How do you change the file associations on an android tablet

  • Thread starter Thread starter Metspitzer
  • Start date Start date
M

Metspitzer

When you google it, the instructions say.......Go into settings,
applications. Find the application and tap it. Then scroll down and
hit clear defaults. The next time you try to open it, you will get the
choices again.

I am trying to get an avi file to play using JoeVLC. I am using ES
File Explorer to find the files.

When I check the app settings for JoeVLC "clear defaults" is grayed.
No defaults set.

When I check the app settings for ES File Explorer....No defaults set.

When I pull up the network directory and try to click on the filename,
the icon beside the filename looks like it is set to use ES File
Explorer. Then I click to run, it looks like a player window opens,
but it just closes again. I tried 5 different avi files and none
played. There is one mkv file in the folder and it did play. I have
only played a few videos on the tablet, so I really don't know the
difference with JoeVLC player or ES File Explorer player. They look
the same.

I do not have any video files on the tablet at the moment, but when I
did have, JoeVLC listed them and played them fine. JoeVLC shows an
option to list "internal memory" and "sdcard" and it has an add custom
path. When I try to enter //Network path nothing seems to happen. If
I try getting the options again It shows internal memory and sdcard
and add custom.

How do I change the file associations?
 
When you google it, the instructions say.......Go into settings,
applications. Find the application and tap it. Then scroll down and
hit clear defaults. The next time you try to open it, you will get the
choices again.

I am trying to get an avi file to play using JoeVLC. I am using ES
File Explorer to find the files.

When I check the app settings for JoeVLC "clear defaults" is grayed.
No defaults set.

When I check the app settings for ES File Explorer....No defaults set.

When I pull up the network directory and try to click on the filename,
the icon beside the filename looks like it is set to use ES File
Explorer. Then I click to run, it looks like a player window opens,
but it just closes again. I tried 5 different avi files and none
played. There is one mkv file in the folder and it did play. I have
only played a few videos on the tablet, so I really don't know the
difference with JoeVLC player or ES File Explorer player. They look
the same.

I do not have any video files on the tablet at the moment, but when I
did have, JoeVLC listed them and played them fine. JoeVLC shows an
option to list "internal memory" and "sdcard" and it has an add custom
path. When I try to enter //Network path nothing seems to happen. If
I try getting the options again It shows internal memory and sdcard
and add custom.

How do I change the file associations?
Click to expand...

http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/gome-flytouch-ii/5194-changing-file-associations.html

"To be clear, the "Clear Defaults" button will be grayed out for the alternative
apps so long as ONE of them is currently set as the default (or if it is the only app
installed for that file type or task). You have to go to the one that is currently
the default and "clear" it. Then try to open one of the video files, it should pop
up a dialog asking you which of the video apps you have installed it should use.

There is a checkbox at the bottom of that dialog you can optionally select to make
whatever app you choose become the "default." Or you can not set a default at all
and it will ask you which app to use each time you want to open a video file.

If this doesn't work on your tablet then the manufacturer must have hobbled your
Android install for some stupid reason."

As for your AVI issue, be aware that AVI is a "container" and
can be encoded internally with a CODEC. I have some videos which
use HUFFYUV, which is some kind of compression method for video.
It cuts down the size of a video captured on my WinTV card, from
maybe 200GB to 130GB or so (that's before converting it to a
lossy high-compression standard). Now, if I were to give you
one of those movies, your Windows computer couldn't play it.
I'd have to give you the CODEC for that video.

The JoeVLC will likely have lots of CODECs in it, so it can
play a lot of formats. But if the person making the video
tries hard enough, they can use a CODEC that practically nobody
has a copy of.

On my Windows PC, I have the GSpot information codec program, to tell
me what CODEC I need. On a Windows PC without the HUFFYUV CODEC installed,
it fives the four letter short name of the CODEC, and tells me the
CODEC is not installed. Whereas on the PC that has it installed, GSpot
would be able to play the video in a small window for me, just by
clicking the button at the bottom. That's how I'd go about
figuring out what CODEC was needed.

A number of movie formats are "containers", and that complicates
matters. I think AVI is a container, Apple MOV is a container,
perhaps even MKV is a container.

Even some image format are a "tough act to follow". The TIFF
standard is so large, practically no image viewer implements
the whole thing. Which again means, if I put my mind to it,
I can make a valid TIFF file, you won't be able to view on
your computer (Windows or Android).

You probably play a lot more movies than I do, and
you should be an "expert" in this stuff by now.
Movie enthusiasts have no choice but to become
nerds, if they expect to watch a movie :-)

Paul
 
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/gome-flytouch-ii/5194-changing-file-associations.html

"To be clear, the "Clear Defaults" button will be grayed out for the alternative
apps so long as ONE of them is currently set as the default (or if it is the only app
installed for that file type or task). You have to go to the one that is currently
the default and "clear" it. Then try to open one of the video files, it should pop
up a dialog asking you which of the video apps you have installed it should use.

There is a checkbox at the bottom of that dialog you can optionally select to make
whatever app you choose become the "default." Or you can not set a default at all
and it will ask you which app to use each time you want to open a video file.

If this doesn't work on your tablet then the manufacturer must have hobbled your
Android install for some stupid reason."

As for your AVI issue, be aware that AVI is a "container" and
can be encoded internally with a CODEC. I have some videos which
use HUFFYUV, which is some kind of compression method for video.
It cuts down the size of a video captured on my WinTV card, from
maybe 200GB to 130GB or so (that's before converting it to a
lossy high-compression standard). Now, if I were to give you
one of those movies, your Windows computer couldn't play it.
I'd have to give you the CODEC for that video.

The JoeVLC will likely have lots of CODECs in it, so it can
play a lot of formats. But if the person making the video
tries hard enough, they can use a CODEC that practically nobody
has a copy of.

On my Windows PC, I have the GSpot information codec program, to tell
me what CODEC I need. On a Windows PC without the HUFFYUV CODEC installed,
it fives the four letter short name of the CODEC, and tells me the
CODEC is not installed. Whereas on the PC that has it installed, GSpot
would be able to play the video in a small window for me, just by
clicking the button at the bottom. That's how I'd go about
figuring out what CODEC was needed.

A number of movie formats are "containers", and that complicates
matters. I think AVI is a container, Apple MOV is a container,
perhaps even MKV is a container.

Even some image format are a "tough act to follow". The TIFF
standard is so large, practically no image viewer implements
the whole thing. Which again means, if I put my mind to it,
I can make a valid TIFF file, you won't be able to view on
your computer (Windows or Android).

You probably play a lot more movies than I do, and
you should be an "expert" in this stuff by now.
Movie enthusiasts have no choice but to become
nerds, if they expect to watch a movie :-)

Paul
Click to expand...

I took the movie I wanted to play and copied it to the two directories
that JoeVLS seems to see. It does play(with vlc) when I launch it
with VLC but when I launch it from ES File Explorer it tries to play
with ES File Explorer and then stops.

I see no way to set VLC as the associated file for AVI.
 
I took the movie I wanted to play and copied it to the two directories
that JoeVLS seems to see. It does play(with vlc) when I launch it
with VLC but when I launch it from ES File Explorer it tries to play
with ES File Explorer and then stops.

I see no way to set VLC as the associated file for AVI.
Click to expand...

The bottom five posts here, have some fluff about ES File Explorer,
and why you can't set a default video player with it. There is
some mention of an "Open with..." screen as well.

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackberry-playbook-f222/es-file-explorer-unable-play-avi-files-746237/

Paul
 
The bottom five posts here, have some fluff about ES File Explorer,
and why you can't set a default video player with it. There is
some mention of an "Open with..." screen as well.

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackberry-playbook-f222/es-file-explorer-unable-play-avi-files-746237/

Paul
Click to expand...
Holding down the filename does bring up an option to "open with" but
when I pick the file, it starts to play as before and then exits. The
file association doesn't change.

I am trying to use it on a file I know works because I have copied the
file to a directory VLC lists. It plays fine when I use VLC to load
it. As I have said before, VLC doesn't seem to have an option to
point to a network drive so any file I want to play with it has to be
copied to the tablet.

When I first tried playing video, I was given an option for what
program to use, but it seems that ES File Explorer is permanently
associated to avi files now.
 
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