Bookmarking.

[osc]

I'm the kind of guy that doesn't have a lot of free time. I would just leave the player open and paused, but in Ubuntu the Screen saver doesn't come on if VLC is running at all. So here is my idea.

Video book marks. People could use it to mark chapters in their videos or they could use it just to save their spot in the video file.

Anywho, it is just a idea. I know you guys have your hands way to full as it is.

Thanks for making the greatest video player of all time.

~OSC

[CloudStalker]

Not to worry. Bookmarks will be implemented in the next version of VLC media player (0.9.0).

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Hmmm... Bookmark is a good question. How would you like to see it ?

[osc]

Well it looks like CloudStalker has shown me that you guys are already making it. But basically I just wanted one or more save points so that I can easly return to where I left off in a movie and so others can make chapter brakes and easily go to different parts of the movie.

I only have the time to watch 20 mins at a time some times and its nice to easily return to where I left off. While others might want to jump to their fav action seines.

[ybfjax]

I see bookmarking is enabled, but I would like to see an ability to mark 2 points in a movie. So that I can have it repeat itself after point B automatically.

For example, mark minute 2:30 and then mark minute 9:20. Points A and B. Then, once it gets to Point B, either stop or repeat starting at point A. I can do this in PowerDvd and most standalone DVD players.

I should be able to save these markings specific to each video I play.

What you could do, is just expand the existing bookmarking capability a bit, and just put checkmarks next to the bookmarks. Then select two points you want to view, and then also add a button for repeat.

Also, we need the ability to save bookmark profiles so that we can load bookmarks for each movie without having to redo them over and over.

[CloudStalker]

Oh sure, the A-B repeat feature. Well there's still no word yet on whether or not it's going to be add to this media player, from what I understand it's difficult.

[peaks]

Kinda frustrating this. I'm working on several machines at once. Watching movies on one machine and in need of an option for exporting/extracting bookmarks. Then i can bring only the file (movie) and the exported playlist/bookmarks list. I'm in bad need of this feature. I would also like to edit on my Ubuntu laptop and then bring the setup to my work machine (XP).

Zoom player and BsPlayer have this options. But isn't a sufficient choice since they're depend on codecs. I also use VLC in several different lecture rooms. These rooms currently have VLC installed. Which is great and easy and smooth and everything. But the missing bookmark function is pure agony.

Can someone help me make this possible. I've toyed around with both the bookmarks list and the export feature and the playlist at the same time. But VLC nosechrashes every time. Is it possible to make this happen with the current version (0.8.6c)??

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

What could exactly fit your needs?

[peaks]

What i really want is a way to single out bookmarks and rename them to whatever i want and the possibillity to save them as such. So i can go back to them whenever i want on whichever machine and regardless of OS.

To further illustrate; I'm from time to time lecturing film science. When i prepare a lecture for my students a would like to single out pieces (timelines) of movies and play them as examples. This would be helpfull for myself. The name of the bookmark helps me categorize and keep track of the different examples.

So i really dont need to extract parts of the movie. What i really need is a way to point the player at specific timelines within the total timeframe of the movie or even better; movies! Since i usually end up using examples from more than one film. Second; i need to call the bookmark what i want so i can find the different bookmarks easy. And so i can see what they are examples of.

In this perspective it would be nice to just bring a small text file and the movie(s) as a whole (avi/dvd etc). Then VLC could load a bookmarkslist from the info in the text file. If the original file(s) (movie(s) allready is loaded in th eplayer.

As you can see i'm not a tech guy. Hope you see my needs. Solutions are very welcome since we are past mid semester now

Edit: as mentioned above; there exists players with satisfactory solutions to this. But i'm working in different places and the machines are public. And they have VLC installed. Installing other players and theyr depending codecs aint an option. VLC also offers a intuitive playback for people not used to computers or software at all. So my hope is offcourse anlikewise easy and intuitive solution to the adoption of bookmarks into VLC.

[imz]

Would it be difficult to implement showing the bookmarks during the playback? I mean: when playing a video, at the moment which is bookmarked a sign appears along with the picture.

Basically, such a functionality is already there: displaying subtitles, it's only left to link it to bookmarks (use the bookmarks as subtitles).

Could it be possible to save the bookmarks as subtitles? (Then vlc would become a subtitle editing program as well.)

This wish comes from the intent to use vlc for a perception experiment: a person watches a video and marks moments he considers special. Then we want to replay the video with those marks shown. Just seeking the bookmark position isn't good enough because the precision of seeking seems to be 1 second (too much). So we'd like to store the marks with higher precision than a second. And subtitle format seems to be a ready solution for storing such information, and subtitle display functionality seems to be a ready solution for displaying such information.

What do you think?

Perhaps, I could write scripts/modules implementing this, could you point me at the relevant documentation?

[vlc_fan-01]

Well it looks like CloudStalker has shown me that you guys are already making it. But basically I just wanted one or more save points so that I can easly return to where I left off in a movie and so others can make chapter brakes and easily go to different parts of the movie.

I only have the time to watch 20 mins at a time some times and its nice to easily return to where I left off. While others might want to jump to their fav action seines.

SMPlayer (which also uses QT inteface) has waht you want

[JasonGawker]

Wow, thats an excellent idea - video bookmarking. I wish I thought of that Would it take you guys long to implement it? It's one of the better features I heard lately, and I'm a big fan of your player already. I say let's add playlists too, online bookmarking, and full socially-integrated utilities as well. Better yet, let us steal from windows media player Those guys kind of know what they're doing sometimes, when it comes to software video players for PC/etc.

[lngndvs]

I am a teacher. I show videos quite often, and I review the videos and prepare handouts and worksheets with time marks and questions relating to the content along the way. I have been known to spend quite a lot of time preparing these materials. Bookmarks are a boon to my work style.

I see that VLC (GNU/Linux) has bookmarking capability, but saving didn't work for me. Apparently it can be done. I am using version 0.8.6e. I will jump for joy when VLC has a capability that includes:

• ability to save bookmarks as a text file
• ability to name marks
• format with time marks in minutes and seconds
• ability to easily call up bookmarks and a useful display
• selection (cut and paste) of bookmarks in the display (current bookmarks are not selectable)

Goggles (GUI for ogle) had a nice bookmark facility, but I couldn't save them, and it's not as universal as vlc for various codecs and file types, as well as DVDs/VCDs.

Thank you for your consideration in requesting input from users on this important issue.

Alan

[fu3l]

I am excited about the new bookmarking features, but have found it lacking in a few ways for my needs. Is there anyway to add the following...

1. *Add Custom Bookmark w/ customizable Hotkeys (ex. create a bookmark labeled 'car scene' and link it to 'c' key for live bookmark logging).
2. *Add Custom lead/lag times for Bookmark (ex. set bookmark to begin 2 sec. earlier and to last for 4 seconds -sort of in & out points or A/B points).
3. *Each Bookmark created would include a timeline (ex. the 'Cars' bookmark would in turn create a timeline of the movie that i could then look at an overview of every 'Cars' bookmark and see where it occured during the movie and i could even click on the individual bookmarks to play those 6 sec.'s of movie or, i click on 'Cars' timeline to play all those particular bookmarks consecutively.
4. Ability to save bookmarks/timelines linked w/ particular movie

The idea here is to bookmark multiple types of movie clips in a movie while I watch the movie...a sort of live logging. Then, without having to edit and create movie clips, i can merely click on whatever bookmarks i want and the single movie file jumps to that clip and plays those few seconds. Some bookmarks have set time for the clip, others i click to begin, then, when the scene ends, click again to end. Thus, the entire scene as i see it is referenced. I currently use software that costs thousands, and all i really need are the bookmarking features.... here is a screenshot of what i currently use...

*each feature can be seen below in the program 'SportsCode Gamebreaker' (I am a college basketball coach) ....(also, see www.inqscribe.com for a free program w/ some similar features)

Pic 1: View of Video, timelines & Customizable Bookmark buttons.

Sorry....can't figure out how to load pictures yet!

[rocket888]

I would like to see 2 kinds of bookmarks. A recently watched list and a separate bookmark list, each implemented as menu items (and an option to organize - edit name, position in file, and reposition in list)

I. "recently watched video" menu item, with N of the last videos and where in them you last watched them. (allow N to be a prefs item)

If you resume and/or change position in a video, then exit or stop etc. the last place in that video should replace this in the list. Probably the list should be ordered by last viewed, so if there's one at postion 5, say, and you resume it, watch another 5 minutes then stop, exit, or otherwise end watching this, the new video position should overwrite the old one AND the recently watch list would now have this video at the top.

Basically, I'm suggesting that this feature mimic most other programs recently opened file lists, except that a time is included. This way little or no documentation would be needed for the average computer user to "guess" how this works.

Also, the playback time should show up in the menu item,

eg.

Code: Select all

1. pirates of the Caribbean.mpg - 10:20 2. blah blah blah.wmv - 20:10

(note the column lineup of times to the longest menu item)

II. In a separate bookmark menu item, one could have say,

Code: Select all

1. pirates 20:20 (if only one bookmark) 2. blah blah .... (with a submenu if multiple bookmarks)

Then this last one, as a submenu, would just have video places in times, e.g. 10:00, 28:10 etc. One per subitem.

These would be added by a manual - add bookmark. It would check if the current video is on the list, and if so, add to the sub-menu for that video. Probably within this list, sort by time.

[fu3l]

Wow...I have just read everyone's comments and the same themes keep popping up. Ironically, these are all features in the program i currently use: sportscode gamebreaker by sportstec...only a BIG difference -one license of that cost $3,000 it is a mac only program and therefore very limited w/ what types (codecs) of video you can run through it and mark.

Basically, to summarize your comments:

• A. imz say's: ability to VIEW bookmarks (maybe in a separate window?) and the ability to DRAW on frames. (or write notes).

• B. ybfja say's: ability to MARK 2 POINTS (in and out points, per say (i would like to add custom lead/lag times to that)) and REPEAT feature

• C. peaks say's: ability to EXPORT/SAVE bookmarks and RENAME bookmarks and catagorize with TIMELINES

• D. ingndus say's: ability to SAVE and format w/ TIME (sec./min) and DISPLAY and select bookmarks (like in a second window i think)

• E.rocket888 say's: RESUME ("recently watched" feature (from where left off) and SEPERATE BOOKMARK LIST (Display window) and DISPLAY TIMES (sec./min.)

I hope I summarized your thoughts accurately, and they all seem to flow together nicely...at least it appears that these are the same exact features i use day to day on 'GameBreaker'. I really really hope these features can make it into the next version of VLC...they would really make VLC a great program for teachers, coaches...so many more (in the education field at least)...probably so much more.

**** See my comments under "more keyboard shortcuts" for screenshots of the program i currently use in my job -it has ALL OF THESE FEATURES

[fu3l]

OK...here is a screenshot so you don't have to fish for the others...

Description
A user can add bookmarks to that window to suit his needs: click on that 'button' (bookmark) or set a shortcut key to click on the bookmark while you are watching a game live. You can set the bookmark button to "record" (not really record a clip, but reference multiple seconds of a clip w/ a start and end point (A/B point)). So i can set the yellow 'Trans Def' button to a hotkey (T) and set it so whenever i touch 9 a bookmark is added, furthermore i can say begin reference 2 sec. before and end 6 seconds after i push the button (lead time of 2 sec., lag time of 6 sec., therefore total time referenced -if i click on that bookmark on the timeline i would see an 8 sec. clip.



I few of the noticable features...

• 1. FULL SCREEN or TIMELINE/BOOKMARK/VIDEO view. (you can click to watch full screen video or jump b/w full screen and a video window w/ timeline window & code window also...(or hotkey/shortcut key click)).

• 2.ability to SEE SEC./MIN. and a TIMELINE of each list of bookmarks

• 3.ability to CUSTOMIZE BOOKMARKS (color, in/out points (lead/lag time to a bookmark), title etc)

• 4.ability to DRAW ON FRAMES or WRITE NOTES

• 5.ability to SAVE & EXPORT (catagorize, recall, label, cut paste etc.)

• 6.one other feature i find very important is ability to custom HOTKEY / SHORTCUT KEY the bookmarks

Whew...sorry that was long.