Those of us who have been using VLC for years are so accustomed to everything it offers that we see few shortcomings, but this new version is proof that an update was needed to support things as seemingly simple as sending content to a Chromecast or watching 4K videos. fluid form.

The new VLC 3.0, which has been named “Vetinari”, arrived a few days ago to all platforms. This latest update is available in Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS and Android, and is one of the most important in the program, because although at first glance it does not seem that much change, VLC 3.0 is better than ever.

The list of technical improvements is huge, but there are certainly several features that stand out above the others, those that the most common user of VLC, which uses the player to see all your videos as format is crossed, you can notice easily. And in those we have focused on reviewing the VLC 3.0.

On the outside the interface looks almost identical, but inside is another story

As for the interface, this is practically identical, although if you pay close attention you will notice the small changes in the control icons of reproduction , volume and in the media menu, now there is some color and have touches of orange. Nothing revolutionary, whoever wants a redesign will have to keep waiting or settle for third party issues.

VLC and Chromecast, finally

Chromecast support is perhaps the star novelty, one that took so long because the VLC team had to develop their own Chromecast stack because the Google device SDK is not open source, and VLC is 100% open. .

The option to send content to Chromecast works on all versions and is quite easy to use, although not so easy to get in the VLC desktop versions.

Now in the playback menu you will find something new and important : the option “Processor” if you use Windows, or “Renderer” if you are in macOS. From there is exactly where you can choose to send content to Google Chromecast.

You only need to connect your device to the same Chromecast network and you can send videos by clicking on that menu, the name of your Chromecast should appear directly.

Although the function is supposed to be in beta, it works perfectly. Mind you, do not expect to be able to watch 360 videos on the Chromecast.

360 videos

Another interesting novelty is the support for 360 degree videos with 3D audio, something that not many players currently offer and that saves you having to install more third-party software to deal with that format.

If you want to try it yourself, you can download some of these to your device to watch. If you do not have special glasses, you can always move the video using the mouse, it works quite well, although in our tests it has some lag in macOS, while in Windows 10 it goes perfectly.

Play 360 videos in VLC 3.0 for macOS

Ultra VLC

Some of the most important changes in VLC 3.0 have to do with video playback in ultra HD definitions , VLC now supports HDR10, and video acceleration for 4K content and up to 8K. That is, the player can now use the GPU of your computer to improve the playback of a content that demands a lot of resources.

This is something that unfortunately not everyone will be able to appreciate, because you will need additional hardware to enjoy the benefits of HDR and 4K. If you have enough equipment and features, you will notice the difference.

We have been able to test the video playback in 4K in VLC 3.0 for Windows with the Fall Creators Update and we deal with zero blinks or lag.

The reproduction of other formats such as Blu-ray and MKV have also received improvements thanks to new codecs. VLC 3.0 also adds support for .evo files, ie HD-DVD .

Better subtitles

Support for webVTT subtitles was completely rewritten and CSS support added. Added support for TTML subtitles, and also added a BluRay subtitle decoder.

Another very useful new feature that may go unnoticed is the possibility of changing the size of live subtitles, that is, while the video is playing .

There is no need to open an additional wind