Centrale Reseaux, École Centrale Paris - France - Download [via.ecp.fr] (HTTP)
• Twente University - Netherlands - Download [utwente.nl] (HTTP)
• IRCAM - France - Download [ircam.fr] (HTTP)
• Université de Strasbourg - France - Download [u-strasbg.fr] (FTP)
• Cr@ns, ENS Cachan - France - Download [crans.org] (FTP)
• Providence University - Taiwan - Download [pu.edu.tw] (FTP)
• Endpoint Corporation - Sweden - Download [endpoint.nu] (FTP)
• Optralan - USA - Download [optralan.com] (HTTP)
• Brno University of Technology - Czech Republic - Download [vutbr.cz] (HTTP)
• Brno University of Technology - Czech Republic - Download [vutbr.cz] (FTP)
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - Brazil - Download [pucpr.br] (FTP)

(These are all Windows downloads. Remove the filename and last directory from the path to explore other download options.)

Re:How about a mirror?

[maxume (22995)]

Which one has your trojan embedded?

Re:

[ZiZ (564727)]

Since they run on Windows, they all require the trojan to be preinstalled.

This is a list of the mirrors from videolan.org, as seen on Google's cache [72.14.203.104] (or go searching for "cache:http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-window s.html" - don't forget to remove the spaces inserted by slashdot - on google yourself), with the links edited to be (a) direct mirror download links rather than through videolan.org's redirector and (b) the version number changed from 0.8.5 to 0.8.6.

And yes, it is a damn shame that you

Re:How about a mirror?

[by Anonymous Coward]

We all know slashdotters rarely if ever get a chance to embed a trojan...

Re:How about a mirror?

[legal_asshole (859683)]

I appologize in advance...

I'd go with the mirror from India. The trojan has probably slipped off the executable, and the executable is going to be smaller to boot!

I hate myself...

torrent?

[metroplex (883298)]

Is there an official torrent of the releases hosted somewhere reachable?

h264 decoding on vlc player kicks ass!

[vivek7006 (585218)]

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!

Re:

[vivek7006 (585218)]

Personally, playing h264 stuff in VLC doesn't work all that great for me... I use Media Player Classic with CoreAVC, and it uses far, far less cpu.

I have also read good reviews about coreAVC on doom9 forums, but VLC player is free and open-source as opposed to coreAVC which is closed.

VLC is a packet-based player

[aok (5389)]

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.

Re:

[TheVoice900 (467327)]

Well it's been the behavior on any widget set I've tried recently. The car brakes analogy doesn't really work for many reasons. First off you can have different strengths of braking depending on how hard you push the pedal down, and also you're not likely to get hurt or killed if your media player GUI doesn't respond instantly.

Version Number Deflation...

[7Prime (871679)]

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.

Re:Version Number Deflation...

[MMC Monster (602931)]

I think that a lot of open source projects avoid going to 1.0 because they lose the whole "it's a beta, it's supposed to have problems" crutch. The fact of the matter is, people in general understand that all applications, regardless of version number, have flaws.

When you call it 1.0, there is no going back. It's kind of scary for some projects. Look at the difference in press in a project like firefox. When it hit 1.0 it started getting flack for a poor upgrade mechanism and such, while before that no one cared much if it only came in .zip files.

Re:

[4D6963 (933028)]

I think the difficulty of going from 0.x.x to 1.0 is that it may turn out that, after slowly adding feature after feature and fixing bug after bug to the point it'd deserve to be called 1.0, you're at something like 0.4.6 and as much as you'd like to call it 1.0 there's no way your program would deserve this huge incrementation over nothing. Just look at VLC or eMule, when should they have moved to 1.0? After 0.7.2 for VLC and 0.42e for eMule maybe?

You see, I just think that when your program evolves in a c

Re:Version Number Deflation...

[WheresMyDingo (659258)]

in related news.. as part of their Truth in Point Releases Initiative, Microsoft has renamed Windows Vista as "Windows 0.6.1"

Thank you VideoLAN for VLC from a Mac user

[theurge14 (820596)]

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.

Sooooo pretty.

[supabeast! (84658)]

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.

Rrr

[Cyno01 (573917)]

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.

Plays DVDs & CDs from ISO images

[dickeya (733264)]

That feature alone makes it my default media player. VLC rules.

Re:How is this news?

[DaveM753 (844913)]

> "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?

Re:

[Goaway (82658)]

They are artificially deflating the version number, if anything. Why do so many people think you have to be thirfty with version numbers?

Re:How is this news?

[EvanED (569694)]

Because like oil, the whales, and oxygen, version numbers are a non-renewable resource!

Re:How is this news?

[jasmak (1007287)]

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's news.

[Kadin2048 (468275)]

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.

Re:

[gordgekko (574109)]

If it's that significant then Slashdot should have covered the release when it actually happened...yesterday.

Re:

[fireboy1919 (257783)]

VLC is a very significant piece of software, not just for Linux users (for whom its especially significant)

Actually, I'd say that it isn't particularly significant for Linux users. In terms of featues and maturity, VLC is a step backwards compared to mplayer. However, mplayer has a lot of posix/linux kernel/gcc optimization tricks. It is designed and tested on Linux.

VLC, on the other hand, works fine with pretty much all of its features even on Windows and Mac, and it's portable - i.e. you can put it on

Re:

[Jugalator (259273)]

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.

Re:slashdotted with no comments

[_Pablo (126574)]

Mirrors:

http://ftp.snt.utwente.nl/pub/software/videolan/vl c/0.8.6/ [utwente.nl]
http://videolan.kn.vutbr.cz/vlc/0.8.6/ [vutbr.cz]

Re:slashdotted with no comments

[chrispl (189217)]

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...

Re:

[multimediavt (965608)]

VersionTracker.com [versiontracker.com] also has it for download on their mirrors.

Mirrors

[by Anonymous Coward]

http://www.filemirrors.com/search.src?type=begins& file=vlc-0.8.6-win32.exe&action=Find [filemirrors.com]

I used the .fr one. worked fine.

Re:Anyone know the changelog?

[Xenographic (557057)]

Their poor site is half dead but here's the changelog they put up:

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. Highlights of the new features and improvements:

        * Support for Windows Media Video 9 and VC-1
        * Support for VP5/VP6 and Flash video
        * Support for TTA and WavPack Lossless audio
        * Much improved H.264 support
        * Preliminary DVR-ms, MXF support
        * Shoutcast TV support
        * Windows unicode fixes
        * Apple Remote support
        * Apple Fullscreen controller
        * Universal Binary

Wish I knew how to make shuffle default to off :/

Re:What fullscreen controller?

[flimnap (751001)]

Installed 0.8.6 and when I go to fullscreen, I can't find any new full screen control.

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.

Never used Media Player Classic?

[guidryp (702488)]

> 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, movin

Re:And it still doesn't support multipart rar's...

[Spad (470073)]

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.