VLC is much more than a media player

Here are some smart, well-hidden features.

1. DVD Ripper:



Not the most feature-rich, certainly, but you can actually convert DVD movies into a format suitable for PC-formal network storage tray, straight from the VLC. Select Media from the menu bar, Redo / Save, choose Disk, DVD, and if you want menus or not. You can also choose specific titles, chapters, audio tracks and subtitles, but the ease of use are so-so. When you press the Convert / Save button, you can choose from a variety of formats and other settings.

2. Video recording:



If you stream video from the web, you can save video to your PC. Recording button is initially hidden, but you can retrieve it by clicking View on the menu, and select Advanced Controls.

3. Play ISO and RAR files:



Reflections of the DVD and Blu-ray movies in ISO format can be played directly. Then you also get with any menus that are embedded. Even movies that are packed in RAR format can be played directly without the need for unpacking ahead. RAR files can be packaged in multiple files (typically. Part001.rar,. Part002.rar etc.).

4. Play in ASCII mode:



Probably the most geeky of the features I present on WJunction today, but no less enjoyable for that reason. Select Tools and Settings. Under section Video. In the Output field, select Color ASCII art video output. Then open the video you will see, and voila!

5. Play online media:



VLC has native support for radio and TV stations that stream content over the Internet, and hundreds of stations are already preloaded. To retrieve the list by clicking on the Playlist icon (see the ring in the picture above), and to the left under the Media Browser to scroll down to the Internet.

6. Convert between audio and video formats:



From the menu, select Media and Redo / Save. On the tab labeled File, you can add both video and audio files. Subtitles can be baked into video files. When you press the Convert / Save button, you can choose from a variety of output formats.

7. Save YouTube videos:



First visit the video you want to download in a browser, and copy the entire address to the clipboard. In VLC you then choose Media from the menu, and Open networks broadcasting, paste the address, and instead of pressing the Play button, you just click on the small triangle to the right of it. Then choose redo, and choose an appropriate output format.