Stream Link Not Automatically Playing in VLC

[criggs]

I did the obligatory, spent about three hours combing this forum and the web. While my question continues to strike me as blindingly obvious, I have yet to see word one about this matter, so here goes.

I have a Windows 8 box and a Windows 7 box, and the symptoms described below are identical on both. Moreover I have tried this in three browsers on both machines, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.

As many of you may know, there are several different flavors of live audio streams on the web: mp3, Windows Media Player, Real Player, AAC Plus, Ogg Vorbis, etc. etc.

In most cases, most listeners have gotten into the habit of using particular players for particular live streams. For example, live Windows Media Player audio streams (typically identifiable by extensions like .asx and .wax) are most commonly played on most folks' computers utilizing the Windows Media Player. Live MP3 audio streams (typically identifiable by extensions like .m3u and .pls) are most commonly played on most folks' computers utilizing Winamp (sorry, VLC!). Most live Real Player audio streams (typically identifiable by extensions like .ram and .smil) are most commonly played on most folks' computers utilizing Real Player, etc. etc.

In all three of the cases adduced above, the behavior, for a properly installed and configured player, is as follows in the most typical circumstance. Web Listener loads up a web site. Web Listener sees a link to a live audio stream to which he wishes to listen. Web Listener clicks that link. The associated player (Windows Media Player or Real Player or Winamp or whatever) automatically opens up and automatically begins to play the stream live.

As you may also know, live streams with the file extension .m3u8 will play back properly on Windows computers utilizing VLC. Accordingly, since there was a live .m3u8 audio stream on DR P2 Klassisk's site to which I wished to listen, I clicked that link. The full page in question is at http://www.dr.dk/hjaelp/DR%20Netradio/2 ... 145139.htm . The .m3u8 live stream link is at http://ahls.gss.dr.dk/A/A04H.stream/Playlist.m3u8 .

I then encountered a problem (this was the first time I ever attempted to listen to a .m3u8 stream). VLC would NOT play the stream. Instead it informed me that the locally stored .m3u8 file that I had just downloaded from DR P2 Klassisk was unable to play back properly.

I then manually copied the .m3u8 link from the web page, http://ahls.gss.dr.dk/A/A04H.stream/Playlist.m3u8 , into VLC's Open Network Stream dialogue; it played back perfectly!!!

So here are my questions:

First, why is VLC looking at that locally stored brand new copy of the web site's .m3u8 file when I click the original html link on DR P2 Klassisk's page? Why isn't it doing what every other live web audio player does, namely looking directly at the original html link for the audio stream, initiating the collection of a buffer, and starting the playback?

More broadly, I'm sure it should not be necessary for me to manually copy and paste every frigging .m3u8 live audio stream I come across into VLC's Open Network Stream's dialogue and then to manually hit play in order to load up a live .m3u8 audio stream; that would be absurd. Clearly VLC has the ability to distinguish between a live stream link and a locally stored playlist file. Virtually every other live web audio stream player on the planet has no trouble making that distinction; the clicking of an html link is all that's required for other players to realize what's going on, take care of business on their own, and start the playback of the requested stream, with a minimum of further fuss and bother being required from Web Listener.

Here are some additional thoughts.

Assuming I am right and VLC absolutely does have this capability and I have been merely too stupid or unlucky to figure out how to make that work, I'd say the most obvious candidates in terms of places to look are as follows:

1) There is something screwed up in the way I have installed VLC.
2) There is something screwed up in the way the file associations are configured in Windows.
3) There is some sort of specific additional VLC plugin or addon which I need to download and install in order to correct this issue (although a quick look at my plugin list for Firefox does show that it now has a VLC plugin).

And, of course, the cause for this problem may be entirely unrelated to the above list. That's where more experienced users like you come in.

So that's the issue with which I've so far wrestled all day without success. What I'm hoping is that the solution is obvious and widely known to most of you. So thank you very much in advance for any help you give me on this matter, and I'll be eagerly looking forward to this issue's speedy resolution. Your attention to this matter is very much appreciated.

Best wishes,

Criggs

[ddejager]

I'm having the exact same problem? Did you get this resolved?