VLC media player, one of the most popular open-source software developed by VideoLAN, has teased an AI-powered subtitle system at CES 2025. The feature can automatically generate real-time subtitles in multiple languages for any video. No release date has been announced yet.
The media player uses open-source AI models running locally on the user’s devices, eliminating the need for an internet connection and any data privacy concerns. The firm hasn’t revealed what AI models it uses or how many languages it can generate or translate subtitles. However, a feature demo can be found at their CES booth in Eureka Park, showing automatically generated German, Hebrew, Japanese, and French subtitles.
Until now, the media player has used external subtitle files, often missing from movie downloads, to show and sync subtitles on videos. However, this feature will eliminate the need for these files, which can sometimes be tricky to find or sync with the video you’re watching.
Despite the increase of multiple streaming services, VLC media player users have surprisingly been on the rise, currently topping 6 billion downloads worldwide. The project was started in 1996 by students at Ecole Centrale Paris to stream video. It was later converted into a full-blown open-source project available for downloads worldwide.
The project has maintained its free-to-download and ad-free model across multiple operating systems. Unlike other open-source projects that struggle to survive on donations, VLC continues to work without ads, data collection, or other commercial revenue streams.
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