auto-detect disc

[sailor.nir]

Can VLC auto-detect the type of disc inserted? I want to be able to insert an unlabled CD I found at the bottom of my drawer or given to me by a (trusted) friend without knowing if it's an audio CD, VCD, DVD or data, and have VCD read it automatically.

[DJ]

If the structure is correct for each of the disk formats this should happen now but VLC doesn't do data.

With a little ingenuity you can use an autorun file to start any disk and call the program you want with the file you want.

[sailor.nir]

What do you mean by now? I run VLC 0.8.6a (wxWidgets). How am I notified of the detection? When I click File/Open Disc it gives me 4 options, none seem suggested.

I'm not sure what you mean by doesn't do data. I'm talking about a disc with audio or video files.

As for the autorun, that's a good idea for discs that I burn, thanx. Doesn't help much with those at the bottom of the drawer...

[DJ]

For any standard formated disk (VCD, CD or DVD) Windows XP gives a pop up that allows you to select the program you want to use.

Data is any file that is NOT a media file.

DivX, XviD and others are examples of media files that have little to no standards for opening a disk and or program. So that disk at the bottom of your drawer may not be automatically readable without a little user intervention.

[sailor.nir]

I understand that, but what user intervention will perform such detection?
I don't mean to detect when the media was inserted, but to only to find out what type it is, when prompted by the user.
How about, say, a "detect media type" button on the "open disc" dialog?

BTW, I have audio and video associated with VLC, but it does NOT appear in the list of apps in the abovementioned dialog, which XP pops up when I insert a disc. Why is that? How can I add it? Anyone know if I can disable those annoying popups alltogether?

[DJ]

Through associations of file types when you installed VLC.

If you want to know what the file is (formats) press ctrl i while playing the media file and go to the advanced info... tab.

[sailor.nir]

Again, audio and video files ARE correctly associated.

I don't want to know a file format. I want to know a DISC format.

[DJ]

Any time I have installed VLC in XP VLC will recognize a CD, VCD, SVCD and a DVD. A popup in XP allows you to select among supporting programs of which VLC is included.

Alternately you can download tweakuixp from Microsoft and change or add to the pop up.

Also if you select Properties for the drive and then select Autoplay you can lock a program that will always auto-play for various disk types.

[sailor.nir]

I think 2 different issues are being confused here:

1. detecting a new disc when it's inserted -> XP popup which says e.g. "Audio CD". I don't have VLC on the list of apps. I'll try and fix it thru tweakui. Unless I choose VLC in that list (when it's added), inserting a new CD would not affect an running-but-not-playing VLC session, would it?

2. recongnizing the media type inside VLC. Forget CD insertion. I already have a CD in the drive and VLC is running. I want to open disc, but have to manually select the type of disc inserted. This is where I want recognition, if not automatically when I select "open disc" then by querying the media type via a button etc. What's the point of asking me what type of media I want to open drive D: as? The media in there already has one specific type!

[DJ]

Try posting a feature request. I'm not aware of a player that will do this. Most do well to select the correct codec after you decide the file.

The media formats is shown in Stream and Media Information -> Advanced Information after loading the file.

In order for the player to know the media type (formats) before you load the file the system would need to know this and pass it to the player. Windows does NOT do this.