VLC Media Player Coming to iPhone

[Wiley John Wright]

VLC Media Player is headed to the iPhone and is currently waiting for App Store approval. Applidium released the iPad version about a month ago and is now readying a universal update to the popular video player. Only the most current generations of iPhone and iPod Touch have the enough horsepower to decode movies with a fast enough frame rate to be enjoyable, for now. New features Applidium have included with this update are:

• Playback should be smoother than the previous version. Indeed, we’ve enabled low-level assembly optimizations to use the ARMv7 core of the Apple A4 processor as efficiently as possible.
• It’s still not possible to use the hardware video decoder, so unfortunately in most cases 720p video still won’t play smoothly.
• Unfortunately, we couldn’t support older iPhones and iPods. You’ll need either an iPhone 3GS or an iPhone 4 (or a same-generation iPod). The reason is actually pretty simple: based on our tests, the older iPhones (3G and Edge) don’t have enough power to properly decode most movies.
• We’re supporting a lot more video extensions. Also, as many of you requested, it’s also now possible to open attachments from Mail or Safari (or any other applications actually) in VLC!

Now that VLC Media Player will be available for most iOS devices, users will have the freedom to encode video in almost any format available. Also, users with large video libraries not currently compatible with iOS devises, will now be able to play those files on their iPhones without the need for conversion.

VLC is well known for being able to handle just about any video format available. If Apple would allow developers access to more advanced iOS features, users might actually be able to watch 720p movies on their iPhones. When Apple releases iOS 4.2 with Airplay support next month, the ability to watch HD video will become more apparent. Watching HD movies on a 3.5” screen currently isn’t a big deal, but when users can finally stream video to large screen TV’s, HD quality video will make a big difference.

As more and more media formats become compatible with portable devices, users will finally have the freedom to save their video files any way they want to. I’ve always thought portable devices should be able to play anything you throw at them. Now that’s one step closer to reality.

Source: Cult of Mac

[CZroe]

Streaming video to and from your device will kill most people's WiFi bandwidth. Is AirPlay for VLC really feasible? Put VLC on the AppleTV in the first place and forget about AirPlay. Remember, AppleTV has iOS. Use it.

[jbardi]

People, including me, stream video through wifi from one device to another all the time. I can stream from plex on my Mac mini to my iPhone while my friend is watching netfix through the same Mac mini and wifi is fine. Airplay will be no different so not sure what you are talking about.

[blissfulight]

What I like about Apple: Everything is simplified. What I don't like about Apple: Everything is simplified.

[Natedawgster]

"Now that VLC Media Player will be available for most iOS devises,"

spell check?

[markyeungcy]

Will it support rmvb in the next update? Really cant wait for that.

[robogobo]

"We’re supporting a lot more video extensions. Also, as many of you requested, it’s also now possible to open attachments from Mail or Safari (or any other applications actually) in VLC!"

So, that means I can download via Goodreader etc and open in VLC? hope so. iOS seriously needs a central document directory.

[steve-z17]

"Now that VLC Media Player will be available for most iOS devises,"

spell check?

Wow, that's all you got from reading this...pointing out a misspelled word? Lame...

I think VLC will be a cool addition to the iPhone, and if they can get up to the 720p video streaming eventually..it'll be even cooler.

[MetallicaFan1991]

So we can actually just copy and paste a file over to the iPhone and it will play or is some bulls*it streaming which is pointless?

[SoopaNutz]

"If Apple would allow developers access to more advanced iOS features, ..." doesn't this say it all!!

[ravelsnip]

We already have one VLC player renamed now as "open streamer" in cydia....

Now what will this new VLC player do???

[shirahmad]

i have been waiting for the to come hope it comes soon

[zoso10]

Gooood!! Using the versions that's out now is quite aggravating...
But I figured it wouldn't be long till an update found its way to the appstore.

[coolguy742]

Cool, VLC is one of the most important programs on my compter now on my iPod too!

[soulthoughts]

Will it play XviD movies smoothly? Oplayer in the AppStore will plus you can FTP movies.

[CZroe]

People, including me, stream video through wifi from one device to another all the time. I can stream from plex on my Mac mini to my iPhone while my friend is watching netfix through the same Mac mini and wifi is fine. Airplay will be no different so not sure what you are talking about.

That's different. First, most iPhone streams are going to be much lower resolution than those optimized for the iPad's resolution. Second, live transcoding requires much more bitrate for similar quality due to the lack of multi-pass encoding (Netflix has multiple encode streams prepared for each movie and dynamically switches between them). Third, most people don't have Wireless-N. Streaming full resolution to and from the same device over Wireless-G could easily eat up most available bandwidth.

You may be able to do it but it is not without a quality impact. Netflix is pretty low bitrate anyway because it is intended for Internet streaming as opposed to LAN streaming. We expect better on our televisions with AirPlay. An iPad receiving VLC video over a user's typical Wireless-G and retransmitting it to an AppleTV over the same will probably struggle with HD video without dropping the bitrate.

Also, I hope the Mac Mini is at least wired to the router.

[LSZ33]

I've been waiting for this app. Hopefully we can use it without any other stipulations.

[EskimoRuler]

I just really wish it could play 720p.

[ihaveabu]

x264!?!?! wheeeee

i can finally see how pretty a hd movie looks on my iphone4

[delizaza23]

I want to buy an ipad and i hate flash BUT there is not even 1 HTML5 site that is active fully and I watch a lot of my programs, how are they going to kill flash.