diff --git a/syncplay/__init__.py b/syncplay/__init__.py
index 8728801..fa0a75d 100644
--- a/syncplay/__init__.py
+++ b/syncplay/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 version = '1.4.0'
 milestone = 'Yoitsu'
-release_number = '33'
+release_number = '34'
 projectURL = 'http://syncplay.pl/'
diff --git a/syncplay/client.py b/syncplay/client.py
index 6cfc930..40a44c3 100644
--- a/syncplay/client.py
+++ b/syncplay/client.py
@@ -443,8 +443,10 @@ class SyncplayClient(object):
     def updateFile(self, filename, duration, path):
         newPath = u""
         if utils.isURL(path):
-            filename = path
-
+            try:
+                filename = path.encode('utf-8')
+            except UnicodeDecodeError:
+                filename = path
         if not path:
             return
         try:
diff --git a/syncplay/players/vlc.py b/syncplay/players/vlc.py
index 7a7b464..59c9510 100644
--- a/syncplay/players/vlc.py
+++ b/syncplay/players/vlc.py
@@ -136,6 +136,11 @@ class VlcPlayer(BasePlayer):
         self._listener.sendLine('set-playstate: {}'.format("paused" if value else "playing"))
 
     def getMRL(self, fileURL):
+        if utils.isURL(fileURL):
+            fileURL = fileURL.encode('utf8')
+            fileURL = urllib.quote(fileURL, safe="%/:=&?~#+!$,;'@()*[]")
+            return fileURL
+
         fileURL = fileURL.replace(u'\\', u'/')
         fileURL = fileURL.encode('utf8')
         fileURL = urllib.quote_plus(fileURL)
@@ -151,7 +156,7 @@ class VlcPlayer(BasePlayer):
             normedPath = os.path.normpath(filePath)
             if os.path.isfile(normedPath):
                 filePath = normedPath
-        if utils.isASCII(filePath):
+        if utils.isASCII(filePath) and not utils.isURL(filePath):
             self._listener.sendLine('load-file: {}'.format(filePath.encode('ascii', 'ignore')))
         else:
             fileURL = self.getMRL(filePath)
@@ -185,6 +190,9 @@ class VlcPlayer(BasePlayer):
                     value = value.replace("file://", "")
                     if not os.path.isfile(value):
                         value = value.lstrip("/")
+                elif utils.isURL(value):
+                    value = urllib.unquote(value)
+                    value = value.decode('utf-8')
                 self._filepath = value
             self._pathAsk.set()
         elif name == "duration":
diff --git a/syncplay/ui/gui.py b/syncplay/ui/gui.py
index eb3deab..102efea 100644
--- a/syncplay/ui/gui.py
+++ b/syncplay/ui/gui.py
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ class MainWindow(QtGui.QMainWindow):
         if filename:
             if filename == getMessage("nofile-note"):
                 return constants.FILEITEM_SWITCH_NO_SWITCH
-            if self._syncplayClient.userlist.currentUser.file and filename == self._syncplayClient.userlist.currentUser.file['name']:
+            if self._syncplayClient.userlist.currentUser.file and utils.sameFilename(filename,self._syncplayClient.userlist.currentUser.file['name']):
                 return constants.FILEITEM_SWITCH_NO_SWITCH
             if isURL(filename):
                 return constants.FILEITEM_SWITCH_STREAM_SWITCH
@@ -417,6 +417,10 @@ class MainWindow(QtGui.QMainWindow):
                     filename = user.file['name']
                     if isURL(filename):
                         filename = urllib.unquote(filename)
+                        try:
+                            filename = filename.decode('utf-8')
+                        except UnicodeEncodeError:
+                            pass
                     filenameitem = QtGui.QStandardItem(filename)
                     fileSwitchState = self.getFileSwitchState(user.file['name']) if room == currentUser.room else None
                     if fileSwitchState != constants.FILEITEM_SWITCH_NO_SWITCH:
@@ -819,6 +823,12 @@ class MainWindow(QtGui.QMainWindow):
             self.updatingPlaylist = True
             for URI in URIsToAdd:
                 URI = URI.rstrip()
+                try:
+                    URI = URI.encode('utf-8')
+                except UnicodeDecodeError:
+                    pass
+                URI = urllib.unquote(URI)
+                URI = URI.decode('utf-8')
                 if URI <> "":
                     self.addStreamToPlaylist(URI)
             self.updatingPlaylist = False
diff --git a/syncplay/utils.py b/syncplay/utils.py
index bb8c18a..7733464 100644
--- a/syncplay/utils.py
+++ b/syncplay/utils.py
@@ -164,9 +164,16 @@ def blackholeStdoutForFrozenWindow():
 
 def stripfilename(filename, stripURL):
     if filename:
+        try:
+            filename = filename.encode('utf-8')
+        except UnicodeDecodeError:
+            pass
         filename = urllib.unquote(filename)
         if stripURL:
-            filename = filename.split(u"/")[-1]
+            try:
+                filename = urllib.unquote(filename.split(u"/")[-1])
+            except UnicodeDecodeError:
+                filename = urllib.unquote(filename.split("/")[-1])
         return re.sub(constants.FILENAME_STRIP_REGEX, "", filename)
     else:
         return ""
@@ -181,7 +188,15 @@ def stripRoomName(RoomName):
         return ""
 
 def hashFilename(filename, stripURL = False):
-    return hashlib.sha256(stripfilename(filename, stripURL).encode('utf-8')).hexdigest()[:12]
+    if isURL(filename):
+        stripURL = True
+    strippedFilename = stripfilename(filename, stripURL)
+    try:
+        strippedFilename = strippedFilename.encode('utf-8')
+    except UnicodeDecodeError:
+        pass
+    filenameHash = hashlib.sha256(strippedFilename).hexdigest()[:12]
+    return filenameHash
 
 def hashFilesize(size):
     return hashlib.sha256(str(size)).hexdigest()[:12]
@@ -197,6 +212,14 @@ def sameHashed(string1raw, string1hashed, string2raw, string2hashed):
         return True
 
 def sameFilename (filename1, filename2):
+    try:
+        filename1 = filename1.encode('utf-8')
+    except UnicodeDecodeError:
+        pass
+    try:
+        filename2 = filename2.encode('utf-8')
+    except UnicodeDecodeError:
+        pass
     stripURL = True if isURL(filename1) ^ isURL(filename2) else False
     if filename1 == constants.PRIVACY_HIDDENFILENAME or filename2 == constants.PRIVACY_HIDDENFILENAME:
         return True