VLC functions with m3u Playlists

first, there is a video tutorial posted here in this same VLC forum. It shows an easier way to get the Playlist while using the VLC
Reason why I show another way here, is so you have the actual Playlist in hand and needed for the functions explained in this tutorial.

Lets start by discussing the editing of an m3u file, simply with Notepad or Wordpad.
This is easy to do.
Simply open the m3u file with Notepad or WordPad on your PC and start editing.

Afterwards, when you save the file, ensure that it is saved as UTF-8 encoded and an .m3u file.
Right click on the file itself, and then click Properties and check in there that the file type is in fact .m3u

Okay, with the file open, you will then see a bunch of lines of information, hundreds of lines with a very large Playlist.

*Shown further down below in this tutorial, is an actual working M3U Playlist (not rockets thou)
These shown here are just some old 1950's movies, but the concept is the same for Live TV m3u Playlists.

Couple things to take note of here.
The Playlist always begins it's script with #EXTM3U
Each seperate channel line (or movie line) begins with #EXTINF:0,

Shown below is an example of one full channel line ...

Code:

---

#EXTINF:0,The Admiral Was A Lady 1950
http://archive.org/download/TheAdmiralWasaLadyEdmondOBrien1950mooorip/TheAdmiralWasaLadyEdmondOBrien1950mooorip_512kb.mp4

---

When it comes to deleteing a channel from your playlist, simply delete the full channel line script.
Or to arrange channels, you would copy the channel line and then paste it where ever you want in the Playlist order (delete where it was as well, if it is still there after coping).

Easy peasy right ?
Problem is that it is not so easy doing all that copy and pasting and if you have a very large Playlist (such as the Rocket full Playlists are), then it becomes difficult picking out the channel name in amoungst all that info. And with Rockets lists , the channel names are short and hard to pin-point with any kind of effeciency and it is lots of work just arranging a few channels (as far as editing is concerned)

The Playlist shown below is a very tiny list compared to Rocket list, but you may be able to see what I mean when it comes to editing and pin-pointing channels, if you are doing lots of editing.

*

Code:

---

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:0,The Admiral Was A Lady 1950
http://archive.org/download/TheAdmiralWasaLadyEdmondOBrien1950mooorip/TheAdmiralWasaLadyEdmondOBrien1950mooorip_512kb.mp4
#EXTINF:0,Love Island 1950
http://archive.org/download/love_island/love_island_512kb.mp4
#EXTINF:0,Behave Yourself 1951
http://archive.org/download/behave_yourself_ipod/behave_yourself.mp4
#EXTINF:0,Mr.Imperium 1951
http://archive.org/download/Mr.Imperium/Mr.Imperium_512kb.mp4
#EXTINF:0,You Asked For It - Bela Lugosi 1952 
http://archive.org/download/YouAskedForIt_BelaLugosi/DUMONT_YouAskedForIt_Lugosi_512kb.mp4
#EXTINF:0,Kansas Pacific 1953 -in color
http://archive.org/download/KansasPacific/KansasPacific_512kb.mp4
#EXTINF:0,Yongary, Monster From The Deep 1967
http://archive.org/download/Yongary-MonsterFromTheDeep/Yongara_512kb.mp4
#EXTINF:0,Love Happens ??
http://37.58.68.221/index.php?file=1324&start=0&hd=0&auth=19691719ec1afa62ec2c141667&type=flv&tv=0

---

So, a good way to edit Playlists would be with a Playlist Editor, and the ideal way is an Editor which is also a Player
There are a few out there.
Fobar2000, wimamp and a couple more that I do not recall off hand.
They work... but not what I expected :(

Now lets talk about VLC Media Player !
Fantastic :)

It is a Media Player for all types of media (almost all).
It is Open Source and therefore always free.
It is an Editor.
It is well supported.

So with VLC open on your desk top, simple drag and drop the m3u file onto the VLC Player
then hit the play function found shown at the bottom portion of the ¨Player (ensure you have the Player in maximize window).
Bang ....your first channel on the Playlist should start playing.

Okay, that is great.
Next lets open the Playist in a list type view and while the channel is still playing.

In the bottom portion on the screen (while in maximize window), you will see the Playlist View function off to the right of that Play button.
(Hoover the mouse over the icons and the function description willl appear).
Click the Playlist view function.
A list of all the channels will be shown and at same time your channel will still be playing in a small window on the Player.
Double click any channel for channel change, or use arrow functions at bottom portion of the VLC Player

Okay left or right click a channel. Should now see a pop down window with options to remove ,and other options.
To move a channel, just drag and drop it.
This Editor is not a full blown editor where you can high light groups of channels and move them all at same time and other things, but is a pretty good Editor none the less.

Here is a trick :)
If the channel you are viewing is buffering, and maybe so bad that there is a noticabale dead spot, your VLC will automatically change the channel and keep changing till a working channel has been found.
This only happens when in Playlist View mode. It does not happen in full screen viewing.
But anyway, no big deal right ?.... but it does play havoc on your on-going editing , because the channel change takes presitance over your editing process and your current spot on the playlist that you happen to be editing, will change to coincide with the channel change.
The best way to overcome this is to not have the Player playing any channels while editing... or ensure you are on a channel that does not buffer and also save your work often (thru the media tab, found up top left)

Okay another thing along the same topic... Take a channel that never buffers and is one of your favorite channels and drag and drop it as your first channel on the list , and save as that (save your edited work often, as you go along)
So next time you open the VLC Player and your Playlist, there will be no lag with start up while the Player is waiting for the channel.
With a channel that seldom or never buffers and is placed at number one spot, then there is no lag at start up.

I will add more tips and tricks with VLC and m3u files onto this post at a later date, but for now my one typing finger is getting tired :)

Good trick for mass moving


With VLC and your Playlist, delete what you do not want and save as that.

okay, open your new playlist on VLC (the one with the deleted channels)

We will show you how to arrange your VOD selections now, as an example of this functionality.

With the VLC player and in Playlist View mode ...
Start at the bottom of the VODs listings and drag and drop the ones you like to a further up spot in the list. (there are hundreds in this list so bare with me)
Then any other movies that are seen in that general area of the playlist, drag them there too.
Then move up on your playlist and when you see another good movie, then drag and drop any other near that to same spot and continue up the list like that.
So in the end you would have several groupings of these favourite movies gathered together thru out the list.
Great
save as that

Now open that m3u file thru notepad and find them groupings and one at a time, copy the whole group and move them up your playlist.


Good trick for mass moving :)

another thing is that as we talked about before, is these channels are sometimes hard to pin-point thru an open list on notepad, so what I do while still on VLC with the Playlist, is with these groups of movies thru out the list, I then arrange them movie groupings in an order that shows the longest names first and so on to the shortest, or vise versa... then that way, when I go to scroll thru the that list on notepad, I can pick up on that order alot easier then looking for movie titles :)

This is just random example of digits to show what I mean about being able to pic out the grouping more easily then looking for the actual movie names while scrolling thru the list
(even in groups they can be hard to spot, but put that group in some kinda order and easy to spot then) ...

Code:

---

ytrfad sgatgwhwubnfrvwg
bgattahnwbgyjakjkjamj
hhayn
nhahahsjjsj
nhahyhssn
nhagyshnbskkjji
uio
yuio
uuuu
hhhhi
yuuion
hyjmmki
iiiiwnjnwjj
jjk,lll,lllll,jhbbh
hhjwnbnbwhwnw
hhimjmkkkkllllllllmme
uuiee
hywuyndsjei
jjsjs
kjusdjsjiwiwikwkwkwiwkw
mkjwisjnwnwkk
kjjwjiswsw\

---

Great guide crazed 2.0. VLC is indeed a nice playback device.

I've not had any luck with iptv66 m3u playlists, I can download them but they do not work. Anyway, when/if they do, I'll be trying out VLC player again for playback.

The only problem I might see, is when a channel change takes place. Don't we have to re-download the list, and go through the trouble of re-editing it right from the beginning? If familiar with NotePad++ it has some great editing capabilities and can parse out unwanted channel, although much more complicated than your excellent method!

if the channel changes positions, it should not matter.
But if channels get added then yea, we will need a fresh list.

But we do not have to loose all our editing.

What you can do is grab the fresh list and open it on your desktop with NotePad.
Then also grab and open your list that you have edited so carefully and open it right beside that fresh copy on your desktop.
Now find the new channels that are shown on the new list and copy them and then simply paste them onto your edited list, and thats it. You now have the new channels onto your edited Playlist.
Easy Peasy :)

Also ensure that the M3U Playlists are saved as an .m3u file and are UTF-8 encoded -- (Notepad, Notepad++ and Wordpad will do the encodeing)

M3U8 is another version of an M3U file.
The Generic M3U Playlist from Rocket is what this tutorial is based on.
But the Generic M3U Plus version will work almost the same. It includes more information per channel line.
And there are recent posts talking about them M3U Plus Playlist versions and with some interesting results :)

thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks