ugh, vlc is awful when it comes to video playback. wmc + ffdshow and haali is all i need. and for you mac users check out plex, easily the most resource friendly app for HD playback.
using anything other than VLC for video is like using anything other than google maps for maps.
whenever a friend has me poke around and fix their computer, one of the first things i do is throw out whatever they have for video and replace it with VLC.
VLC Portable is nice to have in your digital toolbox as well.
Oh and it runs on linux so they get extra props there. for a long time, obscure video codecs were the bane of linux. unfortunately, proprietary video formats keep popping up with no linux love (im looking at you, ABC) and also, why the fuck is realplayer still alive and who the hell uses that shit for anything and is happy with it?
Secondly, I've never liked VLC, mostly because it requires an install. For my needs of media compatibility, I use Media Player Classic as it is a standlone, tiny (4mb), able player that is fully featured, if not aesthetically pleasing with its UI. I haven't tried VLC in years, but it'd take a hell ofa feature-list to top MPC's.
@nutbastard: Don't blame me i voted for Ron Paul edition: After I was introduced to the Perian and Defaultapp plug-ins for Quicktime (thanks Lindsay!), I found little reason to use VLC. I only used it if for some reason a video was wonky on QT, and that only happened once so far. VLC has since become more valuable now that Handbrake no longer has its own standalone code breaker for DVD's, but before that, QT tweaking pretty much rendered VLC sort of useless for me.
@RacecarBoobTat: The operation is automatic. If you have VLC installed on your system, Handbrake will immediately use VLC's library to rip the DVD. However, stubborn DVD's may fail to rip. I recommend checking the Handbrake forums, as users often report which movies fail to rip. Sony/Disney discs are among the most troublesome.
As of now I use Ripit, per bosskev's recommendation and it's terrific, but is also a pay-for application.
@nutbastard: Don't blame me i voted for Ron Paul edition: VLC isn't always the bee's knees. My friend has gotten a Bluray drive lately, and VLC is pretty awful at playing back .MKV files that are 1080p. He has a Core 2 duo, with Geforce 8400 (with dedicated memory, it's not a slouch of a GPU), and 4 GB on Vista 64 bit, and VLC was giving really chunky playback on The Dark Knight in a 1080p rip. He was convinced something was wrong with his rip. He shut off Anti-virus, killed a ton of processes, and it was still chunky. I suggested trying Media Player Classic, and it worked smooth as silk. Even turned on his other stuff, including torrenting, and it was all good. And I've had a similar experience on my own desktop, which is pretty overpowered. VLC is good, but for HD stuff, MPC is leaps and bounds ahead. And MPC doesn't install, which is awesome.
@jdickson87: The thing about VLC is that it uses its own codec. MPC uses dshow. So if you have geforce 8400 with purevideo decoder, MPC will use that. Not sure if VLC will use external decoders though.
@nutbastard: Don't blame me i voted for Ron Paul edition: I disagree, I used to use VLC until it gave me problems with HD content and subtitles. I could never get completely smooth playback. I run GOM player now which is free, runs better than VLC, looks better, has better controls, and contains most of the codecs you need to play files in the install. Frankly it kick VLC in the head.
I honestly see no reason to download this, even the free version. While it may be nice to have access to your files, what practical reason is there to watch your media on your iPod when you're already on your own network? If you could take any media on the go, this would be a different situation entirely.
@Jason Chen: Ah, I see it now. "Remote". It's for those of your who, for some reason, need a remote for your media players.
I downloaded iTunes remote under the good auspices of Giz, and didn't use it for two months. I decidedly to finally uninstall it and replace the valuable icon real-estate for a VNC module instead.
Semi-on-topic: What do people with "remote" apps use them for?
@shiftyeyedgoat: lol valuable icon real estate? You filled up 3 or more of the home screens already?
Anyway, I love the remote app. I don't even look at iTunes' interface anymore when I play music off of my computer, especially when I'm doing something away from it, and have my laptop hooked up to my sound system.
I use the itunes remote app quite a bit. If I want to change tracks without going to the bedroom computer, I can do it from the couch or wherever I happen to be. It is nice to be able to control the volume and which speakers it streams to, as well.
I think I will probably use it a lot more after I get an Apple TV.
@justinpe: @rcast1986: Call me old-fashioned, but I don't mind listening to the music source that is my iPhone. I think it performs capably as a portable music player *cough* without me having to stream my library on iTunes to it. Also, that's what Pandora is for, and that can go anywhere.
I'll concede the point about laptop to sound system music selection, though. That would be GREAT for parties.
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My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed a great quote. Prepare to die
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I usually use either Zoom Player or Media Player Classic.
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That said, I have no issue with VLC Portable and .mkv.
12/11/08
Please.. Bleach uses H.264 :P
12/11/08
whenever a friend has me poke around and fix their computer, one of the first things i do is throw out whatever they have for video and replace it with VLC.
VLC Portable is nice to have in your digital toolbox as well.
Oh and it runs on linux so they get extra props there. for a long time, obscure video codecs were the bane of linux. unfortunately, proprietary video formats keep popping up with no linux love (im looking at you, ABC) and also, why the fuck is realplayer still alive and who the hell uses that shit for anything and is happy with it?
12/11/08
Secondly, I've never liked VLC, mostly because it requires an install. For my needs of media compatibility, I use Media Player Classic as it is a standlone, tiny (4mb), able player that is fully featured, if not aesthetically pleasing with its UI. I haven't tried VLC in years, but it'd take a hell ofa feature-list to top MPC's.
12/11/08
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As of now I use Ripit, per bosskev's recommendation and it's terrific, but is also a pay-for application.
12/11/08
"I've never liked VLC, mostly because it requires an install."
helllllo, Portable VLC doesn't require an install.
"you voted for ron Paul? I did not see that coming."
aw, you made a sarcasm ; )
@RacecarBoobTat:
it doesn't handle the Real formats either. i've never even heard of AVCHD files, though.
@Davy Grolton:
so what are you using, IE? and WMP? you're a real masochist, aren't you?
@Kaiser-Machead:
no QT on linux, and it's shaky on windows. so for rich bastards who can afford macs, i fart in your general direction.
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hey whatever works for you, GOM isn't available for linux.
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I downloaded iTunes remote under the good auspices of Giz, and didn't use it for two months. I decidedly to finally uninstall it and replace the valuable icon real-estate for a VNC module instead.
Semi-on-topic: What do people with "remote" apps use them for?
12/11/08
Anyway, I love the remote app. I don't even look at iTunes' interface anymore when I play music off of my computer, especially when I'm doing something away from it, and have my laptop hooked up to my sound system.
12/11/08
I use the itunes remote app quite a bit. If I want to change tracks without going to the bedroom computer, I can do it from the couch or wherever I happen to be. It is nice to be able to control the volume and which speakers it streams to, as well.
I think I will probably use it a lot more after I get an Apple TV.
12/11/08
I'll concede the point about laptop to sound system music selection, though. That would be GREAT for parties.
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ALL HAIL THE CONE!
12/11/08
I mean the Windows version, sorry. :o
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