VLC problems following recent updates
System: Pi400, Slackwareaarch64-current (up to date), Pi-kernel, VLC-3.0.18
Something recent has broken VLC's ability to playback h264 files. This is a particular issue as I use Kaffeine (which uses libvlc) to watch TV occasionally, and I can no longer watch HD channels (SD is fine!). I'm also unable to play local H264 files. Smplayer+MPV, standalone MPV and ffplay all play h264 files fine, although cpu usage seems to have gone up (around 80% on all 4 cores). It seems as if something specific has broken VLC. I've recompiled VLC, ffmpeg and x264 to no avail, and I've now run out of ideas! VLC errors on a local file: Code:
cvlc combat.mp4 Anyone got any ideas? -- Pete |
How are you building vlc? From slackbuilds.org? Or using alienBob's build scripts? Your own slackbuild scripts?
Is it possible your packages are storing libs in /usr/lib? For the most part the following works for me: Code:
cd slackbuilds |
Hi, and thanks for the reply!
Firstly, it has all been working perfectly for quite some time. It only broke after the recent updates - and only for H264 (haven't tried H265 yet, must do so!). I'm building using the standard SBo script, only modified to add aarch64 to the processor options: Code:
if [ "$ARCH" = "i586" ]; then The SBo script is derived from AlienBob's, just removing the bits to build everything in, and use the system libraries for things like x264 instead. As I say, it has been working fine for ages, and only just stopped. I'm not sure which update caused it, as I was away for a few days, and when I got back, several updates had occurred, so the whole lot got done as one (slackpkg+). I have a feeling its something to do with the graphics rendering somewhere. I don't believe its H264 or ffmpeg, as mpv and ffplay play just fine, albeit at a higher cpu usage, I suspect. In any case, I rebuilt both H264 and ffmpeg using tweaked SBo scripts (as above) and it made no difference. Not sure where to look next. Its certainly an odd one! -- Pete |
Is this looking for a more recent version of libx264? There's a libx265 also. You need it and compile-time x265 support in ffmpeg(?) & vlc for that.
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Yes, I have both x264 and x265, and have recompiled x264 (I was already running the latest version, and it has no dependencies) without success. In any case, if it was x264, I would have the same problem with MPV and ffplay, but I don't. Its only VLC (and Kaffeine, which depends on libVLC) that is affected.
As I say, I think its something in the graphics configuration that vlc doesn't like. MPV has a "gpu" option for video output, but vlc seems to use OpenGL. Maybe something to do with that? I've tried the other options, but they never did play nicely with the Pi. Cheers, -- Pete |
That all sounds right. But something's wrong.
If this is all current and you're compiling, is everything compiled against the same glibc? Glibc versions have been changing in current. |
Not sure this is helpful, but I ran across a similar problem with playing back video streams from a raspberry pi using vlc and found this on the raspberry pi website:
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I'm on slarm64 and just updated to the slarm64-current-aarch64-xfce-raspberry_pi_4-6.4.8-build-20230807.img, with glibc-2.37 & kernel-6.4.8.
FWIW, last time I updated Slarm64 was January 2023, and I grabbed a lot of archives in Febuary - like vlc, which has started acting up now that I've updated my system in the last week. That makes me think the problem isn't solely with vlc. I haven't updated vlc yet. I'm not likely to either, until all the problems go away. So I have those extra packages from early 2023, as well as the slackbuilds and source. The one obvious package I did have and rolled back was x264, and that had no effect. So you can eliminate that from your enquiries. If anyone wants to try rolling other things back, PM me if you want stuff from 7/8 months back. |
There is a good chance the addition of the lua package into slackware-current could be part of it. SBo has lua version 5.1.x and -current has lua 5.4.x. There is a thread about it in the x86 forum: https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...on-4175728585/
It refers to mpv difficulties, but I see on SBo that lua is a dependency to building vlc. Maybe rebuild the entire vlc stack, including vlc to see if you can track the problem down? It's possible one of the other dependencies in that stack is the issue too. |
I tried vlc-3.0.17.4, from 2022, and that acts up on my current. My vlc-3.0.18 from early this year worked fine, until I moved to the latest current. So it's a run-time dependency.
I'm an electronics hardware guy, no software dev. So here's a suggestion: Can someone go back through the ChangeLog.txt for current for about 6 months and see which vlc dependencies have been updated? I'm presuming Slackware Arm mirrors slackware64-x86_64-Current, as slarm64 does. I don't mean build-time dependencies, I mean run-time dependencies. There shouldn't be many, and that will provide a very short list of suspects. |
OK, this is weird! I should have mentioned that slarm64 has been having the same issue for some time. Well today I did the slarm64 updates from the 4th September:
Code:
Mon Sep 4 16:05:33 UTC 2023 Like slackwareaarch64, slarm64 has specific kernels for the Pi (currently 6.4.8), so it isn't the kernel causing the issues. One of the above updates has provided a partial solution - but which one? Over to the experts! ;) -- Pete |
If I were the betting type I'd put money on this one:
Code:
l/SDL2-2.28.3-aarch64-1.txz: Upgraded. There's also the question of whether all those Arm-specific patches to make stuff compile have bent/broken something that they shouldn't have, or even fixed something that should be broken. |
Yes, SDL struck me as being a likely candidate. Lets see what happens when slackwareaarch64 catches up.
Its still only a partial solution, though. Perhaps recompiling vlc against the updated SDL will provide a complete fix. Might give that a try tomorrow. Time is running out a bit for me at present. After Thursday, I'll be out of the country for a week or so and unable to experiment further. Hopefully, by the time I get back there'll be a solution... -- Pete |
Well, today's updates have completely fixed VLC, without requiring any further recompilation! Kaffeine works perfectly, as does VLC on local files.
Whatever it was now seems to be sorted! :) -- Pete |
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