5 Useful Features Hidden in VLC

You probably be using VLC for playing media files, and if you are doing the same, you are using only a small fraction of VLC player capabilities. VLC player is considered as a Swiss Army Knife for digital videos and music, filled with more useful features and interesting tools.





So, if you are using VLC player for just playing your media files, here are the 5 most useful and hidden features that can make your experience of using VLC more fruitful.

#1. Convert Media Files

Do you know that you probably need no additional software for converting media files if you have VLC player? Yes, VLC player can be used to convert media files from an unsupported format. You can even extract audio from the given media files and can save it as a separate file.

For that, just hit the Media menu button located at the top left corner of VLC player and select Convert/Save. Simply load the media file you want to convert and select the format you want the output file in, set the destination path and hit Start.

#2. Recording Your Desktop 

You can use VLC player to save the video of your Desktop. Yes, no need of any additional video recorder. You can capture the video of anything and can stream that particular video online with no additional software.


For doing that, just navigate to Media-> Convert/Save and locate the last tab named as “Capture Device”. Set the capture mode to “Desktop”, set the desired frame rate (15-20fps recommended), set the destination path and bamm!!! Your video is ready in minutes.

#3. Control VLC from Browser

You can control VLC remotely from the browser. VLC has an integrated server which can be accessed via browser remotely. By enabling this, you can control the playback options, volumes, media files, etc. When coupled with Smartphone, it can be turned as remote for VLC player.




For doing this, click on Tools –> Preferences. Navigate to Main interfaces located under All Options. Finally click on Web checkbox. All done, you just need to enter the local IP address of VLC (http://localhost:8080/)

 

#4. Watch YouTube Videos

Want to watch YouTube videos on VLC player without downloading it? Yes, you can do that. Just copy the URL of the video you like to watch in VLC and hit the Media menu button, select Open Network Stream. Simply paste the YouTube Video’s URL in here and you are ready to watch the video directly on your VLC player.

#5. Playing Internet Radio

If you are not a very big fan of Spotify or Pandora, you can play internet radio directly from your VLC player. Just open Playlist and navigate to the Icecast Radio Directory, perform a search for the music you will love to listen, browse the list and play what you want.



You can even listen to radio that aren’t listed on VLC player. Just head over to the specific website and find the “listen” button there. You can listen to them directly from your local VLC player on computer or from VLC player on Android.
With all that being said, there are still hell lots of things you can do with your VLC player. So, if you are still using the VLC player to just play the normal media files, explore it more and change the way you use it. VLC player is the most widely used media player and being available for almost every device out there including Smartphones, it can be used for different purposes.