The VideoLAN Forums

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.

This depends on the file type. So you need to give more information and samples.

Normally I noticed this bug feature-loss with HD PVR .m2ts
file creation.
I also use VLC to play back Windows Media Center unencrypted .wtv files
and the failure also occurs there.
The only variable is that sometimes the file will terminate when it plays
back to the static file end or sometimes it will continue, so that the
progress bar might still display 0:25:22 time limit on the right
while on the progress bar left, 0:54:43 might be displayed.
I posted this bug here back when it occurred and referred to it again
maybe a year after that.
[ viewtopic.php?f=14&t=100414&p=338423&hilit=progress+bar#p338423 ]
/Windows 7 64/i5-2520M/Intel HD Graphics 3000/12 GByte Sdram/

Trying the 4.0.0 Otto version, there has been a slight improvement
in this problem, but it does not completely fix the bug
in this lost functionality from pre-2.0 versions.
The program should always have a correct progress bar representation
of the current length of the Audio-Video file being played back
and the current playback position within the bar length.

This calculation could be performed every time it sees Closed Captions data,
or an I-Frame, or as a temporary solution
there could be a button to mouse-click on to prompt a fresh calculation
of the current end of the file and thus the correct representation of the
vlc progress bar and the time displayed to the right of the progress bar.

I'd like to add to this issue.

Facing the same problem, using a Dreambox PVR Receiver.
Using the Dreambox WebInterface (Browser on PC) with the VLC WebPlugin to Stream either Recordings or LiveTV from Dreambox to PC.
Fileformat on Dreambox is TS (Mpeg2/Mpeg4).

When streaming a Recording that's still in progress, I got the same Problem like the topic starter.
VLC should be auto-refreshing the progressbar, so it doesn't end the stream at the first calculated length.

Would really like to get this solved, if needed, i'd add more information/details.