And jeez what happened to it anyways? It actually used to be pretty decent back in the 98/XP/7 days :(

  • rtxn@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2331·
    11 days ago

    aplay: “Hey kid… wanna listen to the sound the Linux kernel makes when you push it through the sound card?”

  • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    150·
    11 days ago

    “Oh no, I can’t play this modern video file using a codec that’s literally been around for more than 10 years unless you pay me $0.99 for a codec pack…”

    Every single time I forget to change it and I want to play an h265 file from my phone.

    • sleen@lemmy.zipEnglish
      914·
      11 days ago

      Enshitification is what is happening, the original windows video player was way more capable than this modern garbage.

      • shneancy@lemmy.world
        18·
        11 days ago

        sometimes i forget the “new and improved” version exists, i switched my default to the old media player years ago

      • GreatAlbatross@feddit.ukEnglish
        10·
        10 days ago

        It’s also partly the patent holders for H.265.

        H.264 had a license fee, but it wasn’t ridiculous. It was jacked up for 265, to the point that a lot of software houses no longer bundle the 265 decoder license.

        It annoys me too: Security cameras often use turnkey H.265 encoding packages rather than more open codecs, which makes dealing with the files using FOSS more of a pita.

      • Serinus@lemmy.world
        6·
        10 days ago

        I think this part actually isn’t enshittification. I think this is being legally cautious, as you probably should be when you’re Microsoft.

    • blackjam_alex@lemmy.world
      533·
      11 days ago

      From Wikipedia:

      The VideoLAN software originated as a French academic project in 1996. VLC used to stand for “VideoLAN Chad” when VLC was a chad from the VideoLAN project. Since VLC is no longer merely a chad, that initialism no longer applies.

  • Retrograde@lemmy.world
    1051·
    11 days ago

    If something doesn’t open in VLC, you can usually safely assume the file is corrupt lol

  • Tin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    74·
    10 days ago

    Windows Sound Recorder used to open literally anything - text documents, pdfs, images, executables, DLLs, and attempt to play them as audio. Photoshop files make especially interesting noises through it. I used to use it for samples. Got some great noisy stuff that way.

      • Tin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        13·
        10 days ago

        I have the album I made with them! Some of the tracks are solely composed of Sound Recorder playing non-audio files, but every track contains samples created that way. The quality isn’t the best, this is a CD rip because I’ve long since lost the original files, but since it’s experimental industrial noise, the audio quality doesn’t hurt much I guess.

        https://soundcloud.com/themachinal/sets/the-machinal-disturbance

    • ShunkW@lemmy.world
      12·
      10 days ago

      I used to do this with audacity. It’s fun to open an image, and apply some audio filters to it, then export it. Makes for some interesting photo fuckery results.

      • Tin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        9 days ago

        Oh, I didn’t know audacity would do it. Well I know how I’m wasting time at work the rest of this week…

    • Irelephant@lemm.ee
      8·
      10 days ago

      I cant remember the command now, but there was one on linux which let you play anything, I remember /usr/bin/ls sounded nice.

    • Whateley@lemm.eeEnglish
      3·
      9 days ago

      I used to write dark ambient and noise records as a hobby. I got some of my best samples from that method.

      • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
        4·
        9 days ago

        Looks like your right, included by default:

        MPEG-4, H.264, H.263, VC-1, Windows Media Video (WMV), DV, VP8, Motion JPEG

        Then they have add-ons in the store, the HEVC I believe said was a dollar to use on 10 devices with that account. that’s terrible

  • Lasherz12@lemmy.world
    42·
    10 days ago

    I still find it strange that windows media player classic consistently works better than every new media player they’ve introduced since. It seems like if you make OS’s you cannot simultaneously make a good media player, eg. Quicktime/itunes/wmp/groove

    • pufferfischerpulver@feddit.org
      15·
      10 days ago

      TBF iTunes is a terrible player but made the shit loads of money so I guess they achieved what they set out to do.
      And I would argue iTunes is the reason for newer media player versions being shit since of course MS saw that there was money to be made and tried to do the same.

      • Lasherz12@lemmy.world
        3·
        10 days ago

        Very true, unfortunately if something makes money other companies will line up to copycat even if the real product is licensing they don’t have full access to.

    • ouRKaoS@lemmy.today
      8·
      10 days ago

      I had somehow forgotten all about the existence of QuickTime, and now I’m having flashbacks of the Wild West Web and Real Player…

    • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
      3·
      10 days ago

      It works better because everything else is geared towards maximum monetization to the direct detriment of the user and the UX. Those alternatives suck simply because “working better” on its own is financially worthless to those selling this shit.

    • Trainguyrom@reddthat.comEnglish
      21·
      10 days ago

      Everything that Microsoft has tried to improve has ultimately gotten worse. I recently installed Windows 2000 in a VM to install a similarly old game and it was kinda jarring how well it just worked and how much it didn’t suck compared to a fresh install of Windows 10 or Windows 11. Obviously there were some very dated concepts especially related to networking (it clearly was designed for a world where a lot of people only plug their computer into a phone line for dial-up, or just directly place their desktop on the internet with a public IP, and letting it listen to a DHCP server and connect to an existing network was weirdly obscured)

  • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
    40·
    11 days ago

    To watch this new type of hvec media you need this free codec.

    Wait did we say free i mean

    There is a paid version next to the free one.

    You can pay here, that other one is for retail and industry please dont use it, only use the paid one.

    Your hardware doesn’t support the free codec according to the error message we gave it. Hand over your money to install this identical approved one please.

  • dustyData@lemmy.world
    26·
    11 days ago

    Thanks for mentioning the name because I honestly didn’t know what software the second icon was supposed to be.

  • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.netEnglish
    22·
    11 days ago

    VLC is so much better than the solution I was using before it. Windows Media Player Classic with the Mega Codec Pack downloaded from a super shady warez website.

    VLC has always just worked. Never had to fuck with settings or download extra shit. Dealing with codecs and different formats was such a pain in the ass until VLC came along.

    • Malta Soron@sopuli.xyz
      14·
      11 days ago

      Yeah, I remember everyone recommending K-Lite codec pack. But it didn’t work for me, so I used the Combined Community Codec Pack.

  • daggermoon@lemmy.world
    16·
    10 days ago

    For real though. I have yet to find a file VLC can’t play. I have some old 8-bit .au files that play perfect. It even supports really obscure proprietary codecs from 20 years ago.

    • LucasWaffyWaf@lemmy.world
      3·
      10 days ago

      VLC is the only android app I’ve found that still supports tracker MODs, absolutely required for my music listening.

  • shoulderoforion@fedia.io
    173·
    11 days ago

    Not Media Player, but Windows Movie and TV Player plays video files clearer with better hue and color than any other player paid or open source, and I’ve tried them all. You can’t adjust anything in it, if the subtitles are off you’re fucked and gotta go back to VLC, but the look of the default video processing in the WMT app is hands down the best I’ve ever seen. I’d guess out of all the different types of codecs there are about .5% that aren’t compatible with it, but it’s my app of choice.

      • shoulderoforion@fedia.io
        21·
        9 days ago

        couldn’t play “IP” “HLG” 2160p video’s acceptably in windows with anything but kodi which is really cumbersome (vlc included), looked up mpv, installed it, it’s working like a charm, thanks for the tip

    • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      4·
      11 days ago

      I just use the photos app. It does everything I’ve tried just as well as the movie app, and it actually works. I find it funny that the photo app is better than the video app at playing videos.