It seems like every month I am asked the question of why a certain video file will not play. My first thought to solving the problem is questioning if the proper codec is installed. In nearly every case so far I have been wise in my questioning. I think it is about time that we forget about decoders, file formats, errors, and other problems that may arise while attempting playback. The solution is simple really. Use the VLC media player by VideoLAN.

The problem with today's digital video is that there are many different file formats, and many ways to compress those files. Codecs have been developed to maintain video performance and quality, while decreasing file size. Complications arise for people because operating systems do not have the decoders to playback those files correctly.

VLC solves this problem by having most of the required decoders installed with the application. This means that even if you do not have a decoder installed on your system you can still play it in the VLC media player.

This application also works well for dropping in a DVD and having it play correctly. I have had a few messages sent to me through YouTube asking why their newly purchased DVD will not play on their computer, but will play on their DVD player. It is because that the proper decoder to play that file is not installed. In the future we can only hope that there will be easier ways of dealing with problems like these. For right now, VLC is the best way to address most of these issues.

VLC media player is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and a few other operating systems. The quality of this program is unrivaled from what I have seen. There has not been a media file which I have attempted to play in VLC that has failed.

VLC might not sport the prettiest default interface, and this is of course why developers implement the ability to skin applications. There are currently over 20 skins available for download on the VideoLAN site. Enjoy the look of Windows Media Player 11? Skin it to VLC! Check out the screen capture on the right; that is VLC in action.

You can download the VLC media player on the VideoLAN site for absolutely free. It is open source, and that my friends is always a good thing to support.

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