During CES 2025, VLC has presented one of its most innovative features to date: automatic generation of subtitles and their real-time translation powered by artificial intelligence. This advancement promises to transform the multimedia playback experience, offering users a practical, efficient and accessible tool.
Thanks to the use of open source artificial intelligence models, VLC will allow subtitles to be generated and translated locally, without the need for an internet connection. This is a huge advantage over other cloud-based tools, as it not only improves user privacy by not sharing external information, but also ensures that functionality is available even in offline environments.
The new function is capable of working with more than 100 languages, facilitating both the transcription and immediate translation of audiovisual content. For example, a user enjoying a Korean movie will be able to get Spanish subtitles in real time, directly from VLC, without having to search for external files or synchronize them manually. In addition, this tool will be especially useful for people with hearing difficulties or those who wish to learn a new language while consuming multimedia content.
Privacy and local performance: the keys to innovation
Jean-Baptiste Kempf, President of VideoLAN, highlighted during the presentation that this technology is fully integrated into the VLC executable.The automatic translator will run directly on your computer, without using cloud services, and will generate the subtitles in real time." explained Kempf. This approach ensures that the user maintains the Complete control over your data, something that is not always possible with solutions based on external servers.
However, this innovation is not without challenges. Real-time generation and translation are processes that require a large processing capacityUsers with older or entry-level devices may experience performance issues when using this feature. However, for more modern devices, the software promises smooth and efficient operation.
An accessible solution for all VLC users
Beyond privacy and practicality, The impact of this tool in terms of accessibility is significant. People with hearing problems will be able to benefit from automatically generated subtitles, while those who are faced with content in a foreign language will have access to instant translation, allowing them to enjoy the video without barriers.
Furthermore, this local transcription and translation capability makes VLC an ideal choice Completely free and ad-free which competes directly with subscription-based solutions. The absence of additional costs strengthens its position as a one of the most popular options and reliable for multimedia playback.
Global recognition and future challenges for VLC
The announcement of this feature comes at an important time for VLC. During CES, VideoLAN also celebrated an impressive achievement: Your player has surpassed 6.000 billion downloads worldwideThis milestone underlines its relevance as one of the most influential open source programs on the market.
However, despite the enthusiasm generated by the news, there are still questions to be resolved. For example, the developers They have not yet announced an official release date. nor did it specify the hardware requirements needed to run the new tool. In addition, the accuracy of the subtitles will depend largely on the quality of the audio and factors such as accents or speech speed.
This new feature positions VLC as a leader in the use of Artificial Intelligence within the multimedia field. Its commitment to maintaining an offline experience, focused on privacy and accessible to all, stands out in a market saturated with cloud-dependent options.
With this innovation, and after having won over millions of users over the years, VLC continues to evolve to adapt to the needs of those who wish to enjoy audiovisual content in a comfortable and personalized way. Without a doubt, this update will mark a before and after in the way we relate to the videos we consume.