Users of the media platform VLC, a free and open-source media player, can rejoice with the news that Microsoft is making a Windows version of VLC for its PCs.
The news came from a VideoLAN blog post. VideoLAN is the developer of VLC, and today in a blog post announced that VLC was receiving the UWP (Universal Windows Platform) treatment in order to get it on the Windows App Store.
VLC is a multimedia cross-platform media program that is capable of playing most media files, as well as being able to play DVDs, audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It also runs on most media platforms. This includes Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android, and now Windows 10.
Microsoft expects the Windows version of VLC to launch next week as a mobile beta version, while the desktop version of the program should be available in mid-May. A version for the Xbox One is also in development at the same time, but has lacked appropriate APIs (application program interface). The Xbox One version will most likely be showing up this summer.
VLC offers an alternative to the often-inadequate Windows Media Player, as it’s able to play a wide variety of media file types that Windows Media Player is often unable to.
The player is also highly customizable; you can install pre-existing skins, or create them yourself. VLC is also, for now, completely free, with no spyware, ads, or user tracking. Whether it will remain this way once Microsoft is done with its port is another story entirely, but hopefully barely anything will change.
Either way, as said before, the Windows version of VLC will be coming out in varying stages across the coming months. A beta version for mobile devices will be available next week, while the desktop version will come out in May and the Xbox One version sometime during the summer. For all those of you who already use VLC, let us know what you think of this in the comments!
