15 years of VLC and VideoLAN

1 February 2016

15 years!

Today marks the 15th anniversary of VLC!

Cone-Video-large.png

GPL

Technically, today is the 15th anniversary of the relicensing of all the VideoLAN software to the GPL license, as agreed by the École Centrale Paris, on February 1st, 2001.

VideoLAN_GPL.jpeg

If you’ve been to one of my talks, (if you haven’t, you should come to one), you know that the project that became VideoLAN and VLC, is almost 5 years older than that, and was called Network 2000.

Moreover, the first commit on the VideoLAN Client project is from August 8th 1999, by Michel Kaempf had 21275 lines of code already, so the VLC software was started earlier in 1999.

However, the most important date for the birth of VLC is when it was allowed to be used outside of the school, and therefore when the project was GPL-ized: February 1st, 2001.

Facts and numbers

Since then, only on VLC, we’ve had around,

  • 700 contributors,
  • 70000 commits,
  • at least 2 billion downloads,
  • hundreds of millions users!

And all that, mostly with volunteers and without turning into a business!

We have now ports for Windows, GNU/Linux, BSD, OS X, iPhone and iPad, Android, Solaris, Windows Phones, BeOS, OS/2, Android TV, Apple TV, Tizen and ChromeOS.

Future

If you read this blog, you know that we’re working hard on VLC 3.0, to unify most of our mobile ports, adding more GPU decoding, better adaptive streaming and ChromeCast integration.

We’re still here and working for our users.

Thanks

So, for all our users supporting us, I just want to say: thank you!

Cone-Video-large.png

Jean-Baptiste Kempf

3.0
Android
Android TV
Apple TV
BSD
ChromeOS
Linux
OS X
Tizen
VLC
VideoLAN
WinRT
Windows
IOS

Comments

  1. On 20 May 20200, 8:37 by Thomas Mbaru

    VLC is without doubt the king of all media players. I once jokingly told my friends that the VLC player icon is like the stop signs placed on the road telling people either danger is ahead or some men are at work somewhere so you should slow down.

    But to be honest, you guys have done a superb job coding and coming up with this player. You deserve a big high five.

  2. On 15 May 15150, 6:24 by ZzJj

    Happy Birthday!
    Yeah, VLC

  3. On 14 May 14140, 5:50 by Knight

    I don’t remember correctly the day I started to use VLC, it was very long time ago. But since that day It has become my most favorite media player. Great work, keep it up!

  4. On 14 May 14140, 1:47 by Tarak manna

    Very good performance

  5. On 13 May 13130, 4:22 by manav Nagar

    Vlc

  6. On 12 May 12120, 11:50 by aaaaaaaaa

    person use only

  7. On 12 May 12120, 9:05 by Maddog

    Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!

  8. On 12 May 12120, 5:03 by Bu 3l00y

    هذا البرنامج افضل برنامج في تشغيل الفيديوهات على الاطلاق وبدون منازع

  9. On 12 May 12120, 2:18 by wakus

    ids the most reliable player you can get, it does not disappoint.It works with any video, fantastic

  10. On 12 May 12120, 11:31 by MrEnigma4

    This is the best media player on Mac and Windows
    Happy Birthday VLC,, We Will Always use it
    and will donate soon

    هذا افضل مشغل ملتيميديا على الماك والويندوز
    عيد ميلاد سعيد،، سنضل دائماً نستعمله
    سندعمكم قريباً

  11. On 11 May 11110, 1:23 by Bharat Raj

    I remember the time when i was kid and first time i installed VLC media player and told to my friends about it but my friends were asking me to uninstall it because they said it is not good looking and graphics are not good and bla blah.. but i loved it since that time because it was complete player with many plugins and worked like a charm. while other players required codec pack. And Look ! since then i am using only VLC media player and all my friends too ! :) VLC ruled over all media players like a king.

  12. On 11 May 11110, 8:22 by ALSHOQPI

    جزيل الشكر
    برنامج خرافي ولا يضاهيه أي برنامج آخر كونه مكتمل الأدوات التي يريدها المستخدم
    والأجمل أنه مجاني 100%100

  13. On 10 May 10100, 4:24 by paulo junior

    Thank you for a better world! Obrigado por oferecer ao mundo o melhor player e o melhor ideal, do fundo do coração.

  14. On 9 May 9090, 4:31 by colacho

    Mis felicitaciones por todos estos años de placer , usando (para mi el mejor ) VLC player desde Gran Canaria

  15. On 8 May 8080, 11:02 by Diavolo

    Happy Birthday VLC Player, cheers from Brazil.

  16. On 8 May 8080, 5:43 by AHMED ISMAIL

    Thanks to almighty God i had been using VLC Since 2009,its marvelous and easier to wash video and play songs pls continue moving are head Great VLC

  17. On 8 May 8080, 12:48 by Musa

    Congratulations vlc.. you always my main video player

  18. On 7 May 7070, 6:57 by Marian

    Greatings from Slovakia!

    Gratulujem a este minimalne dalsich 15 rokov!

  19. On 7 May 7070, 5:04 by rachiddani

    merci vlc boocop

  20. On 7 May 7070, 3:29 by MikeRO

    Congrats! Keep up the great work!

  21. On 6 May 6060, 8:05 by Mohamed Asrar

    VLC le plus fort…
    برنامج الأفضل بالنسبة لي

  22. On 6 May 6060, 4:12 by Machiha

    We Love VLC Here in Zimbabwe and SOUTH Africa thank u

  23. On 6 May 6060, 1:12 by rohan_sb

    Congratulations!!! <3

  24. On 6 May 6060, 1:02 by John Qox

    VideoLAN, спасибо!

  25. On 6 May 6060, 2:05 by Jan Blogxpert

    VLC es una excelente herramienta de reproducción de video, tuve la oportunidad de usarlo desde sus inicios y puedo asegurar que la calidad de la herramienta es de primera.

  26. On 6 May 6060, 1:13 by animemeeting

    The best video media player ever!

  27. On 5 May 5050, 3:05 by Kiews

    Impresionante aporte, herramienta que no se quedó en cajón de escritorio, ha sido ya, el parteaguas de un visor holístico, gratuito y de enormes posibilidades. Sin duda un mil maravillas prosperarán para este proyecto. Gracias totales.

    Outil de contribution impressionnante qui ne pas rester dans un tiroir, a déjà été le point d’un spectateur potentiel holistique, libre et énorme tournant. Certainement un charme pour ce projet va prospérer. Total Merci.

  28. On 5 May 5050, 7:00 by saifullah

    awesome i like thissss

  29. On 5 May 5050, 4:32 by THE MAVEN

    I am known to all and sundry as a computer idiot but even i can use and enjoy VLC–once someone else downloads the updates! Many thx for your hard work….

  30. On 4 May 4040, 9:59 by Ashish Singh

    Thank you for everything.

  31. On 4 May 4040, 9:44 by Charface

    Thanks for everything you do. VLC is the ONLY media player as far as I’m concerned.
    All hail the orange cone!

  32. On 4 May 4040, 5:10 by ddamiani

    Very, very THANKS & Congratulations!
    Any Media Player = VideoLAN!
    Thanks!

  33. On 4 May 4040, 4:29 by gayan

    thanks for the VLC.love it

  34. On 4 May 4040, 12:49 by Anonymous blog

    Овој месец е 15 годишнината од претставувањето на VLC Player

    (…) Извор: Jean-Baptiste Kempf (…)

  35. On 4 May 4040, 9:16 by Anonymous blog

    VLC, The World’s Most Popular Media Player, Turns 15 Years

    (…) “[T]he many critical date for a birth of VLC is when it was authorised to be used outward of a school, and therefore when a plan was GPL-ized: Feb 1st, 2001,” Kempf says. (…)

  36. On 3 May 3030, 8:09 by AK

    I have never known another media player. Keep rocking.

  37. On 3 May 3030, 5:11 by Anonymous blog

    VLC, The World’s Most Popular Media Player, Turns 15 Years

    (…) “[T]he many critical date for a birth of VLC is when it was authorised to be used outward of a school, and therefore when a plan was GPL-ized: Feb 1st, 2001,” Kempf says. (…)

  38. On 3 May 3030, 3:43 by Anonymous blog

    VLC, The World’s Most Popular Media Player, Turns 15 Years

    (…) “[T]he many critical date for a birth of VLC is when it was authorised to be used outward of a school, and therefore when a plan was GPL-ized: Feb 1st, 2001,” Kempf says. (…)

  39. On 3 May 3030, 3:23 by Marcel

    muy buen complemento para la visualización y ejecución de audios y vídeos.

    Me saco de apuros y me ayudo a reproducir audios que necesitaba para exponer en mi trabajo, gracias por ser una aplicación agradable

  40. On 3 May 3030, 1:32 by hu

    *** Congratulations VLC and many Thanx ***

  41. On 3 May 3030, 1:03 by Anonymous blog

    VLC, The World’s Most Popular Media Player, Turns 15 Years

    (…) “[T]he most important date for the birth of VLC is when it was allowed to be used outside of the school, and therefore when the project was GPL-ized: February 1st, 2001,” Kempf (…)

  42. On 3 May 3030, 12:46 by Anonymous blog

    Media Player VLC is Now 15 Years Old, Boasts of Over 2

    (…) VideoLAN President and lead developer Jean-Baptiste Kempf took to his blog to mark VLC’s teenage milestone noting that the app has seen over 2 billion downloads over its decade and a half (…)

  43. On 3 May 3030, 11:16 by viswa

    Thank for your hard work and passion

  44. On 3 May 3030, 7:59 by Bora

    Congratulations!

  45. On 3 May 3030, 6:19 by binfaiz

    شكرا لكم وبرنامجكم رائع بالتوفيق

  46. On 3 May 3030, 5:34 by Anonymous blog

    VLC Media Player: 15η επέτειος για τον δημοφιλέστατο player

    (…) Η VideoLAN γιορτάζει τα 15 χρόνια του δημοφιλέστατου VLC Media Player, παρά το γεγονός ότι το open-source project είχε ξεκινήσει σχεδόν 5 χρόνια νωρίτερα (το 1996) ως Network 2000 και η πρώτη (…)

  47. On 3 May 3030, 2:36 by fcomorillo

    Hola, gracias por su aportacion gratis. Yo soy uno de los que no tenemos $$$, y en cuanto pueda aportaré algo para esos colegas que se llevan horas y horas para que nosotros podamos disfrutar del internet. Aunque llevo varios años manejando internet, sigo sin enterarme de casi nada, lo mio ya es crónico, no podeis imaginar lo que agradecemos sus programas. Creo q deberia hacer algo para los torpes y q sepan aplicaciones/programas, que nos sintamos mas integrado con los artistas del LIBRE. gracias

  48. On 3 May 3030, 12:50 by Alain

    Merci mille fois, VLC est le meilleur lecteur vidéo que je connaisse, à chaque fois qu’un fichier vidéo est problématique VLV permet de le lire quand même. L’interface est facile à comprendre et sa prise en main instantanée! Félicitations, vous pouvez être fier!

  49. On 2 May 2020, 11:24 by Hexdiy

    Cheers and thank you, VLC!

    The most reliable cross-platform video player for years gone by & I hope to come!

    Longtime companion…

  50. On 2 May 2020, 9:32 by Eric Laplante

    When VLC will work to stream on Chromecast ?
    Quand VLC fonctionnera pour streamer sur Chromecast ?

  51. On 2 May 2020, 5:04 by Anonymous blog

    Najpopularniejszy na świecie (i dla mnie najlepszy)

    (…) O VLC oczywiście, programie, który zna każdy, kto kiedykolwiek odtwarzał filmy na komputerze. Wczoraj na jego blogu poinformowano o 15. urodzinach (…)

  52. On 2 May 2020, 4:37 by Roberto

    Parabéns ! Continuem o bom trabalho por favor !

  53. On 2 May 2020, 3:29 by Michael

    Have been a user since around 2004 and an advocate for using this in our school district when media is involved. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication in making a great piece of software!

    Cheers and here’s to many more years!

  54. On 2 May 2020, 3:26 by Miguel

    Congratulations!

  55. On 2 May 2020, 2:53 by Frank

    Congratulations, well deserved! Thank you for all the hard work.

  56. On 2 May 2020, 1:02 by john

    Congratulations VLC

  57. On 2 May 2020, 12:50 by Anonymous blog

    VLC Media Player: 15η επέτειος για τον δημοφιλέστατο player

    (…) Η VideoLAN γιορτάζει τα 15 χρόνια του δημοφιλέστατου VLC Media Player, παρά το γεγονός ότι το open-source project είχε ξεκινήσει σχεδόν 5 χρόνια νωρίτερα (το 1996) ως Network 2000 και η πρώτη (…)

  58. On 2 May 2020, 12:47 by Anonymous blog

    VLC Media Player: 15η επέτειος για τον δημοφιλέστατο player

    (…) [VLC] (…)

  59. On 2 May 2020, 12:08 by JFA

    Bon anniversaire à VideoLAN/VLC
    Bravo à toute l’équipe et à l’ensemble des contributeurs.
    En espérant encore 15 ans (au moins) de durée de vie !

  60. On 2 May 2020, 12:00 by harsha

    very good video player i love it.. keep rockkk vlc

  61. On 2 May 2020, 10:58 by mixturez

    Thank you for your contribution. Congratulations!!!.

  62. On 2 May 2020, 10:30 by DarkCisco1988

    Thank for your hard work and passion.
    Keep strong!!!

  63. On 2 May 2020, 10:16 by Vador

    Faut faire un poke à walken et HpReg ; -)

  64. On 2 May 2020, 10:03 by Jijoy

    Thank you guys for building this . This is the best player I have ever seen. Watched numerous movies/series on it

  65. On 2 May 2020, 10:00 by yulrizka

    Thank you for creating such a good software, I used it to watch a lot of movie on desktop, also accompanied me during my long commute.

  66. On 2 May 2020, 9:49 by Meow

    VLC 2.2.1 audio codec is too sterilize! VLC should match windows media player audio quality!!! VLC version 2.0.4 audio quality is what we want!! Please!! it meant a lot!!!

  67. On 2 May 2020, 9:05 by Amar Vashishth

    It has been one among those first software that I install after any operating system installation completes. Great to hear that you people are working on ChromeCast integration.

  68. On 2 May 2020, 7:59 by DevyatovNikita

    I use VLC since 2009, thanks 4 all! Cant wait new update for windows.

  69. On 2 May 2020, 7:36 by cybertorture

    Best media solution there is !
    cheers

  70. On 2 May 2020, 6:48 by GG

    I love this product and everyone who helped develop it. Thanks VLC organization from bottom of my heart. I never use any other player and I dont think I even need to.

  71. On 2 May 2020, 6:37 by Ganesh Swamypillai

    Thanks a lot for all your efforts. Just to let you know, I am hearing songs using vlc 2.2.1 (Weatherwax).

  72. On 2 May 2020, 5:41 by shishironline

    Excellent work. Thanks

  73. On 2 May 2020, 4:39 by sunilchandran

    Congratulation!

  74. On 2 May 2020, 4:35 by Muhaimin

    Happy birthday VLC from happy user of Malaysia. Look forward your chromecast extension

  75. On 2 May 2020, 4:30 by Andy

    I think it us who should be saying thanks, so… thank you.

  76. On 2 May 2020, 4:06 by Osman Afridi

    Thanks for all your work!

  77. On 2 May 2020, 3:49 by winiex

    Happy birthday!

  78. On 2 May 2020, 2:52 by Alain Courville

    Cest le meilleur Média playeur que jutilise le plus merci au développeur :-)

    Is the best media player i use the most of time thank for the developer :-)

  79. On 2 May 2020, 2:08 by Jonathan Bernard

    Congratulations on a significant milestone. Thank you for a wonderful application! VLC has been a joy to use has been a refreshing alternative. Thank you to everyone who had continued for all your hard work and efforts!

  80. On 2 May 2020, 1:46 by SaintlyMic

    Congratulations VLC and VideoLAN.
    You are awesome!
    I hope you continue on past another 15 years.
    Your software is the best!
    SaintlyMic

  81. On 2 May 2020, 12:46 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today announced that VLC, the world’s most used media player, has turned 15 years old. The history is a bit complex here, but the anniversary is being celebrated in relation to when (…)

  82. On 1 May 1010, 10:15 by ButterflyOfFire

    Happy Birthday VLC, merci à vous tous :-)
    Fier d’utiliser VLC depuis de nombreuses années.

  83. On 1 May 1010, 10:12 by john

    good job guys best player ever! i used since forever!! :)

  84. On 1 May 1010, 9:48 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today announced that VLC, the world’s most used media player, has turned 15 years old. The history is a bit complex here, but the anniversary is being celebrated in relation to when (…)

  85. On 1 May 1010, 9:41 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today announced that VLC, the world’s most used media player, has turned 15 years old. The history is a bit complex here, but the anniversary is being celebrated in relation to when (…)

  86. On 1 May 1010, 9:28 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today announced that VLC, the world’s most used media player, has turned 15 years old. The history is a bit complex here, but the anniversary is being celebrated in relation to when (…)

  87. On 1 May 1010, 9:24 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today announced that VLC, the world’s most used media player, has turned 15 years old. The history is a bit complex here, but the anniversary is being celebrated in relation to when (…)

  88. On 1 May 1010, 9:15 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today announced that VLC, the world’s most used media player, has turned 15 years old. The history is a bit complex here, but the anniversary is being celebrated in relation to when (…)

  89. On 1 May 1010, 9:12 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today announced that VLC, the world’s most used media player, has turned 15-years-old. The history is a bit complex here, but the anniversary is being celebrated in relation to when (…)

  90. On 1 May 1010, 9:05 by Andrey Borovkov

    Congratulation!

  91. On 1 May 1010, 9:02 by Anonymous blog

    VideoLAN celebrates 15 years of VLC, the media player that

    (…) VideoLAN today introduced that VLC, the sector’s most used media player, has grew to become 15-years-old. The historical past is a little complex here, but the anniversary is being (…)

  92. On 1 May 1010, 7:25 by junior

    esta chido

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