VLC Media Player for Mac is a powerful and efficient app for playing all kinds of media in multiple formats right on your Mac. With this app in place, you can just download and watch what you want. OldVersion.com provides free. software downloads for old versions of programs, drivers and games. So why not downgrade to the version you love? Because newer is not always bett.
VLC is a sturdy, capable player that can run nearly any file, CD, disk, or DVD without issues. It can even play broken and fragmented files.
Media on demand
Watch videos, listen to music, and stream your webcam with ease in this powerful multimedia program that’s just a download away.
VLC is one of the most popular players out there, and for good reason. It can run almost any media file available. There are a variety of video and sound file types in the world. Having one program to run all of them makes your life easier, and putting in your favorite album is a breeze. It’s easy to download and set it up. Once you get it going, you’re ready to run any media type you encounter.
VLC can also run DVDs and CDs, which is great. The only catch with a DVD is that you won’t be able to record any video footage from within the media player. But VLC still boasts high system compatibility as it will run on almost any computer, no matter how dated it is.
There are a couple of issues with VLC, one of which is the interface; it’s not particular attractive. In fact, it looks like something from the early 2000s. However, this doesn’t mean it’s complicated or painful to use. Aside from the visuals, you’ll notice that the software can become buggy or even crash at random times. This is usually caused by RAM-related issues, though a problem like this does imply a memory leak in the software.
With the many powerful and free programs out there, you need to be careful that you aren’t installing adware or spyware as an extra feature. Fortunately, VLC doesn’t come with any of those; it’s entirely ad-free and contains no malicious software.
Where can you run this program?
It’s available for the latest versions of Windows, Mac OS, Android, IOS and Linux.
Is there a better alternative?
No, VLC is a compelling media player. But if you find the user interface unpleasant, you can look at alternatives such as Eltima. Both software compete to be the best media players.
Our take
VLC is packed full of features and capability, but its instability presents some issues. In the face the expansion of QuickTime’s capabilities, users of newer versions of Mac OSX might find VLC to be a bit redundant. If you’re on an older version, however, VLC could be for you.
Should you download it?
Yes, if you’re looking for a new way to experience multimedia content, DVDs or CDs. It can read almost any video or sound file you’ll want to play.
3.0.7.1
It is likely that you have heard and used VLC media player for playing streaming videos. But it is more likely that you are fooled by its name — VLC media player is by no means a one-trick pony. Instead, it is a feature-packed powerful tool which is not only capable of playing streaming videos but also able to download videos from all the popular websites, like YouTube.
Today, you are going to learn about how to download video with VLC on Mac/Windows and solve a series of problems involved when using it all in one passage.
CONTENTS
- 1. VLC's Hidden Feature — Download Video from Internet
- 2. Problems Tackled in YouTube Downloading Using VLC
- 3. An Alternative to VLC for Downloading Web Video Including YouTube
VLC's Hidden Feature — Download Video from Internet
In fact, there are two methods to download videos with VLC. Here I will introduce the easier one. Please follow the steps below with VLC downloading a YouTube video as an example.
Step 1. Fire up VLC
After installing VLC media player to your Windows or Mac, fire it up.
Step 2. Copy the Video URL from YouTube
Go for the video on YouTube and copy the link from the browser’s address bar above the page.
Step 3. Paste the Video URL into VLC and Start Playing
On Windows:
Free Download Of Vlc Player
Click on 'Media' > 'Open Network Stream' in VLC main interface.
Then under the Network tab on the pop-up window, you should then enter the YouTube video URL that you have copied from YouTube. Press the 'Play' button to start playing the video.
On Mac:
Click on 'File' > 'Open Network', enter the YouTube video URL and click 'Open'.
Step 4. Get and Copy Codec Information of the YouTube Video
On Windows:
Hit 'Tools' > 'Codec Information' to copy the full URL besides the 'Location' title. This is the direct URL of the YouTube video.
On Mac:
Select the YouTube video in VLC, hit 'Window' > 'Media Information'. You are looking for the 'Location' input box.
Step 5. Enter the URL into Address Bar and Download the YouTube Video
Open a web browser page and paste the copied Location URL into the address bar before hitting 'Enter' on your keyboard. More clicks of 'Save' button might be needed after that, which depends on the video link and the setting of your browser.
Problems Tackled in YouTube Downloading Using VLC
Now, have you learned about how to download YouTube videos using VLC yet? Don't worry if you encounter some problems when in practice. The first thing you need to do is to repeat the above steps more carefully in order to rule out the possibility of not following the right procedures. If that problem does continue to exist, you might need to read the second part of the passage. We have listed some common problems involved in saving video from websites with VLC and given out our solutions.
Problem 1:
'Sadly this didn't work for me. It downloaded the video but instead of getting a playable video I get a file called 'file' in my download folder.'
Solution A: Put an extension to the file name when it gives you 'Enter file name', like '.mp4' or '.avi'.
Solution B: Use a video converter to convert the file into '.mp4'.
Problem 2:
'I could download some YouTube videos with VLC while others didn't work.'
Solution: Check if the video is tagged 'Age-restricted video (based on Community Guidelines)'. If that is the case, the video will NOT download using the established method due to YouTube policies. There is no way of getting rid of it. So try VLC alternatives.
An Alternative to VLC for Downloading Web Video Including YouTube
The built-in download feature of VLC cannot go without drawbacks since it is not an expert in video download. Indeed, some videos are highly protected by their website program and prevented from grabbing by VLC. To solve such a problem, I suggest you to try some online tools to download videos from popular websites for offline viewing.
VideoSolo Online Video Downloader is one of the best free online downloaders on the internet for grabbing YouTube videos. Aside from YouTube, it claims to support Facebook, Instagram, Dailymotion, Vimeo, SoundCloud, etc. in almost all browsers and all operating systems including Mac/Windows/Android/iOS. With a clean and intuitive interface, VideoSolo Online Video Downloader is very easy to use within just several clicks.
In addition, VideoSolo now released a video downloader which can also download online videos easily.
You can take a try with it from the button below.
Follow the 3 steps to grab videos from the Internet easily with VideoSolo Online Video Downloader.
Step 1. Go to the page containing your loved video and copy the video link from the address bar above.
Step 2. Head to the VideoSolo Online Video Downloader homepage and paste the video link into the search box. Press the 'Download' button to the right of the box to interpret the video.
Step 3. After deciding on the output format and quality, hit the corresponding 'Download' button to the right hand. Then the browser immediately pops up a download dialog; if not, click the menu button > 'Download' on the pop-up window, or right-click the mouse and select 'Save as'.
Vlc Video Player For Mac
Hope the above information can settle your problems when downloading videos with VLC on your Mac or Windows. If you are not so satisfied with VLC’s inherent download function, your best bet is to try VideoSolo Online Video Downloader, which is quite easy and efficient to use.