VLC is a Go-Two video player for most people, no matter which platform they use. But if you are a Mac user, there are better options. I swung into the mirror some time ago. It matches VLC in functionality and it looks perfectly better – I don’t think I will ever switch back.
Why I replaced VLC with a mirror
The biggest negative aspect for VLC is its design. VLC is an ideal example what many people think when they think of open-source software. It is powerful, it is packed with functionality, and yet the design is the best, utilitarian. It does not feel like a native Mac app, and it is not especially pleasant to use.
mirror Shows that stereotype is not true about open-source apps. Like VLC, the mirror is also open-source, yet it seems that Apple may have designed himself. It was specially designed for Macos, and its clean, modern interface is a massive improvement.
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This is not just a superficial visual preference – I use the Librach, after all, so I am not going to trade the purpose for the look. The design helps to make the app easier to use in various ways.
This fully integrates with the MacBook trackpad to offer intuitive gestures to go through the video, adjust the volume and shape the windows. If you want, you can adapt these gestures, as well as on-screen control and keyboard shortcuts. If you are already using for them then you can actually adopt VLC keyboard shortcut.
There are many other good touches, such as how it shows thumbnails when you hover your mouse pointer on the timeline, and how it plays all videos automatically in a folder, without the need to make you a playlist. When you play MP3, the app also shrinks in a good looking music player.
The mirror is not low on facilities. Picture-in-digestive mode is essential. I love how it can search automatically and download subtitles. The app supports a large number of file types, and I have not found anything that could not handle it. It also enables you to watch streamed videos through YouTube and other services.
When you install it, the mirror adds a safari browser extension, and also entertainment available for firefox and chrome. It places an IINA button on your browser toolbar, which you can click on going to video site like YouTube or Dailymotion. It is surprisingly able to watch videos out of the browser for a long time (although it does not work with services such as Netflix).
Above all, VLC has common technical equipment similar to those. I do not require most of these, although the sound is useful in the video where the sound sink is useful in the video. There are also audio and video equisizers that let you make sound output or glow, etc.
Best of all, it is all completely independent. This is also true along with VLC, but some of the best VLC options such as Elmedia hide features such as picture-in-picture mode behind a payment upgrade.
How to get the best from the mirror
The mirror is faster and light, although it seems slightly heavy on the battery than some other video players. This is not a major problem, though.
The app mostly works well out of the box with default settings, but I create some twics to improve my experience, allowing you to benefit. In Settings, I went to video/audio and disabled “ICC profile load”. This makes the video brighter and more colorful, and more similar that you will be used through VLC.
Under the subtitle, I went to the online subtitle section and search the online subtitle automatically. ” It pops a list of subtitles available in the video with no one embedded. If you do not need them, you can easily clean it.
Under the network, check the “YouTube-DL enable” labeled options. It activates YouTube integration. You will not need to apply this setting in the future versions of IINA, as it will be made in it.
And finally, in the UI section, you can accommodate the screen controller. This appears when you move your mouse pointer on the video and include space for five icons on a mini toolbar. I only use four: subtitle, picture-in-picture, playlist and quick settings. This latter option offers you quick access to video, audio and subtitle settings, which opens in a sidebar.
IINA is the best VLC option for Mac
VLC appears forever. It is a great app and is extremely reliable and powerful. But it does not look or feel like an app that was designed for Macos, and this is because it was not. If you want the same functionality in a good package, I recommend the mirror to give an effort.
