Most people know VLC as the orange-cone app that plays everything. But, did you know that VLC media player is a Swiss Army knife for media? Here is why.
Using VLC as a personal streaming server
VLC isn’t just an offline media player, it can also function as a server for streaming media over your local network or the internet. And not just this, you can watch video streams on VLC. So, next time you want to stream a video from your computer to your mobile phone:
- Inside VLC, click on Media. Then on Stream
- Add your video file
- Click Stream
- In the destination dialogue box, choose HTTP. Then click Add.
- Set: port as 8080 (or any free port)
- Click Next
- Then choose the video format to stream. Like H.264 + MP3 (MP4)
- Click Stream
Your stream is now live. Now, simply open the URL on your client device (phone or another PC). This means now you can use VLC to quietly replace dedicated streaming software for many small-scale setups.
Record live IPTV streams while watching them
If you use IPTV, VLC can do more than just play streams. It can also record them live. That means there’s no need for extra software. Just start recording, and VLC saves the stream as a video file. This is useful for capturing live events, news segments, or shows you don’t want to miss. To add your IPTV playlist:
- Go to Media
- Then Open Network Stream
- Paste the URL and hit play.
After a few seconds, live channels will start playing. To change channel, press Ctrl+L. Or you can click on view, then on playlist. Now you might be wondering how to record them. For that, first start playing a channel from the IPTV playlist. Then:
- Go to View. Then Advanced Controls.
- You’ll see a red Record button.
- Click it to start recording.
- Click it again to stop.
Rotate videos at any angle (not just 90°)
VLC can rotate or straighten crooked footage from phones, drones, or action cameras. By default, this adjustment is temporary and applies only during playback. But you can convert and save the video to make the change permanent.
- Open the video in VLC
- Go to Tools. Then click on Effects and Filters.
- Open the Video Effects tab
- Check Transform
- Choose 90°, 180°, 270°, flip or check geometry.
- Use Rotate for any angle (free rotation)
- Now go to Media. Then save/convert.
Convert videos
VLC can convert media into different formats without the need for additional software. You can convert videos to formats like MP4 or MKV, and audio files to MP3, AAC, and others. VLC also allows you to change codecs, bitrate, and frame rate during conversion.
How to convert using VLC:
- Go to Media. Then Convert / Save
- Click Add and choose your file
- Click Convert / Save
- Pick a Profile e.g. Video: H.264 + MP3 (MP4)
- Choose a destination file
- Click Start
Remember that VLC is not the ideal app to convert media into different formats. Yeah, if you have VLC installed and want to convert a file or two, go ahead and use it freely. As there is no GPU acceleration for encoding, large batches will take time.
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Rename, move, or delete a file while it’s playing on Windows
On Windows, VLC has a rare and surprising ability: I can rename, move, or even delete a file while it’s still playing. This works because VLC doesn’t lock files the way most media players do, which usually forces me to stop playback first.
I find this especially handy when I’m sorting through a messy folder of videos or recordings. With VLC, I can rename, move, or delete files without ever pausing the video.
VLC Is My Favorite iPhone App for Offline Movies and Videos
Copy video and audio files without USB cables or AirDrop.
Automate VLC with command line or web
VLC can run without a GUI, which makes it automation-friendly by design. I can write scripts to auto-convert uploaded videos or extract audio from recordings without manually pressing a button.
On top of that, VLC can be controlled from another app or triggered by scripts or IoT devices. This works via VLC’s HTTP interface, which exposes a web-based control API. That means media playback can be remotely played, paused, or stopped. Simply put, VLC can act as a headless media engine whenever needed.
If you’ve only ever used VLC to play a video, you’ve barely scratched the surface. VLC is much more powerful than it seems. What looks like a simple media player can quietly replace streaming servers, recorders, converters, and automation tools; all while staying free and open-source.
