VLC Media Player
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 file
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.
