SipRadius-maintained libRIST enables full RIST support in VLC

The next release of the widely used video player VLC 3.0.24 will incorporate full support for RIST, including main profile and some support for advanced profile, as well as the simple profile which is already partially supported. The RIST player is built on the LibRIST library toolkit for rapid and secure development: LibRIST was created and is maintained by Sergio Ammirata Ph.D., SipRadius Chief Scientist. 

VLC is a remarkable achievement in software creation, continuation and longevity. Originating as an academic project 30 years ago, it has developed into a comprehensive, portable media client for all popular operating systems and platforms. 

VLC is now maintained by VideoLAN with expert contributors, including Ammirata. Most importantly, it has remained completely free and uncommercialized to this day, which is why it is the most popular media player worldwide. The most recent release from Jan 2026, version 3.0.23, saw more than 286 million downloads, with many more than half a billion regular users. 

“Users around the world turn to VLC because they know it can open any media file – that is why we all contributed to its development,” said Ammirata. “Now those users will be able to take advantage of all the benefits of RIST, and see how it rises above other streaming protocols like SRT. 

“That includes important structural elements, like the ability to stream one-to-many and redundant links, simplifying live distribution,” he said. “And, of course, there is the hugely important factor of security: RIST is inherently protected end-to-end, ensuring the content is perfectly protected. VLC has used the LibRIST library to build a full implementation of RIST, for any platform, with all its functionality, and we are very proud to have made such a major contribution to this vital piece of open source software.” 

Full RIST support will be added to the next release of version 3 of VLC, and forms a key part of the upcoming version 4. VideoLAN remains a not for profit organization, using the work of open source contributors to further its development. SipRadius is a continuing contributor to VLC, not just through LibRIST, because it firmly believes that universally recognized standards and protocols simplify interoperability and reduce the complexity of software development. 

For more information on VLC go to videolan.org, and for more information on SipRadius and its  RIST-centric software products, see sipradius.com