VLC Media player is a multi-functional app that can handle both audio and video of just about any file type imaginable. Usually if im watching a video I’ll just use Quicktime because its set as the default player, but occasionaly there are some weird file types that Quicktime wont handle correctly. I have yet to find a file type that VLC player wont play ranging from MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, flv, as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. VLC can even be used as a server to stream IPv4 or IPv6 broadcasts on a high-bandwidth network.

Even better, VLC is availble on just about any platform you can imagine from Mac OS X, Windows, and various builds of Linux…and its free! There website says theres a new download of their software every 1.5 seconds, which I find hard to believe but even so, its proof that it is a great peice of software that you shouldn’t be without.

The controls are very easy to use, and the size of the window is fully adjustable from however small you want to full screen mode. Below is a screenshot of it in action, if you can guess which movie I’m watching you get 100 bonus points.

For a complete list of supported formats, check out their website for the VLC features list, or you can also download some various skins to change the look of the controller.

Download: VLC Media Player