Earlier VLC versions (maybe around 5 years ago, by now) would keep
track of the increasing size of the file which is being played back and would reflect this
in the progress bar.
VLC is often used to play the contents of files which are still in the process of being recorded
and thus the file is becoming longer continuously.
This allows Tivo-like operations to occur by manipulation of the progress bar, backwards to the
moment of interest, then forward to the extreme representing live current time.
That became more difficult with a VLC release around [5 years ago] in which the progress bar
remains static despite the increasing size of the file being played back.
In addition, now sometimes the VLC instance will terminate when the end of the static time range
is reached.
This is an important functionality to be reinstated.