VLC for iOS Now Available (itunes link) | Hacker News Reader

VLC for iOS Now Available (itunes link)

itunes.apple.com

87 pointsgranto66 comments

Doesn't work for me in the USA (Chicago/Comcast). http://cl.ly/image/1a3e2L2x0M19

  "The item you've requested is not currently available in the U.S. store."

EDIT: stock_toaster's link works for me! Much thanks. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vlc-for-ios/id650377962?mt=8

This one works for me. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vlc-for-ios/id650377962?mt=8

No luck with that link for my US location. Oddly enough, "VLC for iOS" shows up in App Store search results... but then gives the "item you've requested is not currently available in the U.S. store" error when clicked.

I've had the same issue, but after trying a few times it finally downloaded the app

The version should be active and deployed everywhere, with a bit more limitations in the US, though

What do you mean when you say "with a bit more limitations in the US"?

Just linked it with my Dropbox account. That is the best implementation of authorisation I've seen in any mobile app, period. Compared to the Facebook method (overlay a dialog that for all I know could just be made by the app itself), it's fantastic.

It is pretty slick! Although I'm pretty sure it happens the same way with FB ... at least for some apps (for instance: Words with Friends)

Facebook iOS auth can be done with SSO as well.

I didn't realise they had cross-app authentication (I haven't really seen anyone use it), but that's awesome if so.

SSO has been the main auth method for apps integrating Facebook for a couple of years now. I haven't seen the dialog in use in a long time. I'm surprised there's people still using that method.

It's a user-configurable setting on the device. So if you have it disabled, you will get a fallback to the old dialogue.

Streaming from Dropbox would be great. It seems your have to download a file before playing it back.

There is no API from Dropbox to do that, as far as I know.

If you have ideas: http://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc-ports/ios.git;a=blob;f=AspenP...

I succesfully installed on iPad, Dropbox link worked, local wifi server worked, but VLC does not recognize mp3 audio files - am I doing smth wrong?

Also the description in AppStore is rather limited, I would suggest to expand it - indicate all available features and goodies.

I used this link

https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/vlc-for-ios/id650377962?mt=8...

Same problem - VLC can't see .mp3 files uploaed to it's "app" folder. That's oddly strange and disappointing. I am certain it can play(decode) mp3 from the video file, why it doesn't open standalone audio .mp3?!

I already have it installed from the first time it was available.

Then it got pulled... why/how is it back?

It was pulled because the GPL license made Apple sad. Now it's MPL (Mozilla Public License) which Apple doesn't have a problem with.

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/18/vlc-for-ios-will-retur...

Apple weren't bothered with the GPL, the GPL has a problem with FairPlay encryption.

Nope. Apple's App store encryption is compatible with both GPLv2 and GPLv3. (A lot of people think the anti-Tivoization provisions in GPLv3 are not compatible with the App store. These people have not read GPLv3 carefully. The anti-Tivoization provisions are much narrower than they think).

The problem was with the TOS that a user must agree to in order to be allowed to use the store. The TOS places limits on the user that are incompatible with GPL.

Not correct. Apple got a takedown request from a single (non-core) developer of VLC last time and had to comply due to the GPL.

The GPL itself is not a problem for them in general and they don't just go around removing apps that are licensed under it.

> single (non-core) developer of VLC

That's not true.

Because the GPL is incompatible with the AppStore terms, because it notably limits the usage rights.

I relicensed most of VLC engine to LGPL, during the past 2 years, and finished it last november.

Since then, we rewrote the app for iOS and it is dual-licensed under MPL and GPL.

I don't get why you keep suggesting that the GPL is incompatible with the appp store but the LGPL isn't.

Also, what limits the usage rights is the app store, NOT the GPL.

>Also, what limits the usage rights is the app store, NOT the GPL.

Exactly, but it is forbidden to limit the rights when redistributing (section 6) that are granted (running, copying, distribution and modification, section 0). Therefore redistribution of GPL app is forbidden on the AppStore. LGPL does not have those dispositions.

All versions of both the LGPL and the GPL forbid imposing further restrictions other than each of their respective terms. If you think the app store has a problem with the GPL, then the app store also has a problem with the LGPL.

One of the VLC devs threw a hissy fit and had it taken down because "muh GPL"

Whatever licensing terms you choose for your software, I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't call legitimate complaints about other people breaking those terms "a hissy fit". I suggest you refrain from doing that to other people's complaints.

So? A neighbor who continually calls the cops on you for noise complaints during daytime hours would be throwing a hissy fit, even if it was legal. He has a right to complain, of course, but that doesn't mean anyone else can't complain about his actions. Satisfying the spirit of the licence and missing out a tiny piece of legalese, and being punished for it, is not something a society wants to encourage.

Pulling VLC from the app store was legitimate, but still a hissy fit, as seen by the fact they immediately relicenced it to LGPL and remade the app.

Source (git repo) is available here: http://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc-ports/ios.git;a=summary

It's missing external dependencies which seems to be the goal of the included buildAspenProject.sh, but I can't get it to run 100%. I'll report back here when I can successfully build it.

EDIT: The git repo is missing the necessary patches to vendored code. i.e.:

  git am ../../patches/*.patch

There is also http://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc-ports/ios2.git;a=summary that seems to be ahead of ios.git by a few commits. Do you know what's the point of having two repos?

Those are now symlinks :)

Hi. I don't a README in vlc-ios repo, I'm assuming it requires the main vlc repo to be built. Have you got a guide for building it on OS X? I can't get it past the configure stage due to some missing deps.

No, just run the buildAspenProject scripts as documented here: https://wiki.videolan.org/iOSCompile

Thanks!

Seems like the subtitles option is unable to display Chinese glyphs? All Chinese characters are replaced with the .notdef glyph of a rectangle with an X in the middle. Does this happen with other non-Latin languages?

Is there a way to access from a NAS or other network share? I see options for network stream but its rather cryptic.

Same here. Their page says:

>Support for network streams, including HLS, MMS or RTSP

Was hoping to see some simple dlna options. I'm streaming from Pogoplug not from iTunes or dropbox

So far, we support ftp, http, rtp, rtsp, mms, sdp, tcp, webdav and udp.

We are notably missing Samba (our module for samba is not LGPLv2), afp (we don't have an afp module) and Upnp (the library is not ported to iOS). Help is welcome though!

It just redirects me to the US store, which then insists I can't make US "purchases" on my account.

I am on the US AppStore and searched for it on my iPhone and found it. But none of the links worked for me.

It's a pity it doesn't support external SRT files, otherwise it'd be simply perfect.

Please do a feature request on our trac

The item you've requested is not currently available in the Colombian store.

Is this a US only release?

No, I just installed it from Germany.

Seems to work for 1080p AC3 MKVs, something GoodPlayer took away.

Anybody know what formats have hardware accelerated playback?

As in decoders, none.

As in renderers and converters, all of them.

Apparently it's not available I'm the UK store yet.

It is now, I downloaded it about 90 minutes ago.

Great, thanks for the update. Not sure why someone felt the need to downvote my original post though, was true at the time.

Has the source code been released yet?

Not available in the German store yet.

We provided the app internationally, with no restrictions.

Not yet available in the US.

Clicking that link from a PC turns on itunes and downloads the app. I'm in the US.

Thank you for providing a clean itunes link.

Unfortunately it's a pretty average app by todays standards. There are a number of great video players that have been in solid development since VLC was pulled.

None of them are open source, though. And VLC is probably faster.

I'd imagine speed would mostly be dictated by ffmpeg as that's what everyone is using.

I haven't checked with this version of VLC, but can it do hardware h264 inside an MKV container ? That's where some players have put in a lot of work to hardware decode MKV (when it's h264) as iOS requires some crazy workarounds in that area. So if VLC is doing MKV in software, it's still going to appear slower to the user.

Also, I'd say Open Source isn't really a relevant feature on the app store.

> I'd imagine speed would mostly be dictated by ffmpeg as that's what everyone is using.

No. A significant issue of speed is in the video output.

> Also, I'd say Open Source isn't really a relevant feature on the app store.

I'd disagree...

> I'd disagree...

Why ? You're running on a "closed" device with a closed OS where software can only be installed from one place. How can OSS be important here ?

I would think free is important for the end users...but OSS ? Neah..

You can submit patches to get a feature you want.

Quite a few of us are running jailbroken devices, and can run just about anything we please.

Additionally, it costs a one time $100 charge to become an Apple developer (assuming you already have a mac), and then you can deploy everything even without a jailbreak. Given that a new device costs upward of $650 (let's ignore "subsidies" here), another $100 to get locally "open" the device is, for some of us, a reasonable expense.

> it costs a one time $100 charge to become an Apple developer

Just a nitpick, $100 per year last I checked, hardly a 'one time charge.'

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