This video player could erase language barriers in films with offline AI subtitles

It looks like the display at CES was more of a proof of concept to showcase the potential of the feature, as there's no official word yet on when it will be available. But if AI-powered translation for video content becomes a reality, it could be a game-changer. Imagine being able to watch those foreign films you've always wanted to see but couldn't because no one made subtitles (I know my list is pretty long).

And actually, with VLC demonstrating how real-time subtitles and translations are achievable, it's clear we're heading toward a future where language barriers won't stand in the way of communication or entertainment. And hey, we already have cool examples like Samsung's Live Translate on Galaxy phones, which is a solid step toward breaking those language walls down.

Along with the real-time translation feature, VLC also dropped some impressive numbers. The media player has now hit 6 billion downloads, a milestone that's hard to ignore. Back in 2019, it was at 3 billion, which means even with the streaming era in full swing, VLC is still growing strong.

Now, the exact method of counting those downloads is a bit unclear. I'd be surprised if it's counting unique downloads because if that were the case, it would mean almost every person on the planet has the app or at least had it at some point.

It probably counts how many times the executable file has been downloaded, and if that's the case, I've definitely contributed at least 20 of those 6 billion (I tend to re-download it quite often). But regardless of the specifics, it's still an impressive milestone, and VLC is showing it is moving forward into the AI era and has no intention of slowing down.