Computer users have plenty of options when it comes to using a media player. All operating systems include one by default, but some users prefer to download a third-party app.
These may offer better functionality, privacy, or other features.
VLC is a household name when it comes to media players. The cross-platform open source tool has been a favorite choice for millions of computer users.
This week, VideoLAN, the organization behind VLC Media Player, announced that downloads have crossed the six billion milestone. That is a lot of downloads for a player that is available for free and without the baking of a major corpo.
Local AI functionality coming to VLC
VideoLan announced a new feature that is coming to VLC Media Player in the future:
VLC automatic subtitles generation and translation based on local and open source AI models running on your machine working offline, and supporting numerous languages!
The new feature is demoed at CES 2025 and short videos have been posted to the official X account. Videos show AI-powered translations of content to German, Hebrew, French, and Japanese.
VideoLan promises that the implementation is privacy-friendly. It will run locally on user devices and use open source models next to that. This means that the feature is available offline as well.
VideoLan did not say when the feature is going to become available to VLC users.
Do you use media players? If so, which is your favorite and why? Feel free to leave a comment down below.