The VideoLAN Forums

I use VLC to play files streamed by a web interface to the PVR (Personal Video Recorder) application GBPVR. The web interface can stream files that are still being recorded. VLC will play these, but reports their duration based on the situation when the streaming started. Once the point in the file corresponding to that duration is reached, playback is stopped. However, if I skip in the file, the duration information is updated, and I can play longer.

An example: If I start watching a file 5 minutes after it has begun being recorded, I can see from the start that VLC thinks the file is 5 minutes long. After 5 minutes, playback is stopped. If I make a skip (forwards or backwards, for example of 10 seconds) after 2 minutes, VLC will start saying that the file is 7 minutes, and I can watch past the 5 minutes point.

Can something be done about this?

/Per

I would like to add a second comment to the behaviour which is a bit different from yours (not on the web interface, but similiar use case): I use VLC for timeshifting TS recordings (local path). In contrast to your case VLC does not end early when reaching the position which had been the end of the file when VLC started. But I found no way to position to the current end of the stream. VLC stops as you describe and I have to restart and try again - it's impossible to find the exact end to see if the recording is perhaps already finished.

It would be nice if someone could comment on this, too. Lately I saw the TSPlayer from the DVBViewer which actually can jump to the end of an open stream (and in addition it reports at least the current time inside the recording while playing).