Update: VLC 2.0 final for Windows and Mac OS X is now available for download.

Everyone's favorite open-source media player has reached a new milestone, delivering a bevy of new tweaks and features. The VLC 2.0 release candidate launched for Windows in late January and a Mac-friendly build has followed this week. The jump from v1.1.13 to v2.0.0 represents a drastic overhaul and the changelog contains nearly 17,000 characters – more ground than we can cover here, naturally.

Unlike previous builds, the OS X version of VLC 2.0 has received plenty of attention. The player's dated skin has been replaced with a more modern-looking interface that merges your playlists, libraries and other such options into one column. Playback controls have been shifted to a bottom bar, while pop-up controls such as the audio equalizer appear in a translucent window so your content remains visible.

The update also brings a native full screen mode for OS X Lion along with experimental Blu-ray support. Apple doesn't officially support Blu-ray, so there hasn't been an easy way to play encrypted discs. Users have had to rip and encode videos before watching them. This remains true for DRM-laced commercial discs, but VLC 2.0 offers easy playback for decrypted Blu-ray discs – limited, but better than nothing.

VideoLAN has also added support for lua-based extensions, which allows the player to fetch movie information and subtitles, post to Twitter and other such options. VLC 2.0 isn't all about OS X, though. Windows users can look forward to a new 64-bit build along with tons of changes under the hood. You'll find a quick rundown of the release notes on our download page along with links for different OSes.