Streaming content is getting more expensive than ever, with more ads and constant buffering during peak hours.
Add juggling multiple app subscriptions and content constantly vanishing from libraries, and I switched back to how I consumed media in the mid-2000s.
Whether it was Netflix, Disney+, Prime, or YouTube, watching movies and TV shows at lower bitrates with constant buffering made me switch to a local media player that’s been reliable for over 20 years.
I switched back to VLC after a show stalled 3 times one evening
Switching back to the old reliable
I reached my breaking point when I tried to watch The Grand Tour on Prime, and it started buffering every few minutes.
Worse, I had to suffer quality throttling for a show that deserves to be viewed in the highest quality. The throttling also affected the audio quality, making the experience intolerable.
The nail in the coffin was the constant ads that kept interrupting key moments. My experience would be even worse if I streamed content on mobile data, with the added battery drain from constant network activity.
That’s when I switched to an old-school player like VLC, a local media player that still beats any streaming service.
Using a local player like VLC meant downloading movies and TV shows from different sources or ripping content from physical DVDs.
Since I collect physical DVDs and games, I had plenty of content ripped and stored on my portable SSD and NAS (Network Attached Storage).
I made VLC my primary player, and with content on my phone’s storage, microSDs, portable SSD, and NAS, I could play years’ worth of content wherever I wanted.
Other apps do the same job, with MX Player as the closest alternative. MX Player has strong USPs, like gestures and advanced decoding.
But because I’ve been using VLC since 2001, I’ve stuck with something familiar. I just needed to add folders from my various storage devices and start consuming media.
Turn on hardware acceleration in VLC for smoother playback, as it offloads video decoding from the device’s CPU to the GPU.
While I use VLC to watch content from local drives, the app also lets me access my NAS via its built-in SMB (Server Message Block) service.
How VLC still offers a superior experience than any streaming app
In this case, old is still gold
Nostalgia aside, VLC is my preferred player across a range of devices. I use it on my PC, iPad, and my Smart TV because it can play almost anything I throw at it.
The difference in experience is truly night and day. It’s still the good old reliable app that launches instantly and offers playback reliability no streaming app can match.
I don’t have to deal with buffering, check connection statuses, or watch ads before I start a movie.
It’s perfect for both long and short sessions, and since the app remembers where I left off, I can jump back into my content instantly.
The biggest difference I noticed was in the overall quality. I watch movies and shows at higher resolutions with better detail. That’s because I’ve ripped all my content at the highest possible bitrate.
The picture quality also has a higher dynamic range, which makes it a delight on OLED screens. The audio sounds incredible too, since all my rips are high-bitrate, multi-channel tracks.
VLC gives me true offline freedom so I can enjoy videos and audio during long flights, train journeys, and in areas with a poor cellular signal.
To complete the experience, I can add subtitles from OpenSubtitles, control playback speed, or tweak the equalizer to suit my earphone’s drivers.
There are other features I love in VLC that I can talk about all day, but here’s a list for the sake of brevity:
- Gesture Controls
- Subtitles with easy sync settings
- Aspect Ratio zoom/adjust
- Multiple Audio Tracks
- Background audio playback
- Support for online radio stations
- SMB/DLNA/HTTP support for network streaming
- Picture-in-picture
While I love all these features, the biggest win that I haven’t mentioned is lower battery consumption. Since I play most of my media from local files, I use less data, which in turn reduces battery drain.
Streaming apps were convenient at first, but VLC gave me more ownership of the movies and TV shows I’ve collected over the years.
Using local files and VLC does come at a cost, though
There’s one glaring issue everyone faces when switching to local files, especially if you plan to watch higher-bitrate content.
While local files in VLC save subscription and data costs, you still need storage.
Whether you use your phone’s internal storage, microSD cards, USB-C flash drives, or portable SSDs, you’ll use them often.
Even if you use a NAS, you’ll eventually need HDDs to back up rips for VLC or Plex. With rising flash storage prices, the easiest way to get started is to use an old flash drive from a drawer and plug it into your phone or tablet with an OTG converter.
One other caveat you might face is discoverability. Since Netflix, Prime, YouTube, and other streaming apps use algorithms to curate discoverable content, you will need to find new movies and TV shows the old-school way.
While I detest trying to pick something to watch on Netflix, my decision paralysis usually ends with me firing up VLC and watching something from my collection.
Finally, not every title is easy to obtain locally, especially content that’s exclusive to streaming-only platforms.
VLC helped me save money and enjoy higher-quality content
The difference between VLC and streaming apps became apparent after I started using it as my primary media player.
It gave me new ownership over my ripped movies/TV shows, and I got to enjoy them at the highest quality possible. I didn’t have to suffer ads, subscription costs, or friction when trying to play a movie.
I recommend dumping streaming apps for a week and switching to local files in VLC. If it makes a difference, you might never go back to streaming apps and save money.
