VLC Media Player 2.0.5 improves security, updates Mac UI
Open-source, cross-platform VLC Media Player 2.0.5 has been released for Windows and Mac. Although a relatively minor update, it fixes a number of regressions from previous releases, plus improves overall stability and performance. Mac users also get a slightly tweaked user interface.
Also released alongside the main build is VLC Media Player 2.0.5 Portable, a standalone version for Windows users that requires no installation.
Headline new fixes in version 2.0.5 include improved reliability when playing back MKV, Koreus and SWF files as well as the subtitles demuxer. Also fixed are MPEG2 audio and video encoding, while a number of security issues -- notably with the HTML subtitle parser and AIFF demuxer.
The new build also promises improvements in the form of “rework and fixes” to the Mac interface – we noticed new Library icons, for starters. OS X 10.5 (Leopard) users will also be pleased to learn a system sleep issue has also been fixed. Windows users get a fix for https streaming.
The new build fixes issues with DVB-S delivery system detection, adds new Welsh and Interlingua translations while updating 24 others, and also includes hundreds of other unspecified bug fixes, including around 100 commits on top of version 2.0.4 to fix a number of regressions in the 2.0.x development branch.
The latest build is rolling out as an automatic update now, but you can jump the gun by downloading both VLC Media Player 2.0.5 for Windows and Mac, and VLC Media Player 2.0.5 Portable for Windows. Remember, it’s a simple and free way to add DVD video playback functionality to Windows 8 too.
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