diff --git a/src/renderer/controllers/playback-controller.js b/src/renderer/controllers/playback-controller.js
index e13ccc4e..f68115e9 100644
--- a/src/renderer/controllers/playback-controller.js
+++ b/src/renderer/controllers/playback-controller.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const State = require('../lib/state')
 const ipcRenderer = electron.ipcRenderer
 
 // Controls playback of torrents and files within torrents
-// both local (<video>,<audio>,VLC) and remote (cast)
+// both local (<video>,<audio>,external player) and remote (cast)
 module.exports = class PlaybackController {
   constructor (state, config, update) {
     this.state = state
@@ -242,8 +242,8 @@ module.exports = class PlaybackController {
       }
 
       // play in VLC if set as default player (Preferences / Playback / Play in VLC)
-      if (this.state.saved.prefs.playInVlc) {
-        dispatch('vlcPlay')
+      if (this.state.saved.prefs.openExternalPlayer) {
+        dispatch('openExternalPlayer')
         this.update()
         cb()
         return
diff --git a/src/renderer/lib/migrations.js b/src/renderer/lib/migrations.js
index b284f4c6..3b9bd03b 100644
--- a/src/renderer/lib/migrations.js
+++ b/src/renderer/lib/migrations.js
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ function run (state) {
     migrate_0_11_0(state.saved)
   }
 
+  if (semver.lt(version, '0.12.0')) {
+    migrate_0_12_0(state.saved)
+  }
+
   // Config is now on the new version
   state.saved.version = config.APP_VERSION
 }
@@ -104,3 +108,10 @@ function migrate_0_11_0 (saved) {
     saved.prefs.isFileHandler = true
   }
 }
+
+function migrate_0_12_0 (saved) {
+  if (saved.prefs.openExternalPlayer == null && saved.prefs.playInVlc != null) {
+    saved.prefs.openExternalPlayer = saved.prefs.playInVlc
+  }
+  delete saved.prefs.playInVlc
+}
diff --git a/src/renderer/lib/state.js b/src/renderer/lib/state.js
index 04350337..da231086 100644
--- a/src/renderer/lib/state.js
+++ b/src/renderer/lib/state.js
@@ -100,7 +100,10 @@ function setupSavedState (cb) {
 
   var saved = {
     prefs: {
-      downloadPath: config.DEFAULT_DOWNLOAD_PATH
+      downloadPath: config.DEFAULT_DOWNLOAD_PATH,
+      isFileHandler: false,
+      openExternalPlayer: false,
+      externalPlayerPath: null
     },
     torrents: config.DEFAULT_TORRENTS.map(createTorrentObject),
     version: config.APP_VERSION /* make sure we can upgrade gracefully later */
diff --git a/src/renderer/main.js b/src/renderer/main.js
index 816aa351..7482e06d 100644
--- a/src/renderer/main.js
+++ b/src/renderer/main.js
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ const dispatchHandlers = {
   'checkForSubtitles': () => controllers.subtitles.checkForSubtitles(),
   'addSubtitles': (files, autoSelect) => controllers.subtitles.addSubtitles(files, autoSelect),
 
-  // Local media: <video>, <audio>, VLC
+  // Local media: <video>, <audio>, external players
   'mediaStalled': () => controllers.media.mediaStalled(),
   'mediaError': (err) => controllers.media.mediaError(err),
   'mediaSuccess': () => controllers.media.mediaSuccess(),
diff --git a/src/renderer/views/preferences.js b/src/renderer/views/preferences.js
index 686d7ad1..b309feb0 100644
--- a/src/renderer/views/preferences.js
+++ b/src/renderer/views/preferences.js
@@ -25,8 +25,7 @@ function renderGeneralSection (state) {
     icon: 'settings'
   }, [
     renderDownloadPathSelector(state),
-    renderFileHandlers(state),
-    renderExternalPlayerSelector(state)
+    renderFileHandlers(state)
   ])
 }
 
@@ -36,24 +35,11 @@ function renderPlaybackSection (state) {
     description: '',
     icon: 'settings'
   }, [
-    renderPlayInVlcSelector(state)
+    renderOpenExternalPlayerSelector(state),
+    renderExternalPlayerSelector(state)
   ])
 }
 
-function renderPlayInVlcSelector (state) {
-  return renderCheckbox({
-    key: 'play-in-vlc',
-    label: 'Play in VLC',
-    description: 'Media will play in VLC',
-    property: 'playInVlc',
-    value: state.saved.prefs.playInVlc
-  },
-  state.unsaved.prefs.playInVlc,
-  function (value) {
-    dispatch('updatePreferences', 'playInVlc', value)
-  })
-}
-
 function renderDownloadPathSelector (state) {
   return renderFileSelector({
     key: 'download-path',
@@ -104,7 +90,7 @@ function renderExternalPlayerSelector (state) {
       properties: [ 'openFile' ]
     }
   },
-  state.unsaved.prefs.externalPlayerPath || '<VLC>', // TODO: should we get/store vlc path instead?
+  state.unsaved.prefs.externalPlayerPath || '<VLC>',
   function (filePath) {
     if (path.extname(filePath) === '.app') {
       // Get executable in packaged mac app
@@ -115,6 +101,20 @@ function renderExternalPlayerSelector (state) {
   })
 }
 
+function renderOpenExternalPlayerSelector (state) {
+  return renderCheckbox({
+    key: 'open-external-player',
+    label: 'Play in External Player',
+    description: 'Media will play in external player',
+    property: 'openExternalPlayer',
+    value: state.saved.prefs.openExternalPlayer
+  },
+  state.unsaved.prefs.openExternalPlayer,
+  function (value) {
+    dispatch('updatePreferences', 'openExternalPlayer', value)
+  })
+}
+
 // Renders a prefs section.
 // - definition should be {icon, title, description}
 // - controls should be an array of vdom elements