What is VLC Media Player
- VLC is a free, open‑source, cross‑platform media player and streaming server developed by the VideoLAN project. Wikipedia+2TechSpot+2
- It supports a very wide variety of audio, video, and streaming formats out of the box (without needing extra codec packs) thanks largely to integration with FFmpeg / its own libraries. Wikipedia+2RankRed+2
- It is widely used for playback of local media, DVDs, network streams, and for media conversions / transcoding.
What’s New & Expected in Version 3.0.22
As of recent announcements and changelogs, VLC 3.0.22 is being prepared / rolled out (some parts as Release Candidate) with a number of improvements and fixes.
Here are some of the notable changes in 3.0.22:
| Feature / Change | Description / Impact |
|---|---|
| Qt6 & Qt5 support | The UI can now be built with Qt6 (while Qt5 remains supported). |
| Dark palette / dark mode for Qt interface | A dark mode is added to the interface for better low‑light usability. (OMG! Ubuntu) |
| AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) / Frame interpolation | For AMD GPUs, “frame interpolation” / fluid motion support is added — helps make motion smoother by generating interpolated frames. |
| Windows ARM64 native builds | Adds support for ARM64 architecture on Windows (for devices running Windows 10 RS5 / 1809 or newer). |
| Windows XP SP3 support adjustments | Some fixes / restrictions in SystemParametersInfo calls to better support legacy XP SP3. |
| File operations while playing | Ability to rename, move, or delete the playing file (on Windows). |
| New decoder / codec improvements / fixes | • Option dav1d-all-layers for AV1 decoding (“dav1d”) to show all spatial layers. • Fixes in Opus channel mapping, hardware decoding (XVID via VideoToolbox), ProRes formats, FLAC seeking logic, DVD caption parsing, etc. • Disabling of certain older decoders (libdca, libmpeg2, liba52) by default in favor of libavcodec. |
| Security fixes / bug fixes | Many small fixes to various codecs, demuxers, file handling, crash issues, etc. (OMG! Ubuntu) |
Because 3.0.22 is in parts still in release candidate / preview stage, some of these features are not yet fully “stable” across all platforms.
Strengths / Advantages
VLC is widely appreciated for many reasons; here are key strengths that continue to make it a solid choice:
Format & codec support
It can play (or stream) almost anything — MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, FLAC, OGG, streaming formats, DVDs, and more — without needing to hunt for codec packs.Cross-platform & open source
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, etc.Streaming / network abilities
It acts not just as a player but can stream content, transcode, serve media over network protocols (HTTP, SFTP, etc.).Extensive features & controls
Subtitle handling, filtering (audio / video effects), snapshot, frame stepping, playback speed control, audio/video sync control, etc.No extra codec installation needed
Since VLC bundles its own codecs, users don’t usually need to install external codec packs (which sometimes bring compatibility or stability issues).Active maintenance / bug fixing
Even as the 3.0 branch has matured, the VideoLAN team continues maintenance and bug fixes.
Limitations / Known Issues & Risks
No software is perfect. Here are some downsides or things to watch out for:
- Because it’s feature‑rich and handles many codecs, occasionally weird codec / decoding edge cases or regressions can occur — e.g. subtitle rendering quirks, channel mapping issues, etc.
- Some users have reported bugs like audio stuttering, UI issues (especially full screen / overlays), regressions in subtitle / rendering. > “Horrific audio stuttering when unpausing a video … bottom bar becoming transparent …” Reddit
- Update / auto-update sometimes lags; users may need to manually install new versions. > “check for updates button … always says you have the latest version but website shows newer one.” Reddit
- The major new version (VLC 4.x) has been in development for a long time; some users see delays, instability in newer builds. Reddit+1
- As with all media players that accept external subtitle files or downloadable content, there is a nontrivial security risk from malformed subtitle files (which can be exploited). In fact, there is research about “subtitle attacks” targeting VLC and similar players. arXiv
- On older / low-end hardware, some newer features (frame interpolation, decoding enhancements) may tax resources.
Usage Tips & Best Practices
To get the best from VLC 3.0.22 (or 3.0.x in general), here are suggestions:
- Disable untrusted subtitle auto-download unless you trust the source, to mitigate subtitle‑based attack risk.
- Update regularly: since VLC is actively maintained, newer builds often include fixes, so it’s safer to use updated versions.
- Experiment video output modules: In VLC preferences you can switch video output modules (Direct3D, OpenGL, etc.) — sometimes one works better than others for your system.
- Enable hardware acceleration (if your GPU supports it) for smoother high resolution / high bitrate video playback.
- Back up your custom settings / profiles when updating, in case settings get reset.
- Monitor logs / error reports if something misbehaves — VLC logs sometimes help identify codec/demuxing issues.
- Use portable / standalone versions if you want to test newer builds without fully replacing your stable install.
- Be cautious with exotic formats / new codecs: if something doesn’t play properly, try installing the latest VLC build or testing a different version.
