Top 5 Hidden Uses for VLC - Luke's Software Discoveries Episode 2

**Discover the Hidden Power of VLC Media Player: Top 5 Lesser-Known Features**

VLC media player is one of the most versatile and widely-used media players available today. It runs on a variety of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and even IBM's OS2. Known for its ability to play almost any type of media thrown at it, VLC offers far more than just basic video playback. While it excels in standard media playback situations, there are some lesser-known features that make it an even more powerful tool.

### Introduction: The Basics of VLC

Before diving into the hidden features, let’s start with a few basics. VLC offers several unique functionalities that set it apart from other media players. One such feature is its one-key audio sync, which helps to offset videos with poorly encoded audio. Additionally, VLC includes an audio boost function that amplifies quiet audio by up to 150% without altering equalizer settings. Another handy feature is the "Always on Top" mode, allowing users to multitask effortlessly while keeping their media playback window visible.

However, it’s important to note that not all of these advanced features are completely stable. During testing, significant crashes and an occasionally non-user-friendly interface were encountered. As a result, VLC may not be the best choice for entirely new users or those who lack technical proficiency. Nevertheless, with some patience and knowledge, even newcomers can achieve decent stability.

### Feature 1: Network Streaming

One of the most impressive features of VLC is its ability to stream media over a network or the internet. Despite its name suggesting it’s merely a media player, VLC also functions as a media server. This means you can easily share your videos with other devices on your local network or even stream them online.

To get started, navigate to the "Media" menu and select "Stream." From there, you can add files or even streams from discs or capture devices. Choose either a new destination or an HTTP option, then press "Add." Advanced users can stream over multiple protocols simultaneously. When prompted about active transcoding, consider this if your device on the other end is low-powered or to save bandwidth.

To start streaming, review your settings and hit "Stream." If you’re streaming over the internet, ensure you forward port 8080 to your host PC. VLC acts as both the server and client, so viewers can access the stream by entering the URL in their browser, including the HTTP and port number.

### Feature 2: Transcoding Audio and Video

VLC also offers transcoding capabilities, allowing users to convert high-quality or niche video formats into more accessible ones. This is particularly useful for sharing media with friends who may not have compatible software or devices.

To use this feature, go to the "Media" menu and select "Convert Slave." Add your files and choose from preset profiles like YouTube or Android, or tweak settings for precise control. You can even bake in subtitles during conversion. Once everything is set, specify the destination file and VLC will handle the rest.

### Feature 3: Frame-by-Frame Playback with Screenshot Capture

While watching a show, you might come across a QR code, Easter egg, or other fleeting on-screen element. Instead of rewinding repeatedly, VLC allows frame-by-frame advancement using the "E" hotkey. Once you’ve captured the perfect frame, save it as a PNG screenshot using "Shift + S." These screenshots can be saved to your default pictures folder and shared online.

For further customization, adjust the output directory, file naming format, or dimensions in the preferences menu.

### Feature 4: Desktop Video Capture

Whether you’re troubleshooting a bug, showcasing an After Effects tutorial, or capturing gameplay footage, VLC’s desktop capture feature is indispensable. Access it via the "Media" menu under "Capture Device," select "Desktop," and choose your desired frame rate. Hit the down arrow to start conversion, saving the captured video as needed.

### Feature 5: Integrated HTTP Server for Remote Control

Deep within VLC’s interface lies an integrated HTTP server that allows remote access via a web browser. Enabling this feature requires navigating to preferences, selecting "All Settings," and under the main interfaces, choosing "Web." Expand the menu and click on "Lua" before adding a password for security.

This feature transforms VLC into a powerful remote-controlled media player. You can play content from your library, manage streams, adjust settings like equalizer and volume, all from afar. While streaming over the internet would otherwise be cumbersome, this HTTP server makes it seamless.

### Bonus Feature: Retro Matrix Mode with Colored ASCII Art

For those nostalgic for the 80s, VLC offers a retro treat by displaying videos in colored ASCII art. Access this feature via "Tools" > "Preferences" > "Video," then under output settings, select "Color as ASCII art video output."

### Conclusion and Final Thoughts

VLC is an incredibly powerful media player with an extensive array of features catering to various needs—from basic playback to advanced streaming and transcoding. While it may occasionally be unstable or less user-friendly for newcomers, its versatility and free price make it a standout choice.

If you’re looking to set up a website or online store without the hassle of coding, consider Squarespace. It offers a user-friendly platform with 24/7 tech support and e-commerce capabilities. Use code "Linus" at checkout to save 10% on your first purchase.

In the comments below or on our forum, share your favorite VLC hidden features. Whether you’re a gamer, programmer, or casual user, VLC likely has a feature that will surprise and impress you.

Thank you for watching, and we’ll see you next time!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enif you're looking for a media player that goes above and beyond the one bundled with your operating system you have quite a few options to choose from one of the most popular and ubiquitous ones is VLC it runs on everything Windows OSX Linux iOS even freaking IBM's os2 yeah the official version of VC does actually run on an operating system whose last release date was December 2001 VC is known for being able to play essentially everything you throw at it but we're not here to talk about how VC reacts to a normal media playback situation we're here to uncover some of the Lesser known and actually fairly interesting features of VC The Cooler Master Nova touch tkl utilizes genuine toer hybrid capacitive switches and is now available at a more affordable price click now to learn more let's start with a few Basics VC does a lot of other media players don't like for instance it's one key audio sync that helps offset with terribly encoded video audio boost that amplifies quiet audio up to 150% without touching equalizer settings and even features an always Top Mode so you can multitask like a boss but I'm having a good time and I don't have a curfew so let's take this deeper before we get started however I want to issue a word of warning not all of these features are completely stable and our testing we experienced a significant number of crashes and the UI wasn't always completely userfriendly so I wouldn't necessarily recommend these features to completely new users or the Fain of heart but if you put in the time and you have the knowhow and a bit of technical knowledge you might be able to get a pretty decent level of stability one more thing I'll be demoing these on windows with VC version 2.2.0 depending on your platform and version the interface and shortcuts May differ slightly so without further Ado here are the top five hidden features of VC number five did you know that you can stream your VLC Media over the network yep despite media players in the name VLC is actually also a media server allowing you to stream video over a local network or over the Internet well as long as your internet connection can do that to get started you'll need to click media and then stream from there add a file or files that you want to stream or if you want to get fancy you can stream from a disc or even a capture device next select the new D destination or HTTP and press add Advanced users can even stream over multiple protocols at once after pressing next VC will prompt you about active transcoding why would you want this well maybe your device on the other end is slow or you'd like to save on bandwidth transcoding high bandwidth content High bit rate content sorry can be really hard especially when streaming over the internet to start the stream press next where it will give you a final overview of your settings and and then press stream to start one final note if you're going to do this over the internet you'll need to forward port 8080 to your host streaming PC also please note that VC acts as both the streaming host and the client so to tune in the Stream simply click on media and then open network stream and type in the URL of your streaming PC including the HTTP and port numbers number four I touched on this briefly earlier but VC can transcode or encode audio and video on your local system maybe you want to convert that lossless video into something a bit more mobile friendly or maybe You' like to convert to QuickTime so your Mac buddy can edit an iMovie whatever you want to do that's fine to access transcoding features simply use the media then convert slave menu option and from there you'll add the file or files you want to convert at the bottom click convert slave button next you'll be presented with a bunch of preset profiles good for most cases such as YouTube or Android but if you want granular control you can change basically whatever you want or even bake in some subtitles when you're done selecting all that provide a destination file and VLC will go to work on to number three so you're watching your favorite show and then something flashes on screen probably some QR code or Easter egg of some sort I mean you could just play it back at a slower speed with the default settings of just hitting the minus hotkey or you can go take it frame by frame to get the perfect glimpse of the hidden secret to do this use the hotkey E to advance the video frame by frame then when you've got it just right you can use shift s to save a PNG screenshot in your default pictures folder and upload it to Reddit or the Linus te tips Forum to show that you're such a Keener oh and if you don't like PNG or you'd like VLC to Output the files somewhere else you can change the directory file name format or even the width and height of the output file right in the preferences number two whether you're a gamer programmer video editor or just light computer user there will be at least one point in time in your life where it would be extremely helpful to capture video from your desktop maybe you got a weird bug and you need it to help you or maybe you just want to show off your amazing After Effects tutorial or something else head to Media then open capture device and select desktop in the capture mode drop down from there select a different frame rate then uh hit that down arrow again and select convert from there it's just like transcoding except instead of a file you're transloading your desktop and live select your en cing options and your destination file and then press start to get going once you're done just hit stop and it'll save the file all right time for a bit of a tangent before we get to our number one hidden VLC feature we have a bonus feature have you ever wanted to live in the Retro Matrix perhaps you have a nostalgic feeling for bbs's from the 80s well VLC knows your pain you can actually watch videos via colored ASI art to do this go to tools preferences video then under output select color as aski art video output and enjoy your video in 16 color Glory okay back on track to number one this is a neat little trick that's very deep within vlc's interface VLC actually has an integrated HTTP server that you can enable by setting this up you can remotely access your VLC client via a web browser to set it up head back to preferences and click the all settings radio button under main interfaces click the Web Box expand the main menu and click the Lua add a password to secure your server click save and then close to reopen VLC setting this interface up makes the whole system much more powerful remember how we could stream our media over the Internet well it would be pretty inconvenient to remote in and start the stream so that you could watch it elsewhere every freaking time this feature provides full access to your VC client you can play any item in your library of video content manage your streams adjust equalizer even adjust the volume think of it like a web connected super remote mod in conclusion VLC is an extremely powerful program with an insane amount of options and while it may be a little unstable in certain situations and there are potentially better options for doing some of these things individually it's pretty badass to have it all in one package at the low low price of free speaking of being powerful to the web Squarespace is pretty powerful and has you covered if you want to set up a beautiful responsive site without the hassle of coding it yourself we use Squarespace on the company website linusmediagroup docomo they have 24/7 tech support via live chat or even email to help you out if you want to set up a information setup if you want to set up an online store they have an e-commerce site that you can set up through Squarespace so get a free trial at Squarespace no credit card required and start building your site today and when you choose to sign up for the service make sure you use offer code Linus that saves you 10% off your first purchase thanks to Squarespace for supporting us here at L Media Group let us know down in the comments or over on the Forum what are your favorite hidden features of VC there's a ton of awesome functionality that we didn't cover so I'm sure you've got a few while you're here like dislike share subscribe favorite follow but that was really fast I think I got everything though and comment down below or check the description to see a cool shirt that isn't from twitch but probably has more funny stuff on it because Nick designed it or someone else designed and he got them to make a shirt of it whatever he does things and it's cool over on the Forum if you check the support us link you can uh become a contributor to The Forum which is great you can change your Amazon affiliate codes which is great you can install the Line Tech tips Notifier plugins for your browser which is great because you can go in there and set up uh it to automatically change Amazon URLs for you there's a bunch of cool stuff thank you guys for watching and I'll see you next time heif you're looking for a media player that goes above and beyond the one bundled with your operating system you have quite a few options to choose from one of the most popular and ubiquitous ones is VLC it runs on everything Windows OSX Linux iOS even freaking IBM's os2 yeah the official version of VC does actually run on an operating system whose last release date was December 2001 VC is known for being able to play essentially everything you throw at it but we're not here to talk about how VC reacts to a normal media playback situation we're here to uncover some of the Lesser known and actually fairly interesting features of VC The Cooler Master Nova touch tkl utilizes genuine toer hybrid capacitive switches and is now available at a more affordable price click now to learn more let's start with a few Basics VC does a lot of other media players don't like for instance it's one key audio sync that helps offset with terribly encoded video audio boost that amplifies quiet audio up to 150% without touching equalizer settings and even features an always Top Mode so you can multitask like a boss but I'm having a good time and I don't have a curfew so let's take this deeper before we get started however I want to issue a word of warning not all of these features are completely stable and our testing we experienced a significant number of crashes and the UI wasn't always completely userfriendly so I wouldn't necessarily recommend these features to completely new users or the Fain of heart but if you put in the time and you have the knowhow and a bit of technical knowledge you might be able to get a pretty decent level of stability one more thing I'll be demoing these on windows with VC version 2.2.0 depending on your platform and version the interface and shortcuts May differ slightly so without further Ado here are the top five hidden features of VC number five did you know that you can stream your VLC Media over the network yep despite media players in the name VLC is actually also a media server allowing you to stream video over a local network or over the Internet well as long as your internet connection can do that to get started you'll need to click media and then stream from there add a file or files that you want to stream or if you want to get fancy you can stream from a disc or even a capture device next select the new D destination or HTTP and press add Advanced users can even stream over multiple protocols at once after pressing next VC will prompt you about active transcoding why would you want this well maybe your device on the other end is slow or you'd like to save on bandwidth transcoding high bandwidth content High bit rate content sorry can be really hard especially when streaming over the internet to start the stream press next where it will give you a final overview of your settings and and then press stream to start one final note if you're going to do this over the internet you'll need to forward port 8080 to your host streaming PC also please note that VC acts as both the streaming host and the client so to tune in the Stream simply click on media and then open network stream and type in the URL of your streaming PC including the HTTP and port numbers number four I touched on this briefly earlier but VC can transcode or encode audio and video on your local system maybe you want to convert that lossless video into something a bit more mobile friendly or maybe You' like to convert to QuickTime so your Mac buddy can edit an iMovie whatever you want to do that's fine to access transcoding features simply use the media then convert slave menu option and from there you'll add the file or files you want to convert at the bottom click convert slave button next you'll be presented with a bunch of preset profiles good for most cases such as YouTube or Android but if you want granular control you can change basically whatever you want or even bake in some subtitles when you're done selecting all that provide a destination file and VLC will go to work on to number three so you're watching your favorite show and then something flashes on screen probably some QR code or Easter egg of some sort I mean you could just play it back at a slower speed with the default settings of just hitting the minus hotkey or you can go take it frame by frame to get the perfect glimpse of the hidden secret to do this use the hotkey E to advance the video frame by frame then when you've got it just right you can use shift s to save a PNG screenshot in your default pictures folder and upload it to Reddit or the Linus te tips Forum to show that you're such a Keener oh and if you don't like PNG or you'd like VLC to Output the files somewhere else you can change the directory file name format or even the width and height of the output file right in the preferences number two whether you're a gamer programmer video editor or just light computer user there will be at least one point in time in your life where it would be extremely helpful to capture video from your desktop maybe you got a weird bug and you need it to help you or maybe you just want to show off your amazing After Effects tutorial or something else head to Media then open capture device and select desktop in the capture mode drop down from there select a different frame rate then uh hit that down arrow again and select convert from there it's just like transcoding except instead of a file you're transloading your desktop and live select your en cing options and your destination file and then press start to get going once you're done just hit stop and it'll save the file all right time for a bit of a tangent before we get to our number one hidden VLC feature we have a bonus feature have you ever wanted to live in the Retro Matrix perhaps you have a nostalgic feeling for bbs's from the 80s well VLC knows your pain you can actually watch videos via colored ASI art to do this go to tools preferences video then under output select color as aski art video output and enjoy your video in 16 color Glory okay back on track to number one this is a neat little trick that's very deep within vlc's interface VLC actually has an integrated HTTP server that you can enable by setting this up you can remotely access your VLC client via a web browser to set it up head back to preferences and click the all settings radio button under main interfaces click the Web Box expand the main menu and click the Lua add a password to secure your server click save and then close to reopen VLC setting this interface up makes the whole system much more powerful remember how we could stream our media over the Internet well it would be pretty inconvenient to remote in and start the stream so that you could watch it elsewhere every freaking time this feature provides full access to your VC client you can play any item in your library of video content manage your streams adjust equalizer even adjust the volume think of it like a web connected super remote mod in conclusion VLC is an extremely powerful program with an insane amount of options and while it may be a little unstable in certain situations and there are potentially better options for doing some of these things individually it's pretty badass to have it all in one package at the low low price of free speaking of being powerful to the web Squarespace is pretty powerful and has you covered if you want to set up a beautiful responsive site without the hassle of coding it yourself we use Squarespace on the company website linusmediagroup docomo they have 24/7 tech support via live chat or even email to help you out if you want to set up a information setup if you want to set up an online store they have an e-commerce site that you can set up through Squarespace so get a free trial at Squarespace no credit card required and start building your site today and when you choose to sign up for the service make sure you use offer code Linus that saves you 10% off your first purchase thanks to Squarespace for supporting us here at L Media Group let us know down in the comments or over on the Forum what are your favorite hidden features of VC there's a ton of awesome functionality that we didn't cover so I'm sure you've got a few while you're here like dislike share subscribe favorite follow but that was really fast I think I got everything though and comment down below or check the description to see a cool shirt that isn't from twitch but probably has more funny stuff on it because Nick designed it or someone else designed and he got them to make a shirt of it whatever he does things and it's cool over on the Forum if you check the support us link you can uh become a contributor to The Forum which is great you can change your Amazon affiliate codes which is great you can install the Line Tech tips Notifier plugins for your browser which is great because you can go in there and set up uh it to automatically change Amazon URLs for you there's a bunch of cool stuff thank you guys for watching and I'll see you next time he\n"