VideoLAN has announced that the next major update to its popular media player VLC will add support for Google’s Chromecast streaming dongle. This will allow users to stream all kinds of video and audio files directly from the application to their television.
Since its release some 18 months ago, the Chromecast has done a great deal to bridge the gap between the television and other electronic devices. While the list of services and apps that support the device has been steadily growing over the course of that time, the addition of VLC to that number will fill a noticeable void for many users.
Using the Chromecast to stream web-based video services like YouTube and Netflix is easy enough, but streaming your own media with the device isn’t quite as straightforward. It’s possible to simply stream whatever is being displayed on your monitor, but this can lead to jerky playback even with a good internet connection.
Given VideoLAN’s reputation, built upon the excellent VLC, official support for the Chromecast would suggest that these problems are set to be a thing of the past. Being able to combine the reliability and functionality of VLC with the convenience of Chromecast sounds like a match made in heaven.
Details of VLC getting Chromecast support were revealed in a version changelog posted by VideoLAN and uncovered by Pocket Lint. We’re apparently set to see the new functionality alongside the release of VLC 3.0, but there’s no timeframe for that launch as of the time of writing.
The changelog also suggests that Chromecast support won’t just be limited to the desktop versions of VLC. The new version of the software will be ported to iOS and Android devices, presumably with its streaming functionality intact. This is in line with reports from last June which indicated that Chromecast support across all varieties of VLC software was a priority for VideoLAN.
For the masses of users that use VLC as their primary media player, this news will likely be very warmly received. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting until the update is available — but, based on the release of this changelog, it would follow that we won’t have to wait too long.
VLC is available to download now for Windows PCs, Macs and Linux computers, directly from its developers VideoLAN. Android and iOS versions of the software are available from the Google Play Store and the App Store respectively.
