Preview Files


Just right click on the file and choose preview. eMule then creates a temporary file in eMule's Temp folder and opens it in the default media player.

Supported formats at the moment:

- *.avi
- *.mpg
- *.mpeg
- *.divx
- *.xvid
- *.zip
- *.rar
- *.ace
- any multimedia format when VLC is used

Notes:
> Preview only works when the first and last parts have already been downloaded and enough space for the preview file is available on your Temp disk.
> You still need the right codec for the file to view. Missing codec will produce an error message or the file is played with sound but no picture. If you are not sure which codec was used try a Codec Pack

Preview multimedia files with VLC

VLC is a player which allows playing back almost any multimedia file. VLC creates a multimedia stream from the file and thus is able to play back even broken / incomplete files or streamed content across a network. It is well suited for previewing files in eMule.

Using VLC:
>

Download VideoLAN Client - VLC
> Set the complete path to the vlc.exe (typical: C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe) in Preferences -> Files -> Video Player
> Disable Create backup for preview in the same dialog
> In Preferences -> Preferences.ini set PreviewSmallBlocks to 1.

VLC and eMule Part File Access Module

The eMule Part File Access Module is a plugin for VLC specifically developed to play back incomplete or broken files. Using this plugin such content may be played back without stuttering and even seeking, i.e. jumping to any given position in the video, is possible. Reading the information which parts are available for an incomplete download from eMule's .part.met files it also saves the time consuming scanning for usable parts.

o Downloading and installing the plugin

> Download the plugin on the eMule Project Homepage in the Downloads section.
> Unpack the zip file and copy libaccess_partfile_plugin.dll to VLC's plugin directory (typical: C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\plugins)
> Configure eMule for the use with VLC as described above
>

Important: The plugin is only compatible to the given VLC version!
    Part File Access Modul v1.1 <=> VLC v0.6.2

o Configuring the plugin

After starting VLC the configuration dialog of the plugin can be found in Settings -> Preferences -> Plugins -> access -> access_partfile

Enable plugin for MPEG / AVI / non MPEG or AVI part files
These three "enable" options decide which files should be processed by the plugin. "non MPEG or AVI part files" are files like .ogg, .ogm, .mp3, .mkv etc.
If possible VLC will try to use its default access module instead of the plugin if any of the options is disabled.

Provide a seekable stream for MPEG / AVI / non MPEG or AVI part files
Normally streams from incomplete or broke files are not seekable, i.e. the positioning slider to skip around in the video or the fast forward function cannot be used. Enabling the options for a seekable stream will allow this functionality for eMule's incomplete downloads.
These options only work if the plugin is enabled for the specific file type. In some cases, especially with AVI or other non MPEG content, the seekable streams may not work correctly.

Enable plugin for all type of files (eMule part files and regular files)
This plugin is designed for using it with eMule's .part files. The default access module in VLC has a bug which may freeze the entire system when trying to open broken or incomplete content. This plugin offers a workaround for this bug with the option to open all VLC supported content with this plugin instead of the default access module. Activating this option means that all supported content is processed by the plugin regardless if opened from within eMule, the explorer or command line.
The eMule Part File Access Module is a full replacement for the default access module in VLC.

Screenshot Preview of Video Files
If another client allows to view the list of his shared files (Preferences -> Files -> See my share) it is possible to get a preview of his shared video files.
Right clicking on a shared video -> Preview will request a set of 5 screenshots of the initial 10 minutes of this file. The screenshots are displayed in a separate viewer as soon as received. It may take a while for them to arrive. This function only works between v.30b or higher clients.

Applies to version: .30b +
Last update on: 2004-02-27, Monk