At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, VideoLAN Client, widely known as VLC, announced a remarkable milestone of 6 billion total downloads, signifying its widespread popularity and user acceptance across diverse operating systems. This figure includes an impressive 100 million installations from the Google Play Store alone, underscoring the application’s robustness and appeal in an era dominated by streaming services.
One of the most noteworthy presentations at CES was a demonstration of VLC's foray into artificial intelligence with real-time subtitle creation and translation. Jean-Baptiste Kempf, the president of VideoLAN, showcased the potential of this feature during a live presentation, using a clip from Ricky Gervais's Golden Globes speech from 2020 to illustrate the technology. Though the integration of this new functionality is still in its conceptual phase, it heralds prospective advancements in how subtitles are created and translated instantly, significantly enhancing the accessibility of video content.
As highlighted during the event, the implementation of AI-driven translation could revolutionise both the entertainment industry and everyday communications. With VLC's capacity to auto-generate subtitles and translate them into various languages—including Hebrew, German, French, and Japanese—the potential for real-time bilingual or multilingual conversations during video calls emerged as a compelling use case. This innovation stands to simplify cross-linguistic interactions both in casual settings and professional environments, suggesting that the barriers presented by language differences may soon be diminished.
Although the feature is currently presented as a proof of concept without an official release timeline, its implications for businesses and content creators are significant. The prospect of utilising AI for accurate and instantaneous translations could alleviate companies from the burden of relying on human translators, who may sometimes provide less than optimal quality. Additionally, it opens the door for a new wave of open-source solutions, empowering users to customise their experiences and tailor the software to their own communication needs.
Over its 24-year history, VLC has established itself as a go-to video player with outstanding capabilities and usability, continually adapting to the changing digital landscape. As the software community rallies behind innovations like AI-enhanced subtitle generation, VLC appears poised to lead the charge in developing open-source technologies that harness the capabilities of artificial intelligence, broadening the horizon for both users and developers alike. Amidst rising competition and evolving consumer demands, VLC’s latest advancements are a testament to its commitment to staying at the forefront of video technology.
Source: Noah Wire Services