VLC Media Player is a free and open-source media player that can play a wide range of audio and video files. It's available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices.

The line between "local files" and "online streaming" is blurring. VideoLAN’s recent roadmap includes better integration for network-attached storage (NAS) and cloud services. This allows users to curate their own libraries of popular media—concerts, documentaries, and series—and access them across devices with a unified interface.