If you download as much as I do, you often run into issues where you can’t play the file simply because you don’t have the proper codec for the file. Today I have a solution for that. That solution is called VLC Media Player.

What is VLC Media Player?
VLC Media Player is an infamous media player that plays just about any video or music file that you have.

How many file types can it play?
VLC Media Player can play well over 100 file types. If you would like to see a complete list of file types VLC Media Player can handle: click here.

But I have a Mac?
Do not worry! VLC Media Player is available for just about any operating system including most distributions of Linux.

Does it cost money?
VLC Media Player is completely free and is under the GNU Public License.

Awesome, where do I download?
Visit the main page and select your operating system. You will be able to choose from mirrors from across the world.
Alternatively, if you would like a direct download: Windows 2000, XP, Vista (15.6MB) Self-extracting

Notes:
VLC does not register all file types to itself. If you come across a media file and there is no program associated to it simply: right click > open with > VLC Media Player. You can also open an empty instance of VLC Media Player from the start menu and drag the file onto the program.

You may also have issues playing media files with DRM (digital rights management) inside of them. Although you may have the certificate installed in your computer to play them VLC Media Player does not recognize them.

VLC Media Player is also very good when it comes to resource usage. You may find that things run a lot smoother when you use VLC Media Player.

Justin Merrill
A philosophical soldier in the thermonuclear age.