The Free VLC Media Player has 7 Top Secret Features

The Free VLC Media Player has 7 top-secret features: The media player of choice should be VLC. The cross-platform application offers a slew of hidden features that you can try out right now.

VLC Media Player, formerly known as the VideoLan Client Media Player, has come a long way since its inception. Chromecast compatibility and 360-degree video views are now available in the app. This open-source media player is capable of handling any type of media file.

3.5 billion people have downloaded VLC Media Player. Its modular design, which allows it to keep up with the latest media players by adding new functions as needed, may be the key to its long-term success. In this article, we’ll look into a few “hidden” features under the hood.

1. Download YouTube videos with VLC.

For YouTube, there are a number of useful free downloaders. This feature is built-in to VLC, which few people are aware of. Although it isn’t a one-click downloader, it does the job.

  • Choose Media > Open Network Stream from the drop-down menu.
  • On VLC, here’s how to play a video.
  • In the player, paste the YouTube URL and press the Play button.
  • Now go to Tools > Codec Information to get more information about the codec.
  • You will see a Location box at the bottom of the window. Copy and paste the long URL from the box into the address bar of your browser.

The video file will now be played by your browser. By right-clicking on the video and selecting Save Video As, you can save the file to your computer. You can also record the video if you want to.

2. Video to Any Format Conversion

Another of our favorite VLC hidden features is converting a video to another format.

  • Choose Media > Convert / Save from the toolbar.
  • Select the media file you want to convert from the Open Media dialog box by clicking the Add button. Then select Convert from the Convert / Save menu.
  • Select the file format that you want to convert your file into from the Profile dropdown menu.
  • Select a destination for the converted file by clicking Browse. Then, on the next screen, press the Start button.

3. Using VLC as a Music Graphic Equalizer

VLC is a cross-platform, standalone media player with full audio effects and playlist support. VLC is a multimedia player that not only shows cover art but also has a decent graphic equalizer.

Ctrl + E (or Tools > Effects and Filters > Audio Effects) will bring it up. 4. Use the Equalizer, Compressor, and Spatializer tabs to fine-tune the sound quality of your media file.

Preferences is where you’ll find your general audio options. Audio Normalization is one of the most useful features in VLC. This option allows you to increase the volume of any media by a specific amount and improve sound quality.

Enable Normalize Volume To by going to Tools > Preferences > Audio. The decibel levels of dialogue, music, explosions, gunshots, and other loud noises in the file are adjusted by the value you enter here. To lock in the setting, restart VLC after it has been enabled.

Read: How To Download Subtitles in VLC for Android Device

4. VLC’s ability to search for and play internet radio stations is one of its most underappreciated features.

The VLC Player can cater to all of your audio requirements, as it can not only stream radio but also play podcasts.

Start VLC and press Ctrl + L to bring up the Playlist sidebar. Toggle the Playlist view mode to List (View > Playlist View Mode > List).

You can choose a station by clicking on one of the two radio servers—Jamendo or Icecast—under Internet. Anyone interested in reggae fusion?

If your favorite internet radio station isn’t on the list, you can still listen to it using VLC by going to the station’s URL. Select Media > Open Network Stream from the drop-down menu. To listen in, type in the URL and hit Play.

5. The same Playlist interface allows you to manage your favorite podcasts. To use VLC to listen to podcasts, follow these steps.

Select Podcasts from the Internet section of the Playlist menu.

Click the plus sign as soon as your cursor lands on the Podcasts section.

Copy and paste the RSS feed URL of the podcast you want to listen to into the box provided, then click OK. You can choose any episode from the podcast, which will be added to the sidebar.

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6. Loop a video or audio file section

A video or a soundtrack can be looped on most media players. You can also loop a portion of a media file with VLC.

VLC is used to view and listen to video and audio files. Select Advanced Controls from the View menu.

Above the normal play and stop controls, a few more buttons will now be displayed.

Move the playhead to the part of the media where the loop should begin to begin the loop (Point A).

Once you’ve pressed the loop button, you’ll be taken to the next page The button’s “A” mark will become red. Take the video to the endpoint and click the same button once more to complete the loop. The A and B points of the button are both red, as you can see.

Play the video now to see the section loop. If you want to turn it off, simply press the loop button again.

7. Use VLC Add-Ons and Extensions to Enhance Features

VLC’s default set of features may be sufficient for most everyday tasks. However, if you want more features, you can install add-ons along with the program. Always keep in mind that VLC is supported by a large open-source community. Users all over the world can benefit from their extensions, skins, playlist parsers, and other tools.

I hope this guide was helpful?