Download Vlc For Mac Big Sur

VLC Media Player is a video player that can be used on mobile devices such as Android, iPhone, as well as PC operating systems such as Windows, Mac. You can play a video file in a variety of formats, and you can use the streaming protocol to play multimedia. VLC 3.0.12 is now out! Support for Apple Silicon (Mac M1) and Big Sur, improvements for DASH, RIST, Bluray support, fixes for macOS audio, Windows GPU, crashes and security issues. According to the release notes for version 3.0.12, the new update adds native support for Apple Silicon. Other listed improvements include.

Here we introduce 6 free DVD players for Mac with features that make each one special and awesome, covering VLC, KMPlayer, XBMC, Mac Media Player, Apple DVD player and 5KPlayer, based on online opinion polls and a complete data analysis from download sites and reviews.

Despite the popularity of streaming services, many people still keep some old DVDs, buy new DVD releases, and play these DVDs. Can you play a DVD on an Mac computer? Yes, but you need to make sure that you have a workable DVD player for your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro. In this article, we put together the top 6 best DVD player for macOS Big Sur 11, Catalina 10.15, Mojave 10.14, High Sierra 10.13, etc.

Tips:

  1. If your Mac doesn't have a built-in DVD drive, you can check the best external DVD drive/player for Mac and choose a favorite one.
  2. If you want to play a DVD on Mac without a DVD drive, you can digitize DVD first with MacX DVD Ripper Pro. It can rip both homemade and commercial DVDs to whatever formats Mac computer accepts like MOV, MP4, M4V with ease, such that you can play DVD on Macbook Pro/Air, Mac mini, iMac without a DVD drive.

Top 6 Best DVD Player for macOS Big Sur, Catalina and Earlier

1. Apple DVD Player

Apple DVD Player is an app that is bundled within Mac OS X. If you have a SuperDrive on Mac, insert a DVD into the DVD drive and the DVD Player will open automatically.

It supports all the standard DVD features such as multiple audio, video & subtitle tracks as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 passthrough, DVD access URLs and closed captions.

Some people may think that Apple's DVD Player disappears with the release of macOS 10.14 Mojave, just like other 32-bit apps. But actually not. It has been updated to a 64-bit app. Simply use Spotlight, search for DVD Player, and then you'll find it at the top of the Top Hits. Double lick on the app icon and it will launch.

Comes bundled in Mac machines and is totally free to play DVD on MacBook Pro, iMac, etc.

It is fully compatible with DVDs authored by DVD Studio Pro and iDVD.

It enforces most restrictive measures of DVD technology, such as DVD region code and user operation prohibition.

It lacks a DTS decoder, which means DTS tracks cannot be played through the Mac's built in speakers or analog output.

Older versions of DVD Player won't work on external DVD drives.

How to Play a DVD Using Apple DVD Player on Mac?

You simply need to insert a DVD and the DVD Player app will start playing it automatically. If the auto-play doesn't happen, please tap the Space bar after the DVD is recognized.

2. 5KPlayer

Sometimes Apple DVD Player will not work, so you may have to download a third-party DVD player on Mac. Free 5KPlayer is one of the best choices.

It may be new for many people but it is an awesome region-free DVD player for macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, etc. Without any ads, malware or spyware, it is 100% safe to get both homemade and copy-protected discs playing on iMac 5K, Macbook Air/Pro, Mac Mini, and more with near HD quality.

The Mac-stylish UI is highly acclaimed among DVD users. Working as an all-in-one free media player, it can also play ISO image, Video_TS folder, 4K/8K UHD videos, 3D videos, etc, all at your fingertips.

Support playing DVDs protected by region codes, CSS, RCE, Sony ARccOS, Disney DRM, etc;

Not only a free DVD player for Mac computer, but also an HD/4K UHD media player, downloader and Airplay sender/receiver;

Clean and awesome skin and UI.

Not found yet.

How to Play DVD on Mac with 5KPlayer?

After inserting a DVD, you simply need to open 5KPlayer, click the DVD button in the main interface, and then open and play your DVD.

Download 5KPlayer for Mac here: https://www.5kplayer.com/5kplayer-download-mac.htm

3. VLC Media Player

VLC is the most popular open-source and cross-platform media player that supports physical media (DVD, Audio-CD, VCD), almost all audios and videos (H264, MPEG4, MP4, MOV, AVI, Ogg, MKV, MP3, etc). It is the best option available as free DVD player for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, etc.

Technically, you can even use this Mac DVD player software to play encrypted DVD discs without the aid of any third party software, as long as your Mac computer has a DVD drive for you to insert and view your disc.

Great audio/video performance;

Support playback of encrypted DVDs from Disney, Sony, paramount, etc;

Support a wide range of media file types, including HD and Bluray discs.

The user interface is a little bit unlikeable, with skin options needing enhancement;

Run into problems like VLC won't play MKV, VLC won't play DVD and VLC audio sync from users feedbacks.

Vlc

How to Use VLC to Play DVD on Mac?

1. Find VLC in Applications and open it.

2. Click Open media in VLC, choose Disc, and then select your DVD and hit Open. Then VLC will begin playing DVD on your Mac laptop or desktop.

Download VLC DVD player for Mac here: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

4. KMPlayer

KMPlayer is similar to VLC, which is also a solid open-source media player that can deal with any media and subtitle formats you throw at it, ranging from VCD, DVD, AVI, MKV, OGM, 3GP, WMV, QuickTime to compressed audio album.

The bonus features enable you to play damaged/incomplete AVI file, locked files while downloading and even play movies without worrying about formats and storage on Android and iOS. Editor from CNET gives KMplayer 4-star rating. No wonder it is one of the best DVD player for macOS to play DVD movies on Mac mini, MacBook, etc.

Easy access to subtitle management, brightness adjustments and frame captures;

Handle a bewildering variety of media files;

Stream local videos to your mobile device via Wi-Fi, provided you install Connect app on Android or iOS.

A preview-heavy Mac DVD movies player that throws ads and links constantly;

Sometimes fail to play DVDs on Mac due to Region Code issue

5. XBMC (now Kodi)

Labeled as the High Definition Hub for all kinds of media, XBMC Media Center joins our top 7 best DVD players working on Mac list with no ambiguity. This free open-source media center is a pretty good contender as 5KPlayer, being easy to use, slick and supported by a large community of users. It offers a number of options and settings that allow you to play DVDs on Mac OS right out of the box from the main menu something other free DVD players cannot do yet maximize DVD playback quality.

Look great from the start with lots of skins;

Stream video over a network with no effort.

Take some time to customize for Macs.

6. Mac Media Player

Macgo Free Mac Media Player is a basic but efficient program to play all kinds of media files right on your Mac, whether they originate on your computer or on a disk. As soon as you install this program, it's ready to go, so you won't have to worry about managing complicated configurations or setups before you start playing your files. It also offers super high definition visual effects & fabulous DTS5.1 audio spectacle.

A powerful high def video player with hardware acceleration capabilities.

Has the potential to use up plenty of system resources

FAQs

1. Is there a DVD player on Mac?

Yes. It is called DVD Player. This Mac DVD Player app isn't missing with the appearance of macOS Mojave. Where is the DVD Player in Mac? There're two ways to find and open it.

  • Method 1. Go to System > LibraryCoreServices/ > Applications.
  • Method 2. Click the little Spotlight icon in the top right corner of your Mac's screen. Search for 'DVD Player', and then the DVD Player app's icon should show up at the top of the Top Hits. Double click on the icon, and the app will launch.

2. Why is my DVD not playing on my Mac?

There are many reasons causing this:

  1. System issue usually after upgrading macOS.
  2. Bad or damaged superdrive. If your DVD drive is damaged, the player will not be open.
  3. Region issue on commercial DVDs.
  4. DVD disc is scratched or dirty. In this case, your DVD disc player can accept discs but they do not mount or are automatically ejected.
  5. Unsupported DVDs such as some commercial DVDs. If your DVD discs are not supported, the player will go to a black screen and then unexpectedly quit.

Solutions: As the reasons about DVD player not working above, you can find the corresponding way to fix DVD not playing problems, such as repairing or purchasing a new DVD drive, removing DVD region code, cleaning the dirty DVD discs, fixing the scratched DVDs, converting unsupported DVD to MP4 and the like, etc.

3. Why Apple DVD Player says 'Not Permitted'?

If this error message pops up for certain DVDs, it may be because it doesn't support the DVD protection or DVD type; if this error appears for every DVD, the problem might be the settings. For more details, you can read 'How to Fix Apple DVD Player Not Permitted Error on Mac'.

4. Why does DVD Player say 'supported disc not available'?

This message appears when there is no disc in the DVD drive or when it can't recognize video content burned onto certain types of DVD-RW discs. You can burn the content into a DVD-R disc. For more details, check article 'How to Fix Supported Disc Not Available'.

5. Why does DVD Player say 'skipping over damaged area'?

This is because your DVD is scratched. Check 'How to Fix Scratched DVD'.

6. Why does Mac automatically eject DVD?

It happens because you insert a DVD whose region is different from the one the DVD drive is set to, and you don't change the region code when prompted, or when you have reached the maximum number of region changes.

7. How to play DVD on QuickTime?

Many users wonder how to play a DVD on QuickTime. But actually, QuickTime can't play DVD. You can either use the dedicated DVD Player app on Mac or a third-party program.

There are a plethora of Mac video players on the app market. From my perspective, the best video player for Mac should support a vast assortment of formats, crisp visual display, and user-friendly operating features. In this huge and intensely competitive market, we can't figure out which free Mac video player is the best choice at once. If you have the same doubts, then you come to the right place. In this article, I'd like to show you the best media player for Mac that can give you excellent visual enjoyment.

4 Tips on Choosing the Best Media Player for Mac

The best video player for Mac is supposed to:

  1. Be free of ads, viruses, malware, and spyware.
  2. Born with a slick and directive interface, making the app simple to navigate.
  3. Come with strong coding skills and support wide-ranging video & audio format, so you can play any media file including 4K/5K video without losing quality.
  4. Have compact and basic video playback functions, like play/pause, time display, volume control, etc.

Well, I’ve listed and tested a bunch of Mac video players and screened out the top 10 best free video player for Mac with the above reference in mind.

Top 10 Best Video Player for Mac 2021

Video player software isn’t rare, but top free video player for Mac users is not easy to come by. Hence we picked out the 10 best video players for Mac and give you some detailed information below.

#1. Cisdem Video Player for Mac

Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later

Cisdem Video Player is an incredible program playing a vast assortment of media file formats. It’s fully compatible with all popular video formats (e.g. WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, M4V, FLV, MKV, RMVB, MPEG, etc.), as well as audio files (e.g. MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, M4A, etc.). The software supports all those codecs ensuring the playback of high-quality video files a breeze.

This best video player Mac takes care of your local media files and the music/videos downloaded from YouTube, Vimeo, or others. You can automatically or manually add subtitles in .ass and .srt formats. It offers smoother playback while other media players show a video jitter, choppy, or stalling.

Cisdem best Mac video player contains a built-in video converter, allowing you to media files to MP4, M4V, MOV, MP3, M4A, iPhone, iPad, Samsung, and so on. It's totally free to play video & audio files but to unlock the conversion function, you need to upgrade to the pro version.

Pros:

  • Equipped with a concise and decent interface
  • Play video/audio files in more than 100 formats
  • Play 1080P, 4K, 5K, and even 8K videos
  • Load subtitles in any language, or import subtitles, as you want
  • Choose the audio soundtracks and stereo
  • Capture snapshots of each frame
  • Turn volume up or down
  • Take less occupancy on CPU memory of your Mac

FAQ: What're the differences between Cisdem Video Player and Cisdem Video Converter?

Cisdem Video PlayerCisdem Video Converter
DownloadFree downloadDownload the free trial
PriceFree ($9.99 to active conversion feature)$49.99
Video PlayDedicated video player (rich playback controls)Inbuilt-in video player (non-primary function)
Video ConvertSupport 40+ output formatsSupport 300+ formats
Batch ConvertNoYes
Extra/

Rip DVD movies and music

Download online videos from 1000+ sites

Both programs support playing and converting features. But as their names indicate, the former is mainly used to play videos, while the latter is a professional video converter & downloader.

#2. VLC Media Player for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.7.5 or newer

VLC Media Player, an uncluttered, open-source and cross-platform program, supports DivX and MPEG streaming. It can play DVDs, CDs, VCDs, network streaming protocols, and various types of video files. The best video player Mac offers playlist for viewing multiple videos one after the other.

Meanwhile, VLC empowers you to open Zip media files without unpacking them. And you can simply tweak the playback controls and audio volume (up to 200%). But it’s a little delayed while playing, 'Each time I click on run video network it plays other audio and DVDs, etc. and after a million times it finally plays the YouTube video.'

Pros:

  1. Help you enjoy Windows Media, MP3, QuickTime, and OGG files.
  2. Record the movies/music you are playing with VLC
  3. Adjust playback speed (slower, normal, and faster)
  4. Support external subtitles and Closed Captions

Cons:

  1. Outdated user interface
  2. Delay a little while playing the media files

#3. MPlayerX for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.7 or above

MPlayerX is one of the fastest choices to play MPEG (damaged MPEG files included), MP4, AVI, ASF, WMV, MOV, WAV, OGG/OGM, CD audio, etc. Plus, this best media player for Mac supports multi-touch, gesture, auto-encode subtitles, and online YouTube/Vimeo playback. But don't confuse MPlayerX and MPlayer OSX Extended. They are two completely different programs.

Pros:

Mac Big Sur Iso

  1. Stand-alone video player for Mac
  2. Support various output formats and devices
  3. Auto convert subtitles for media files

Cons:

  1. Injects pop-up ads or advertising banners which may bring a virus
  2. Take up too much CPU
  3. Encounter problem when open the software and ask you to eject the disk image

#4. QuickTime Player for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.6.6 or above

QuickTime Player, bundled with the Mac operating system, is Apple's flagship software. It ensures you to view Internet video, HD movie trailers, and personal media. This best media player for Mac is slick and easy to use. You can quickly export your videos to 4k, 1080p, 720p, 480p (based on original resolution) or extract them as M4A audio. It also functions as a screen recorder. You can record your playing movie, track, or anything on your current desktop.

However, it supports limited video formats. For more formats available like FLV, you have to install external plug-in Perian.

Pros:

  1. No additional installation required
  2. Provide you with advanced H.264 video compression technology to help deliver perfect HD video with less storage space.
  3. Record your Mac screen

Cons:

  1. A bit slow to launch
  2. Can’t work with common subtitle files
  3. Can’t open MKV, WMV, WMA, AVI, FLV, etc.

#5. Elmedia Player for Mac

Compatibility: OS X 10.9.0 or later

A multifunctional free media player for Mac, Elmedia Player supports a wide range of common and not so common audio & video formats, including FLV, SWF, WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, MP3, DAT, FLAC, M4V, MPG, MKV, and more. It can play virtually all media files on your Mac. Although it has some other special features, such as downloading online videos from YouTube and adjusting audio settings, they are not free and need to be upgraded.

Pros:

  1. Play online videos without ads
  2. Support embedded and external subtitles
  3. Save and load playlist
  4. Reset audio delay

Cons:

  1. Consume major CPU
  2. Might lose video quality when swiping back and forth
  3. Only pro version allows to take screenshots

#6. 5KPlayer for Mac

Compatibility: OS X 10.8.0 or higher

5KPlayer is a mixture of free AirPlay media streamer, online video downloader, music player and movie player for Mac. All HD, 4K, 5K videos including MKV, MTS, AVCHD are supported. With AirPlay streaming tech, you can as AirPlay sender/receiver: stream video music from iPhone, iPad to PC or from PC to Apple TV. Although the best Mac video player lets you download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc., the download process will be bit slower.

Pros:

  1. Embedded copious codecs for playing different audio, video, and DVD.
  2. No need to install additional codec or pack.
  3. Import subtitle and switch soundtrack
  4. Manage YouTube downloaded videos, DLNA server, and playlist in library

Cons:

  1. Install Bonjour voluntarily without any hint when you need to make AirPlay work
  2. The media player will get stuck when playing high resolution & long videos

#7. Realplayer for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.9 or later

Realplayer can play all formats of videos. This best video player Mac is a universal media player that automatically recognizes the file format of the video or audio file you want to play. So you can count on it to reliably play the most popular audio and video file formats including AVI, MP4, MP3, WMA, WAV, FLV, MPEG, and more. It requires a fairly powerful machine for some functions. Several applications need to be installed in advance to launch the application properly.

Pros:

  1. Offer several visualization ways for listening and locates your media files automatically.
  2. Include handy downloading and conversion features that may benefit some users.

#8. DivX Player for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.5.0 or above

DivX Player delivers high-quality video playback for AVI, DIVX, MKV, MP4, and more. It is the best video player Mac to watch DivX, MKV, and HEVC up to 4K films. You can use its built-in TransferWizard to burn videos to DVD/USB/computer. It also comes with DivX Codec Pack and a free 15-day trial of DivX Plus Converter for those who plan to convert.

Pros:

  1. Support playing HD 720P/1080P, UHD 4K video movies
  2. Open video directly with URL
  3. Import video files into library

Cons:

  1. Large installation file and install other software without permission
  2. Poor compatibility with the latest system
  3. Lack some key features, e.g. rewind and forward

#9. Movist Video Player for Mac

Compatibility: OS X 10.10.0 or late

Movist, based on QuickTime and FFmpeg, is another best media player for Mac. It has the ability to encode/decode a multitude of formats and add subtitles. You can do some general and advanced settings for better and convenient video playback. However, the new versions like 2.4.2, 2.4.3 are not free now, which charge $4.99 or $7.99 (Movist Pro). To get Movist free video player for Mac, you should install the old version like 0.6.8 or before.

Pros:

  1. Simple to operate
  2. Support playlist
  3. Many customizable options

#10. NicePlayer for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.5 or above

Download Vlc For Mac Big Sur

NicePlayer is the best Video Player for Mac with a multi-engine player designed for playing movies nicely. This program features full-screen or borderless floating windows, useful controls for scrubbing or queuing movies, and on-the-fly playlist creation.

Pros:

  1. Lightweight and compatible with most formats
  2. Can adjust the aspect ratio
  3. Make a suitable presentation with the aid of toolbar (Half Size, Double Size, Fill Screen, Fill Width, etc.)

Cons:

  1. Can’t handle AVI, MKV or MPG videos.
  2. No support for subtitles and changing audio sources, etc.
  3. Unable to play the videos by dragging it to the software
  4. Not convenient to switch to another video

What is Media Player (Software)?

We often need the best media player for Mac, but before installing new software it is good to get some knowledge about it.

According to the explanation from Wikipedia, a media player (software) is a handy program that can help you play videos, music, movies, and other multimedia files on the computer. All media players display standard media control icons: play, pause, fast-forward, back forward, and stop buttons.

How to Use the Best Video Player for Mac?

All video players mentioned above are easy to use. Let's take Cisdem Video Player as an example:

Step 1. Download and install the best free video player for Mac, then launch it.

Step 2. Drag and drop the video file you wish to watch to the interface of the software.

Step 3. Click button to start video play on Mac.

How to Change the Default Video Player on Mac?

QuickTime Player is the default Mac media player. You can change it into the best video player for Mac you think.

Step 1. Locate the media file you wish to play.

Step 2. Right-click on it, a drop-down menu will appear.

Step 3. Choose “Open With” > “Other”, which brings up a dialog for selecting the application to open your media file.

Step 4. Choose your best media player Mac, check the box- “Always Open With”, and click on “Open”.

Conclusion

I deem that you already have the best media player for Mac in your mind, just download it on Mac and have a try if it is right the thing as you expected. Here I advise those who still feel a little confused to choose from, I push Cisdem Video Player for Mac in front of you. it gets more and more reputation and becomes a stable status among the market. 4K video, 5K/1080p HD videos, all of popular SD & HD standard video formats which other free video player tools unable to support, or add subtitle files, Cisdem Video Player for Mac can all fix it. What’s the best I enjoy, it offers crisp and clear visual image, I feel the video playing quite high quality.