How to Use VLC to Stream Audio and Video to Multiple Computers on Your Network Using Multicast

VideoLan media player (VLC) is an incredibly versatile media player available for Windows, Linux and other *Nix clones. It's also available for Mac, and gives you powerful options for advanced media controls and display. Using VLC makes it...

Method 1 of 2:

Streaming on a Network Client

How to Use VLC to Stream Audio and Video to Multiple Computers on Your Network Using Multicast Picture 1

Open VLC media player, click on "Media," and select "Open Network Stream".
How to Use VLC to Stream Audio and Video to Multiple Computers on Your Network Using Multicast Picture 2

In the "Network" tab, enter the IP address of the media server, as well as the port number. Click "Play."
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VLC steaming is ready now.

Method 2 of 2:

Dealing with delay between playbacks

If you listen to the same stream on computers in multiple rooms, they are all at different places in the stream, which results in an incredible, unpleasant cacophony. If you change to vlc streaming from one and listening to the stream on the others, the result will be that all the others are at different delays from the stream server. Here's what to do to address this issue:

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On the streaming vlc server: Do not check the "display locally" box. It will stay silent, you will not hear anything, however, the stream is sent out.
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On the listening VLCs: Tighten the buffering/caching: Start with a 20ms caching and increment by 10 until the stream is free of cutting out. In the startup phase it will always cut out a lot, but the stream will stabilize after about 5 to 10 seconds and be smooth.
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To listen on your sending computer: Open a second vlc client and listen to the stream as you do on all the others, same caching/buffering values.
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Note that all caching values seem to need to be the same.