Better desktop integration. That’s according to Ubuntu MATE’s Martin Wimpress who revealed news of the swap in the latest Ubuntu MATE monthly update on Patreon:
“We will be dropping VLC from the pre-installed applications and shipping GNOME MPV instead. GNOME MPV will soon be renamed to Celluloid. The reasons for switching to GNOME MPV are similar to swapping out Thunderbird for Evolution; better desktop integration.”
Size is another factor. GNOME MPV takes up a comparatively svelte 27MB on the ISO image, whereas Qt5-based VLC requires closer to 70MB.
As always any user is free to still easily install VLC.
See https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/06/ubuntu-mate-19-10-mpv-vlc
#VLC #Celluloid
#^Why Ubuntu MATE 19.10 Is Ditching VLC for GNOME MPV – OMG! Ubuntu!
GNOME MPV will replace VLC as the default media player in Ubuntu MATE 19.10, due for release in October. We look at the reasons for the swap.