VLC playback bug?

[terrypin]

I'm playing 1920 x 1080 MP4 files in VLC 2.0.6. But playback stops slightly before the end. The final position displayed is a few frames before. The files play OK in 5 other players I've tried.

Here's a very small example. It should finish with an all black screen. But in VLC 2.0.7 here it ends with a small circle still showing.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/VLC-PlaybackProblem-1.mp4

I posted this query in the VLC Forum 2 weeks ago but had no useful explanation or advice.

VLC is the video player I've associated in Win XP with all file extensions except AVI, so I'd like to discover if it's possible to fix this annoying flaw. Otherwise I'll have to switch. What are the recommended alternatives from more experienced users please?

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[jman98]

This is not a solution, but just so you know VLC does have bugs that have never been fixed. If you have a VCD lying around, open it in VLC and once it starts playing jump forward to a future point on the disc. Very likely your VLC will crash hard when you do this. I will spare you a long diatribe, but the main coder on VLC is either very weird or very eccentric depending on your point of view and I can imagine that your problem is not very interesting to him.

MPC-HC is a very good media player. I would not recommend using WMP.

[DB83]

Well I use a quite old version of VLC 1.1.7 and there are no playback issues.

[jman98]

Well I use a quite old version of VLC 1.1.7 and there are no playback issues.

Can't say I'm surprised. I have been really unimpressed with the entire 2.x releases and I have even considered downgrading back to a 1.x release.

[jagabo]

I'm playing 1920 x 1080 MP4 files in VLC 2.0.6. But playback stops slightly before the end. The final position displayed is a few frames before.

That's a well know issue with VLC.

I suspect it's hard to fix within the context of the way VLC works. It probably uses a pipeline of several frames to decode and display the video. One step of the pipeline reads the video, another step splits the compressed audio and video into separate streams, another step decodes the video, another decodes the audio, another sends decompressed video to the graphics card, another send decompressed audio to the sound card. My guess is the first step immediately shuts down the pipeline when it reaches the end of the file. So the last few video frames aren't processed by later steps in the pipeline, and hence are not displayed.

Changing this structure is probably a non trival task and the authors don't see it as a priority.

[terrypin]

Thanks all.

Despite the familiarity of VLC, reckon I'll give MPC-HC a try then, as recommended by jman98.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[terrypin]

Well I use a quite old version of VLC 1.1.7 and there are no playback issues.

Thanks. Downloaded that. Also 1.1.11 which I've just tried. Like your 1.1.7 that did not have the incomplete playback problem. So might suit me fine. Seems like new features are getting added at the expense of established ones.

At present I have 1.1.11 sized to about half my screen but it jumps to full screen while playing and then returns to the set size. I haven't yet found the setting to stop that...

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[DB83]

Click the link ie on VLC which takes you to the page on this site. Then follow the link to 'Download Old Versions'

[DB83]

I can not speak of later versions but on mine there is a loop toggle button second from right bottom screen. When this is depressed the video loops. When it is not depressed (press again to depress) the video plays once.

[terrypin]

This is not a solution, but just so you know VLC does have bugs that have never been fixed. If you have a VCD lying around, open it in VLC and once it starts playing jump forward to a future point on the disc. Very likely your VLC will crash hard when you do this. I will spare you a long diatribe, but the main coder on VLC is either very weird or very eccentric depending on your point of view and I can imagine that your problem is not very interesting to him.

MPC-HC is a very good media player. I would not recommend using WMP.

With apologies for now being OT...

I've switched all associations from VLC to MPC-HC (apart from AVI, which out of familiarity I've left with VirtualDub). Time will tell but first impressions are good. It looks better supported than VLC and its options seem more logically organised.

One immediately required setting is eluding me. I've set its window to a comfortable size. But when I open a new MP4 (say by d-clicking it in an XP folder) MPC-HC jumps to maximum size (not 'fullscreen'). Can you advise how to keep its window size fixed please? I have enabled Options > Player > History > Remember last window size.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[jagabo]

Turn off Autozoom too: View -> Options -> Playback -> Output

[terrypin]

Turn off Autozoom too: View -> Options -> Playback -> Output

Thanks, that fixed it!

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK