VLC Media Player Plans to Add Online Media Streaming

Damn Lemmy users are no different from Reddit. Don't read anything. Take anything you did read out of context. Be sure to rage post your own ignorance so we can all read about it.

You can help by clarifying the article
- There are a bunch of free channels on the internet that some TVs can just stream without a dedicated app. These channels are supported by ads like cable/whatever channels, but not locked behind a subscription. VLC is supporting whatever formats they use to allow (or make it easier; IDK) people to watch them if they want.
  The other part is that they're working on web assembly to allow sites to use VLC as their embedded video player.
- He shouldn't have to, the point is read before commenting about a clickbait headline. If he has to spell it out that only furthers his point.
Damn Lemmy users are no different from Reddit
We’re do you think Lemmy got all its users?
- Where do you think Lemmy got all its users?
  Fixed that for you.
  /le reddit larping
Was this comment meant for another thread? I'm confused
You forgot to mention it's no different from Reddit with the horrible titles either.
Yeah sure it's user fault and not the click bait headline, I'm sure they can describe the whole article in one headline without any confusion, oh and probably half of lemmy user are used to be redditers
What are you even talking about? Do you feel better after getting that off your chest?

Slightly wondering whether this is a roundabout way of creating Ad-Free YouTube playback capabilities. “Hey community, we are adding support for ad enabled streams. Would be a shame if you hated that so much you wrote some ad blocking plugins.”

Ad-Free YouTube playback capabilities.
The last time I tried, VLC could already do that.
- That’s great, I had no idea!
Very generous of you to assume that adding native support for advertising is a move to protect users from advertising...
- Now you put it that way… 😃
You can already watch youtube ad-free with VLC...
- That’s pretty cool, I didn’t know!

This is bad news. FAST streaming is an ad-riddled nightmare. VLC already supports streaming video just fine. Native support for FAST services just means native support for ads.

VLC already includes support for IPTV streams and M3Us. If you want to load FAST channels, you can do that now using a playlist from here: https://github.com/iptv-org/iptv

You'll even get an ad-free / ad-reduced experience this way. FAST providers like Pluto and Tubi rebroadcast some TV channels and inject their own targeted ads. If you pipe the video stream into VLC, you'll just see "commercial break in progress" filler video instead of commercials. Try it out with a local news station, they are all almost completely add free this way.

Enjoy this while you can, I guess...

I mean it's just another format they'll be supporting. If you don't want to watch in that format, don't.
- FAST isn't a format, it's an integration. The format is streaming mpeg like everything else.
  If FAST services want to be a part of VLC, they can just write their own extension.

Yay VLC!
From the tail end of the short, and easy to read article: If you want an early look at the upcoming changes with VLC 4.0, you can download (https://nightlies.videolan.org/?ref=news.itsfoss.com) the latest nightly release from the official website or the latest “Edge” build from the Snap store (https://snapcraft.io/vlc?ref=news.itsfoss.com). VLC 4.0 (Early Build) (Snap Store) (https://snapcraft.io/vlc?ref=news.itsfoss.com)

Feels like the 4.0 version has been in alpha/beta for years now? I thought they abandoned the idea.
- Yes, it's been actual years.
They have an Ubuntu PPA which I used through distrobox. The weirdest way to get an app on the system, while there is a flatpak they dont seem interested in adopting it.

Some of the new stuff looks cool, and for all of these knee-jerk reactionaries... optional.

Didn't it already have that for years? Sounds like they're 'just' adding support for signing in/ads

It seems to be the FAST protocol/channels they are adding support for.

I'd rather be able to stream a file from my PC via VLC to other people with VLC.

If that's already a thing, then I guess I just gotta figure it out...

VLC support RTMP, streaming a live feed like twitch. https://wiki.videolan.org/RTMP/
VLC also support reading from network https://wiki.videolan.org/Documentation:Play_HowTo/Basic_Use_0.9/Opening_modes/#Opening_a_Network
You are also able to generate a stream through multiple interfaces though I couldn't find how. Still, it is officially reported as being possible. https://www.videolan.org/streaming-features.html
- Yeah, I know about RTPM, but what I meant was more akin to streaming the file itself.
  Take for example, me and my friends want to watch a movie. One of us has the movie. We all have VLC. The one with the movie loads the file, the others... Somehow... Connect to the VLC with the loaded file and have it directly stream to their own VLC.
I believe you can set up a http stream and then have others connect to it

mpv is our saviour.

Changes are looking good, great to see it is still very active!

I swore this was already a feature. I remember years ago (15+) I was able to play YouTube videos on it.

The new feature is for FAST, which is a type of IPTV stream. Imagine something akin to a TV channel guide, like Samsung’s and Roku’s built in streams.
And the “ad supported” bit is misleading; The channels are supported by ads, and run them as part of their programming. It’s not VLC showing ads before you’re allowed to stream the video, like YouTube. Just like regular TV channels, where they have commercial breaks.
The new feature is for FAST specifically.

Fork incoming.

Oh god, no...

That smells like proprietary software and drm

Remember those Winamp channels? Hope this leads into that. IPTV is supported by Winamp but not the easiest way to use it, maybe this would make that better too.

Edit - sorry I meant IPTV is supported by VLC*

I loved the Winamp channels. That's where I learned about the existence of anime. I had no concept that things like Cardcaptors, Dragonball, Pokemon, etc were actually anime because I just saw them in English. But I found dubs through Winamp streaming and it sent me down the rabbit hole to buying DVDs and manga and learning to torrent fansubs. The good old days of my blazing fast 3mbps cable connection. It blew my mind coming from dial up.

~~Ain't nobody want this~~

However, he also clarified that plans for this were not finalized yet, and if it were to happen, it would be optional for VLC users.

Happy to see some sanity prevails.

Having read the article, it sounds like the logical evolution of VLC. FAST Channels are here to stay and they actually are a vital thing in a world where Google have a monopoly on online video. While they're not what I would go for, I'm glad they're available as even my cable provider offers FAST channels.

Will be interesting to see VLC compete with JWPlayer and the various forks of it.

Also I don't think anyone disagrees that the core needs rewriting and the UI needs a refresh. Wonder when Android will start seeing these builds on the beta channel.

plans to support ad-supported online media streams

Why are they saying it like it's something good and exciting?

rewriting the whole core of VLC for the 4.0 release which will see a new interface

Where have we see it before? It's basically the classic scenario where popular software/service makes a complete chnage of design nobody asked for and it fails miserably. I recommend everyone to make a backup of the installer of the last version before this release...

I really don't see the what the fuss is in this thread. The source does make it seem a bit nefarious, but even so, it appears the changes in VLC amount to adding support for a streaming format and adding a channel listing of some sort.
FAST is simply a streaming format. Whether to run ads is an individual decision of each channel.
If I can have a streaming client that can play certain streams versus one that can't, I'll obviously pick the former. (Unless they employ a DRM scheme which does weird things to my devices but it doesn't appear that's part of the discussion here.)
- Yep, here's the section
  When he was talking about that, he also shared that they plan to add support for FAST channels and other kinds of ad-supported online media streams that would allow users to watch ad-supported movies, TV shows, and more.
  However, he also clarified that plans for this were not finalized yet, and if it were to happen, it would be optional for VLC users.
  .
  It does when you consider that there are over 1,500 FAST channels in the US alone, plus countless others around the globe, with the number still growing.
  They already support other forms of streams, why not this. It would be weirder if they chose to not support it
- Yeah, I think evil bastard streaming services choosing open source (VLC) is rather a win for the society.
I mean, the guy who made vlc hasn't charged for like 15 years now.
For most people the only time they open VLC is to view a file locally. I'm surprised they're not also trying to become more like plex/jellyfin then pivot to ad supported streaming
- I'm surprised they're not also trying to become more like plex/jellyfin then pivot to ad supported streaming
  Well, not people are driven by money, but I do agree that several costs need to be addressed, and sadly ads are one of the means to achieve this (and more depending on your greed).
They dont display ads, the channels send video streams that have embedded ads for money purpose things (whoever buys shit because of ads)
- Why would that need special support? If the ads are embedded, that should work out of the box.
Isn't this an optional feature? Wouldn't you have to log in to that service?

So is this like adding mediastream adaptive like what other players have to load google's widevine module?

No

Will picture in picture support on IOS eventually be added?

I just saw the screenshot of the early design of the new UI, looks like crap.

I even disliked the change from wXwidgets to Qt way back in the day, I have come around and like the Qt interface now, I don't expect that to happen with the new UI

10 years later
"vlc is updating their UI again! I liked the one we have now, this just looks stupid. I don't think I'll like the changes."
- That's fair, though the change from wXwidgets to Qt was fairly minor compared to this
It seems to have the "Classic" option as well, so it's fine.
new ui is literal trash.
media formats it already does, and it is expected to support nearly everything. but as far as a front-end for whatever tf they're planning--there are plugins and extensions already, it should be there. not in the base code.
- Yeah, it looks like they are trying to port the mobile UI to their main program, going backwards in terms of usabillity on mainstream computers

Not a fan of that tbh

Dude, they are not starting their own ad supported streaming service. They are merely adding dupport for one more streaming protocol that happens to be used for that. If these services were using RTSP for their streams, they'd already be supported. This is absolutely in line with VLC's swiss army knife-approach.
Otherwise, new GUI sounds good to me. The old one is proven but a bit clunky.
- I think there should be local-only players. VLC was one forever. There are tons of streaming service clients out there and I personally don't want VLC to add this feature. But it is just my personal opinion. I never said it's bad

Maybe read more than the headline.

How would they earn money on this? It's still a FOSS project. They are simply revamping their GUI and adding support for one more protocol.
Plex is NOT FOSS! Plex is a private company's cash cow.
I've met the devs in person. They keep turning down literal suitcases full of cash from people who want to bundle adware and crap in one of the most popular programs ever. Don't assume VLC is going down that road -- they've stuck to their ethics for decades.
almost 1 download for every human on earth
"BUT IT'S NOT POPULAR! ALL THE DOWNLOADS ARE FROM JANUARY 1ST 2005 AND NOBODY EVER DOWNLOADED IT EVER AGAIN! IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY BY BIG TRAFFIC CONE! I DON'T WANT FACTS LALALALALA" --this guy
Big Traffic Cone is coming for you. It cautions us all. That's why it's orange with reflective stripes. You should have heeded it's warning. Be afraid, very afraid.
- If all those downloads were from 2005 to 2015, and there's only been a few hundred in the last nine years, that would mean the popularity has declined.
  But we don't know that. We don't know if the downloads have increased, decreased, or stayed the same based on the proffered numbers. We only know a flat number from the last twenty years.
  Thats the point theyre making, not that its unequivocally unpopular now.
  Also you're about three billion shy of one download for everyone on earth.
- Big Traffic Cone is coming for you
  damn me if this is not the best Brand New Sentence I have seen in a long time. congrats!

Please actually read the post.

I used vlc once.

Why you not using it anymore?
- Presumably the video ended.
- I used to use VLC. I still do, but I used to, too.
- He is using the Windows inbuilt video player... Yikes.
- The computer I tried it on had it's water cooling loop coincidentally blow both block gaskets and it's been just sitting on the ground here since. I just haven't watched anything since either and both my old laptop and the steam deck have whatever is default to bazzite but unused
Thank you for sharing.

Stick a fork in it, it's done.

Why lmao?
- Sorry, that was supposed to be a pun on "fork", in release-management sense of the word.