VLC Command Line: cvlc, Streaming & Automation

Step 1 — Basic playback from the terminal

1. On Linux/macOS, cvlc is installed with VLC. On Windows, use the full path: "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" with the --intf flags below.

   The binary is available.

2. Play a file headless: cvlc /path/to/movie.mkv --intf dummy --play-and-exit

   VLC plays the file and exits without any window.

3. List the file’s streams without playing: cvlc movie.mkv --intf dummy --play-and-exit -vvv 2>&1 | grep -i "stream 0"

   Codec and stream info is printed.

Step 2 — Stream a file or device to the network

1. HTTP stream: cvlc movie.mkv --sout "#standard{access=http,mux=ts,dst=:8080}"

   VLC serves the stream on port 8080; any player can open http://:8080.

2. Live webcam/device stream: cvlc -vvv v4l2:///dev/video0 --sout "#transcode{vcodec=h264,vb=1200}:standard{access=http,mux=ts,dst=:8090}" (Linux) or dshow:// (Windows).

   A live H.264 stream is broadcast.

3. Stop with Ctrl+C — VLC cleans up the listener.

   The stream ends.

Step 3 — Batch convert with one command

1. Single file: cvlc input.mkv --sout "#transcode{vcodec=h264,acodec=mpga,vb=2000}:standard{mux=mp4,dst=output.mp4}" --sout-keep --play-and-exit

   The file is converted.

2. Loop over a folder: for f in *.mkv; do cvlc "$f" --sout "#transcode{...}:standard{mux=mp4,dst=${f%.mkv}.mp4}" --play-and-exit; done

   Every file is converted in sequence.

3. Check the ffmpeg alternative first for heavy jobs — cvlc encodes in software and is slower than ffmpeg with hardware encoders.

   You chose the right tool for the job.

Step 4 — The rc interface for remote control

• Start with a control channel: cvlc --extraintf rc --rc-host 127.0.0.1:4212 movie.mkv
• Connect from another terminal: telnet 127.0.0.1 4212 (Linux/macOS) or use a telnet client on Windows.
• Commands: play, pause, stop, seek 120, volume 80, next, prev, info, playlist.
• Scriptable via a file: printf "play\nvolume 60\n" | cvlc --extraintf rc --rc-fake-tty movie.mkv