1 Frequentely Asked Questions for VideoLAN Client
2 $Id: FAQ,v 1.1 2001/10/26 16:23:06 massiot Exp $
6 1.1 How do I read a DVD ?
7 -----------------------
8 Just launch vlc and use the "open disc" command from the graphical
9 interface. In case of trouble, you may want to use the command line
13 1.2 How do I read an encrypted DVD ?
14 ----------------------------------
15 It's exactly the same as for a normal DVD. You will need write access to
16 /dev/dvd, because of the key negociation process.
18 1.3 How do I switch to full screen display ?
19 ------------------------------------------
20 Press 'f' to toggle fullscreen mode. Note that not all video output
21 devices support full screen.
23 1.4 How do I hide the mouse cursor ?
24 ----------------------------------
25 It should disappear after a few seconds if you stop moving the mouse.
27 1.5 How do I use vlc if I don't want to install Gnome and all this
28 #@!£% *$@&§% !@# bloat ?
29 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 vlc -I dummy myfile.mpg
32 Most commands are available from the command line, see vlc --help for
38 2.1 When I start vlc, I don't have any interface coming...
39 -------------------------------------------------------
40 If you installed a binary package, make sure you also installed an
41 interface package such as vlc-gtk or vlc-qt. If you installed from
42 source, make sure the development package for gtk or qt is correctly
43 installed (often gtk-dev or gtk-devel) and recompile.
45 2.2 Clicking on "disc" in the interface doesn't do anything
46 -----------------------------------------------------------
47 Wait a few seconds. Key cracking can take much time on some discs. If it
48 still doesn't work, you can have a more verbose output using "vlc -vvvvv".
49 Here are a few things to check for :
50 * Did you install the libdvdcss package ?
51 * Do you have write access to your DVD device ? For instance :
53 * Does your kernel log contain line about your DVD device ?
54 * Do you have a link from /dev/dvd to your real DVD device ? For instance
57 2.3 Running vlc pussycat.mpg doesn't do anything...
58 ------------------------------------------------
59 Probably your MPEG-1 file doesn't have any system layer. This is common
60 for MPEG-1 streams without any audio track. Currently VLC doesn't
61 automatically detect this format, so you have to manually select it :
62 vlc --input es pussycat.mpg
64 2.4 The video runs but the picture is distorted...
65 -----------------------------------------------
66 There is probably a problem with the output layer. There are several
67 ways of troubleshooting it. First, try with another output plug-in, for
71 Second, try with an unoptimized YUV transform :
73 Third, change your screen depth and/or definition. It quite often helps.
74 Lastly, have a look at your XFree86 video driver (nVidia for instance
75 releases optimized drivers for its boards).
77 2.5 Video is choppy...
79 Your system is too slow to decode all pictures. It might be that your
80 CPU basically isn't fast enough. It can also be that the subsystem is
81 misconfigured/misdriven. Here are some elements to improve speed :
82 * Turn on DMA on your DVD device, for instance :
83 hdparm -X34 -d1 /dev/dvd
84 * Upgrade to the latest XFree86 version and the latest driver for your
85 video board ; check that the xvideo plug-in is effectively used with
87 * Kill other applications running...
89 2.6 Audio is choppy...
91 This is not normal ; it is a known problem and is being investigated.
93 2.7 Audio and video are out of sync
94 -----------------------------------
95 This is not normal. Try using another output plug-in (for instance -A dsp),
96 kill esd or artsd if they are running... This is a known problem and
97 is being investigated.
99 2.8 On some DVDs the subtitles are unreadable
100 ---------------------------------------------
101 This is a known bug and is being investigated.
103 2.9 When I try to compile VLC, it breaks on unknown instructions in
105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
106 Unset your CFLAGS environment variable. For instance type
107 export CFLAGS= ; ./configure
108 Don't try to be cleverer than us :-).
110 2.10 Sound volume is too low
111 ----------------------------
112 This is a known problem.
115 3. Ports and features
119 3.1.1 Does VLC support the ATI DVD hardware acceleration cards ?
120 --------------------------------------------------------------
121 Currently it doesn't. We'd be glad to support them, but we lack technical