VLC 2.2.0 update improves extension handling

VLC Media Player is one of the two media players that I install on every Windows PC that I work on (the other is SMPlayer).

It is a great media player that supports most formats out of the box so that you can say goodbye to codec hunting.

A new version of the media player, VLC 2.2.0 has just been released. It is a multi-release so to speak as new versions for nearly every other supported platform have been released as well.

VLC for the desktop brings along with it several improvements and new features. Probably the top feature in this release is support for extension downloading.

You may know that VLC supports extensions which improve the player in one way or the other. Up until now, you had to download these extensions from VLC or another site and place them in the extensions folder of the player to install them.

Not anymore as this functionality is now built-in. You access the plugins and extensions menu via the Tools menu in the main menu bar of the player.

There you find the addons manager which you can use to manage installed add-ons. There is also an option to get the latest list of add-ons and when you run it, extensions available for the player are displayed in the interface.

Addons are sorted into categories such as skins or extensions, and there is also a search that you can use to find specific ones directly.

To install an add-on, simply click on it and then on the install button that is displayed once you do. This downloads and installs the add-on in the player making the whole process that much more comfortable.

The more information button displays another window listing detailed information about the selected add-on.

The number of add-ons is quite low currently with the majority being skins for the player. If you are looking for extensions, there are five available currently:

1. Lyrics Finder to display lyrics when you play music.
2. Resume Media to add resume support to VLC
3. Sampler PG generates samples of playlists
4. VLC Sub to download subtitles.
5. VLCSub different version.

Additional highlights of the version include better support for H.264, VP9 and ultra HD codecs, auto-rotate feature for videos recorded on phones, and options to download new beta versions from within the application.

I'm not sure if the last feature applies only if you are running VLC on the beta channel or if you get options to upgrade to beta versions in the standard player.

Anyway, you can download VLC Media Player 2.2.0 from the official VideoLAN website.