FOSSPicks
FOSSPicks
Graham checks out VLC 3.0, MenuLibre 2.1.5, Texttop, Flameshot, Chomper, Godot 3.0, and much more!
Media player
VLC 3.0
There can't be many Linux users who haven't heard of or installed the venerable VLC. For many years, it's been an essential installation requirement, even if you don't play back movies on your Linux machine. It's just as good at playing YouTube videos and for listening to Internet radio, which is why the release of version 3 is such a milestone; it's perhaps one of the biggest updates to one of the most popular open source projects out there. This is reflected in the download links. These prominently list iOS, Android, Mac OS, Windows, and even Windows Phone, while Linux users are challenged by asking their favorite packager rather than providing a direct download. There's not a snap or flatpak in sight, reflecting the origin of the majority of VLC users. Fortunately, for most distributions, the latest release can indeed be installed with a simple sudo snap install vlc
without even asking your packager.
It's surprising that something called the "VideoLAN client" has taken so long to get its best new feature: the ability to natively browse network filesystems such as Samba, SFTP, NFS, and FTP. You've always been able to paste an accessible URL into the network file requester, but you needed your desktop or background operating system to have mounted a remote filesystem first or delivered the data via its own transport mechanisms. As most of us like to store our media on remote devices, such as a NAS, this was always a problem. Now VLC can access these files without any extra help, and it makes a big difference, especially on Android.
While the VLC user interface looks largely the same as version 2 – complete with an even larger set of advanced settings – it can play back far more media. In particular, thanks to a considerable number of OpenGL acceleration additions on Linux, you can now play 4K and 8K videos at 60 frames per second, as well as 360-degree videos, such as those recorded for virtual reality headsets. Video playback now includes support for the latest home-theatre buzzwords, including the ability to play back high-dynamic range video and ambisonics 3D audio, if you have the hardware configuration to make sense of these.
This is where another great addition makes more sense. You can now send video directly from your desktop VLC to a Chromecast plugged into your television. This is a fantastic upgrade simply because Linux (and open source!) lacked an easy and reliable way of doing this. It's a great way of storing and managing your movie collection on the go. And if you do plug your Linux box directly into the TV or amplifier, you can now choose to passthrough high-definition audio codecs, such as E-AC3, TrueHD, and DTS-HD. Because this is a version that's going to be around for some time (it's an LTS release), you can build your system around Linux and VLC and know it will remain working through various updates.
Project Website
Menu editor
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.