VLC Media Player has officially surpassed 6 billion downloads, an impressive milestone for the software launched in 2001, which continues to thrive despite the competition from streaming platforms. This figure, announced by VideoLAN at CES 2025, may be even higher as it does not include downloads from third-party sites.
Jean-Baptiste Kempf, president of VideoLAN, emphasized that VLC's popularity remains strong, thanks to practical features such as support for numerous formats and the ability to play DVDs for free on PCs. To keep innovating, the development team is working on a new feature that could attract even more users: automatic subtitles generated by artificial intelligence.
The new system revealed by VideoLAN utilizes open-source AI models to generate subtitles offline, supporting over 100 languages. This approach not only enhances privacy by eliminating the need for internet connectivity but also raises questions about handling potential AI errors and device performance. While no release date has been set, VideoLAN promises a free update for all users in the coming months.
