VLC drops support for Windows XP and Vista
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VLC is among the best media players for Windows. That media player celebrated reaching the three billion download mark at CES 2019 in January. Now VLC’s developers have provided further details for the upcoming VLC 4.0 version at FOSDEM 2019. There they confirmed that VLC 4.0 will not support the XP and Vista platforms.
VLC no longer supports old OS versions
The VLC developer Mr. Kempf provided the presentation in which he went through the highlights of VLC 3.0 and VLC 4.0’s new features. At the end of the presentation, he announced that VLC is dropping support for Windows XP and Vista.
In addition, he confirmed that VLC is ditching support for MacOS platforms 10.7 to 10.10, iOS 7 & 8, and Android platforms that predate 4.2.
The most exciting thing about VLC 4.0, however, is perhaps its revamped UI design. Although a great media player, VLC 3.0’s UI is somewhat basic compared with alternative video player software.
However, VLC 4 will include transparency effects and flatter button icons that give the software a more modern look and feel.
A media library, in which users can navigate through media files, is another thing VLC 3.0 and other versions lacked. However, Mr. Kempf’s presentation included screenshots of a new media library for VLC 4.0.
The media library screenshot below was one shown at the presentation. For the first time, VLC will enable users to browse through and index music albums and videos.
VLC 3.0 lacks the virtual reality and 3D support that the likes of PowerDVD boasts. However, Mr. Kempf confirmed that VLC 4.0 will support virtual reality for Vive, Oculus, Windows Mixed Reality, and PlayStation VR headsets. VLC 4 will also support NVIDIA and HDMI 3D videos.
In addition, Mr. Kempf’s presentation mentioned a new internal clock for VLC 4.0. The new clock will ensure that VLC 4.0 has better frame accuracy and media synchronization than previous versions.
At CES 2019, Mr. Kempf also said that his team intended to add AirPlay support to VLC 4.0. AirPlay is an Apple protocol that enables users to stream video, music, and photos from iOS devices. However, Mr. Kempf’s presentation did not provide any details for VLC 4.0 AirPlay support.
VLC users will no doubt welcome the UI changes and inclusion of a media library. The media library is certainly a somewhat overdue addition to the media player. However, XP and Vista users will need to upgrade to more recent platforms to run the latest VLC.
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