vlc/FAQ

Frequentely Asked Questions for VideoLAN Client
$Id: FAQ,v 1.7 2002/06/10 16:48:59 sam Exp $

1. Using VLC

1.1 How do I read a DVD ?
-----------------------
Just launch vlc and use the "open disc" command from the graphical
interface. In case of trouble, you may want to use the command line
interface :
    vlc dvd:/dev/dvd

1.2 How do I read an encrypted DVD ?
----------------------------------
It's exactly the same as for a normal DVD. You will need write access to
/dev/dvd, because of the key negociation process.

If you compiled your VLC by hand, please bear in mind that you also need
to install libdvdcss. It can be downloaded from the VideoLAN website. It
used to be distributed in the same package as VLC, but now you must install
them seperately.

1.3 How do I switch to full screen display ?
------------------------------------------
Press 'f' to toggle fullscreen mode. Note that not all video output
devices support full screen.

1.4 How do I hide the mouse cursor ?
----------------------------------
It should disappear after a few seconds if you stop moving the mouse.

1.5 How do I use vlc if I don't want to install Gnome and all this
#@!<21>% *$@&<26>% !@# bloat ?
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You can run :
    vlc --intf dummy myfile.mpg
Most commands are available from the command line, see vlc --help for
more information.

1.6 VLC eats my buffer cache, how to I use raw device ?
-----------------------------------------------------
If you don't know what is a raw device, don't even read this answer :-).
There is an experimental support for raw devices in libdvdcss. It needs
that you set up a raw device pointing to your DVD device (under Linux, 
use the "raw" utility). Then pass the raw device as second argument, for
instance :
    vlc dvd:/dev/dvd@/dev/raw0

1.7 How do I use VLC as a client for VLS/VLMS streaming ?
-------------------------------------------------------
First you must set up a VLS or VLMS stream. Please refer to the
documentation of these programs. Then start VLC :
    vlc udp:
You shouldn't need any option. If you're paranoid and want to control
everything, here is the exact syntax :
    vlc udp:[<server>[:<server port>]][@[<bind address>][:<bind port>]]


2. Troubleshooting

2.1 When I start vlc, I don't have any interface coming...
-------------------------------------------------------
If you installed a binary package, make sure you also installed an
interface package such as vlc-gtk or vlc-qt. If you installed from
source, make sure the development package for gtk or qt is correctly
installed (often gtk-dev or gtk-devel) and recompile.

2.2 Clicking on "disc" in the interface doesn't do anything
-----------------------------------------------------------
Wait a few seconds. Key cracking can take much time on some discs. If it
still doesn't work, you can have a more verbose output using "vlc -vvvvv".
Here are a few things to check for :
* Did you install the libdvdcss package ?
* Do you have write access to your DVD device ? For instance :
chmod 666 /dev/hdc
* Does your kernel log contain line about your DVD device ?
* Do you have a link from /dev/dvd to your real DVD device ? For instance
ln -s hdc /dev/dvd

2.3 [REMOVED]
-------------

2.4 The video runs but the picture is distorted...
-----------------------------------------------
There is probably a problem with the output layer. There are several
ways of troubleshooting it. First, try with another output plug-in, for
instance :
vlc --vout sdl
vlc --vout x11
Second, change your screen depth and/or definition. It quite often helps.
Lastly, have a look at your XFree86 video driver (nVidia for instance
releases optimized drivers for its boards).

2.5 Video is choppy...
-------------------
Your system is too slow to decode all pictures. It might be that your
CPU basically isn't fast enough. It can also be that the subsystem is
misconfigured/misdriven. Here are some elements to improve speed :
* Turn on DMA on your DVD device, for instance :
hdparm -X34 -d1 /dev/dvd
* Upgrade to the latest XFree86 version and the latest driver for your
video board ; check that the xvideo plug-in is effectively used with
vlc -vvvv
* Kill other applications running...

2.6 Audio is choppy...
-------------------
This is not normal ; it is a known problem and is being investigated.

2.7 Audio and video are out of sync
-----------------------------------
This is not normal. Try using another output plug-in (for instance --aout dsp),
kill esd or artsd if they are running... This is a known problem and
is being investigated.

2.8 [REMOVED]
-------------

2.9 Sound volume is too low
----------------------------
You can raise it with --volume commandline switch.


3. Ports and features

3.1 MacOS X port

3.1.1 Does VLC support the ATI DVD hardware acceleration cards ?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Currently it doesn't. We'd be glad to support them, but we lack technical
information on them.

3.1.2 Video output is black since I installed QuickTime 6 preview
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We suspect this is a bug in QuickTime 6 preview. Either downgrade to
QuickTime version 5, or wait for a bugfix in the final QuickTime 6. Some
people also reported that switching the desktop to thousands of colours
may solve the issue.

3.2 Win32 port

3.2.2 When moving the focus to another window, VLC network input stops
working properly !
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a known problem with Win 95-class systems. Upgrade to an NT-class
system.