VLC Downloads video files from SMB Shared Directory to local cache directory before playing.

English Multimedia
1

I was not sure if I should be posting this under Multimedia or Applications, hopefully I have chosen the right location for posting it.

What I want to do:

I am trying to play the video files which are shared on a NAS via SMB share on my OpenSUSE Tumbleweed laptop with VLC in place, as in straight from the shared location, just like I can with the Windows machines on the same network using the VLC for windows.

What Happens:

Instead of playing the file in place, the VLC (Or dolphin, I am not sure on this) first downloads the files to a local cache folder (~/user/.cache/kioexec/krun/) and then plays the file. This is sometimes a lengthy process as some of the files are huge, 80+ Gigabytes.

This is what happens when I double click on the file in the shared location on the network. Opening the VLC, and browsing over to the file using the Open File feature fails to open the file altogether with a "SMB error: open failed (Invalid Argument)".

As I previously mentioned the VLC for Windows installed on the windows machines of the same network works just fine playing the same files, regardless of their size, straight from the NAS.

Any help is very much appreciated.

2

You’re asking how to stream a file so that as chunks of the file is downloaded in sequence, the client can open and start to play the file with each part as it’s downloaded.

This has to be set up as a Server app running on your NAS…
So, you first have to be certain your NAS supports either installing a streaming server or might already have that functionality embedded.

Else,
You should consider setting up a Home Entertainment Server, there are many threads in this Forum from Users who have asked how to do this and openSUSE supports several apps. The Home Entertainment Server can be set up to access the files in your NAS, so you don’t have to move your files.

You can install Home Entertainment Server software in a virtual machine if you have any hardware that has unused capacity. or you can install on physical hardware… Not only can you re-purpose old computers, it’s also a common thing for people to buy a Raspberry Pi for $5-50 (depends on features you want, enclosure, power, etc) and make their own.

TSU