Filename NOT showing at start of playback

[chenjung_407ad]

I've found that, at least with the latest version (1.1.4), I can get around this problem by changing the episode numbers in my filenames from upper case (S**E**) to lower case (s**e**). Aesthetically, I think upper case looks better, but I can deal with using lower case if it means I can actually see the episode name while I'm watching it.

A proper fix would be preferable, of course.

[zayas]

This is such a massive problem... and it amazes me the arrogance that is being displayed here by not listening to users.

I for one have moved onto a different media player (KMPLAYER). Why on earth we would want tags displayed instead of the filename..???

Queue up a series and you get this in your playlist

AMC
AMC
AMC
AMC
AMC

Way to go vlc devs.

-1 user.

[scott1x]

I've been having the same problem and also want to be able to view the file name as it appears in my directory. I name files the way I name them for a reason and really don't care what the tag data may show. Yes, I like being able to see it, if I want to, but on a play list, I want to see the names I've assigned.

Other than this problem, I like this release. It does many things better.

Thank you.

[barnaby]

Not really much to add, except that I as well, am amazed at how ridiculously arrogant the attitude of a certain dev in this thread is. As a long time user of vlc, and one that has been singing it's praises, it saddens me to see this.

What really made me take the time to register just to post a reply though, is the sheer refusal from the dev(s) to understand what people are saying. It was perfectly clear from the first post that what was asked for was a way to just display the filename.
Of course, I can understand how this is a lot harder to implement than to arbitrarily display (or indeed 'remove' parts of the filename if no tags are found)...

Also, considering the treatment someone on the first page got for a little stingy attitude, I will probably be called a troll as well.

[morning-max]

I often cut and re-encode videos with avidemux to h264 in a mkv container. Avidemux is so awesome, that it writes "Movie name : Avidemux" into that file and VLC Player will show "Avidemux" instead of the file names for all these files then. Can't even change this with mkvmergeGUI and it would be very impractical in the first place to do this with ~5 million files. I know here actually a 3rd party program screws up, but it's jsut an example.
In fact more than 50% of all my files show something in their tags that I don't want to see/have/be displayed at all.

It's absolute non-sense to show the tags of files instead of the file name... no point in that at all. Now if I am wrong and there actually is a purpose to that... then still, would you please make it the way 99+% of the users want it for default (showing file names only and never ever tags) and make the thing that hardly no one wants (showing tags) only optional?

[IanMc]

Secondment:

Please make VLC display the filename in the title bar.

When playing episodes, you go to play the next episode and want to see what was that file I just played? Oh, I can't see.

So you end up guessing where you are, playing a file and scanning through it to see if you've seen it already.

Not cool.

ian

[ssc801]

I found a partial solution by bulk editing the title information in the windows properties window.

I did this in Windows XP, maybe it works fine in Windows 7.
It will only work if the exactly same information is stored in all files in the title information.

I selected all the files I wanted to edit the title.
Opened the context menu and selected properties.
Selected the summary tab. (details on windows 7)
then highlighted the title information and backspaced over it.
Press OK.

This worked great in XP, EXCEPT one file in each folder(of the search results) did not change its title.
This displayed an error. And there was no way to change the title on those files that did not change the first try.
Even after a reboot. So I suppose I could have created a copy of one of them and made sure that one was processed first and deleted it
after the bulk edit. But I would have to have all the files in one folder in order for that to work. Also
one has to be very careful how files are selected to insure which one is processed first. Maybe a better solution
would be to create 2 dummy files one at the beginning and one at the end of the list.

[CuAnnan]

This is, indeed, an incredibly frustrating behaviour.

[Elijah]

Has anyone found a way to display filenames in the playlist of VLC?

Crosslinking similar request - http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=914693

[rob96id]

I too am surprised by the attitude of the developers comments. I'm a application developer myself and if there is one thing I've learned its that it doesn't matter how cool YOU think your app is or how well it fits YOUR needs, it only matters if your user's are happy and using it.

I've been a fan of VLC ever since I discovered it several years ago and have been a VLC evangelist to those around me.

The developers attitude and lack of helpfulness makes me want to rethink my loyalty.

Anyway, rant over.

I did find a way to get the filename to show in the playlist. If you open the playlist and right-click on the "Title" column header you'll get a list of additional columns you can view. One of those is URI. That gives you the entire file path including the filename.

If you have a very deep path the URI looks pretty ugly and the column is very wide, but at least you can see the name.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

The only thing a VLC developer said this far is, VLC shows the title as it finds in the file. This is true. You can't expect VLC to develop an IA to detect incorrect metadata in its input files.

And you can't expect volunteer VLC developers to be at user's service. We have higher priorities like earning our living, caring about our friends and families and resting. And on top of that, we need to waste hours every week on the forums answering to selfish users when we could instead be writing software that would benefit all users.

If you can't understand that, you're most welcome to buy support including an "helpful attitude" from an expensive contractor/consultant. I find your rant extremely rude and ungrateful.

[Guerrer0]

You can't expect VLC to develop an IA to detect incorrect metadata in its input files.

VLC doesn't have to know which metadata is "incorrect". What it needs is an option for "Use Tags" or "Don't use Tags" so that any user can decide if he want's VLC to display tags or not.

I cannot comprehend what makes this request so complicated that it hasn't been implemented after half a year since the request.

I wish i could configure vlc how to present the file in playlist and when playing file for example turn off meta data tags and just use the filename or the opposite

(Wed Jul 14, 2010)

I'm still using v1.0.5 because of this annoying problem (or "feature" or whatever).

Sorry guys, you're doing a great job with VLC, but that this request has been simply ignored for such a long time is embarrassing.

[AliP92]

I second this! I'm reverting to an old version of VLC until this is fixed. I'm playing an old Stargate SG1 rip and the old VLC used to display the file names, since the change the playlist is unusable with certain files. The entire rip I have has this in the title bar: "#Stargate-SG1-Sweden & #nandub on DALnet" VLC now displays this as the name for every episode in the playlist (and other places where the file names used to be displayed). If there were an option to not use the tags this would not be a problem.

Also the attitudes of the VLC staff responding to these requests is shameful.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Yeah like the "VLC staff" will surely be more motivated to work after freeloading users flame them.

[Guerrer0]

Someone around here who can't take criticism?

It seems to me that several poeple don't like the way VLC handles Video-Tags and the "VLC staff" reaction is "who cares, thats the way it works".
I don't think what we would like to have is kind of complex or impossible.

Let me say it again. I appreciate your work with VLC but your reaction to this "problem" isn't really user-friendly.
This has nothing to do with "flaming"!

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Well, I am aware of the issue, because many AVI seems to have broken tags, especially for the title. I don't plan to fix it for 1.1, but I might find a nice solution for 1.2, is someone sends me enough samples.

[AliP92]

Why do you want samples? The problem has been described in detail, samples would be of no use at all, do you still not understand what the problem is?

Anyway here you go, lot's of samples: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4526899 ... easons_1-8

[Guerrer0]

I don't understand the need for samples either.
What do you mean with "broken tag" exactly? For me there is no difference between a tag and a broken tag. I do not want have tags displayed in any case.
As I said, VLC doesn't have to know if a tag is broken or not but it should the user let decide if it shows tags or not.

I've also noticed another (for me) confusing behavior. All my video files are named like this:
Series.-.SxxExx.-.Episode.Title
What VLC displays as title is:
Series - SxxExx
This behavior occurs if the video file has NO tags.
Is there a reason for this behavior? I would understand if VLC removes the dots but the episode title?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I don't understand the need for samples either.
What do you mean with "broken tag" exactly? For me there is no difference between a tag and a broken tag. I do not want have tags displayed in any case.
As I said, VLC doesn't have to know if a tag is broken or not but it should the user let decide if it shows tags or not.

I've also noticed another (for me) confusing behavior. All my video files are named like this:
Series.-.SxxExx.-.Episode.Title
What VLC displays as title is:
Series - SxxExx
This behavior occurs if the video file has NO tags.
Is there a reason for this behavior? I would understand if VLC removes the dots but the episode title?

Because what you describe and what happens is:
your AVI file named "Series.-.SxxExx.-.Episode.Title" has "Series - SxxExx" in its tags (which are limited in length) and therefore VLC shows the tags, which is the normal way to behave. Use an hex editor, if you don't believe me.

[Guerrer0]

I checked this multiple times with abcAVI Tag Editor and HxD (hex editor) and the file has definitely no tag (i checked a file which has a tag and found it in both programs).
I also made spot tests with a lot of files and every file which is named like "Series.-.SxxExx.-.Episode.Title" is handled as described. Finally I renamed the "Series" part of a file and VLC displays the renamed title.

So after a lot of testing I'm sure this behavior has nothing to do with tags. Try the tests above by yourself if you don't believe me.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Send me the sample.

[Guerrer0]

Sorry, as my DSL is very slow this would take 12h to upload...

But you can simply reproduce this by renaming any avi-File to the schema above.

[JanusTwoface]

As a workaround (just tried it, works great for me):

- Download abcAVI Tag Editor (http://abcavi.kibi.ru/download.htm)
- Click the Open Directory button (the second from the left), point it at the root of your AVI files
- Under the AVI Tags tab, remove the Title
- Click the <> button to the left of the title (will syncronize the change to all of the AVI files opened)
- Click the Save All Changes button (fourth from the left)

That will remove all of the title tags, forcing VLC to use the filename as the title.

Yes, it would be nice to have 'Filename' as a column option in the playlist, but this will work for now.

[Guerrer0]

This works for the Tag problem, but "Series.-.SxxExx.-.Episode.Title" is still handled wrong...

[scott1x]

I have been loading the file list into winamp and saving it as a m3u, which I read into vlc. Once it's loaded it seems to work.