How to get VLC Media Player

1. Go to https://www.videolan.org/vlc/. If you're using a USAHS issued device, please contact IT Support for assistance with installation.
2. Click the Download VLC button. Ensure the correct operating system (Windows, macOS, etc.) is selected in the details below. (The current version of the VLC media player as of writing this guide is 3.0.21. It should automatically select the correct version below the Download VLC button.)
   
3. Open and run the VLC media player installer to install it on your computer. (Installer name examples: For Windows: "vlc-3.0.XX-win64.exe"; for macOS with an Apple Silicon chip: "vlc-3.0.XX-arm64.dmg"; for macOS with an Intel Chip: "vlc-3.0.XX-intel65.dmg".)

How to convert video files in VLC media player

1. Open VLC media player. Click the Media menu and select Convert/Save.
   
   
   
2. In the Open Media popup window, under the File tab, click the +Add button to import the video file(s) you want to convert. Once you have added your video file(s) to the list, click Convert/Save.
   
   
   
3. In the Convert window, under settings, go to the Profile dropdown menu to select the desired video/audio format for your files. (Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4) is the default standard).
   
   
   If you are converting a single video file, you can choose the location where you want to save your converted video by clicking Browse. You may also choose to rename the converted file from here.
   
   
   
4. If you are converting multiple files at once, the location of your converted videos will automatically be saved in the same folder where your original video files are located.
   
   For this reason, you should create a new folder on your desktop and place a copy of the video files in this folder before converting them to protect your original video files.
   
   
   
5. ***Skip this step if you are only converting a single video file at a time.***
   
   Check the "Append '-converted' to filename" option under the Destination menu to prevent your original file(s) from being replaced by the converted files.
   This will add the word "-converted" after the file name of your video file once it's converted (Ex. "myvideo.mov" will save as "myvideo-converted.mp4). Otherwise, it will reuse the same name and ask you to replace the original file.
   
   If you did not check the "Append '-converted' to filename," a window will appear asking if you want to overwrite the output file. Click Overwrite. This will replace the original files with the MP4 format.
   ***Don't do this unless you are sure. Your source file will not be recoverable afterwards***
   
   
   
6. Click Start to begin the reformatting process. You can monitor the progress by looking at the blue progress bar in the VLC window, which appears as if you are watching a video.
   
7. Once VLC finishes rendering, your converted video file will appear in the destination you selected, or in the folder you imported the video files from with the word "-converted" appended after the original file name if you imported multiple files to convert at once.
   
   Notice that the file types are different for the same file (Original: MOV file, Converted: MP4 file).
   
   Please also pay attention to the size of the video file. If the converted video is abnormally small compared to the original file like "IMG_2711-converted.mp4," it likely did not convert correctly, and you may need to try again or choose a different format. (44,810 KB vs. 2 KB).

Why should you convert files using VLC Media Player?

• It's a versatile media player that plays everything - Files, discs, webcams, devices, and streams.
• It plays most codecs with no codec packs needed - MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, MKV, WebM, WMV, MP3, etc.
• Runs on all platforms - Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Unix, iOS, Android, etc.
• Completely Free - no spyware, no ads, and no user tracking. (Legal concerns: this is an open-source program)
• Converting files to the same format will allow you to use other free programs like CapCut to merge your videos into a single video that you can then upload to Blackboard using My Media under the Tools tab on the Blackboard home page.
  • Uploading your video to MyMedia will convert your video into a Kaltura video you can share with your instructors/classmates in discussions or other assignments.