VLC, the most popular media player in the world, turned 15 years old in February this year. The reason behind its longevity in the cutthroat digital media business is the fact that it can play virtually all media formats across a wide range of platforms.
VLC continues its reach well into its 15th year, as the company behind the software, VideoLAN, announced the release of the beta VLC for Windows 10 app.
The Universal Windows 10 app for VLC is now available for download in the Windows Store, but it took a while before it got there. According to a blog post written by Jean-Baptiste Kempf, the president of VideoLAN, the VLC app for Windows 10 had to undergo a lengthy development period due to the multitude of issues that the company encountered in creating the software.
The VLC Windows 10 app, according to Kempf, will have most of the features available in the versions of the app for the iOS and Android operating systems. Similar to the classic VLC player, the Windows 10 version will be able to play back a massive list of file formats. Among the app's capabilities are subtitle support, an audio mini-player, audio-video synchronization and compatibility with Continuum, Pining, Live Tiles and Cortana.
The app also features a picture-in-picture mode to allow users to browse their libraries while a video is playing and a dark theme for users who would prefer that over the VLC's bright default theme.
Kempf, however, noted that the only important feature that is missing in the VLC app for Windows 10 is playback for DVDs and Blu-ray discs, along with TV tuners, which are not yet possible to be added through the APIs available under Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform.
Users on Windows 10-powered desktop computers, tablets and mobile devices will be able to try out the Universal Windows 10 app for VLC. Users with systems still on Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 will also be able to gain access to the app within a few weeks.
VideoLAN also noted that the VLC app is being prepared for launch to the Xbox One, Surface Hub and HoloLens after the company is able to sort out the few problems that the software is still currently experiencing. The company did not state an expected release date for the app to arrive in these platforms.
VideoLAN has also just recently released VLC for Android 2.0, which makes a variety of significant improvements to the software for devices running on Google's mobile operating system.
