Subtitle playback issue in Snow Leopard

[seqiro]

I can confirm that I am having the same problem after upgrading to Snow Leopard.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

@raziel: do you know how to use strace?

Can you check that a fontconfig cache file is created somewhere?

[raziel2001au]

@raziel: do you know how to use strace?

Can you check that a fontconfig cache file is created somewhere?

Sorry, you'll have to be a bit more informative on this one... I don't usually debug under the osx environment and know next to nothing about the internals of VLC. Do you have some instructions I can follow?

[gonhidi]

Can you check that a fontconfig cache file is created somewhere?

Examining the file activity on a running VLC (a subtitled file had already been read) process through Instruments, I see the folllowing:

• The subtitled MKV is read.
• A /usr/X11/var/cache/fontconfig file with a seemingly random name is opened
• Many /System/Library/Fonts files are opened.
• All this has happened fairly quickly but then file activity pauses for around 35 seconds.
• Afterwards, more font files are opened at bursts for a few seconds.
• Finally, a couple more fontconfig cache files are opened, then several VLC preference files are examined and finally playback starts.

The fontconfig files exist on disk and are accessed on subsequent runs of VLC.

On a second run (fresh VLC run), apart from the dylib files read there are now two long pauses. Both happen between when LastResort.ttf is closed and LucidaGrande.ttc is opened (this time the fonts directory is examined twice).

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Non fontcache is created?

[gonhidi]

No fontcache could be created: the /usr/X11/var/cache/fontconfig mode is 755 for root:wheel. I now realize that the fd returned for the cache files was -1, which I assume means that they failed to be opened (in rw mode), so your hunch about the source of the problem seems correct.

A chmod o+w on the directory let the cache be built (the file ownership for the three files changed from root to my user), so after one last long pause playback was back again to being reasonably instantaneous. I have run Disk Utilities permission repair to see if that fontconfig cache directory should have other settings but it has found nothing to repair.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

No fontcache could be created: the /usr/X11/var/cache/fontconfig mode is 755 for root:wheel. I now realize that the fd returned for the cache files was -1, which I assume means that they failed to be opened (in rw mode), so your hunch about the source of the problem seems correct.

A chmod o+w on the directory let the cache be built (the file ownership for the three files changed from root to my user), so after one last long pause playback was back again to being reasonably instantaneous. I have run Disk Utilities permission repair to see if that fontconfig cache directory should have other settings but it has found nothing to repair.

How do the subsequent runs work?

[gonhidi]

How do the subsequent runs work?

Fine, both after restarting and with a couple of different soft-subbed MKV files: the fontcache files are checked and there is no access to the fonts directory.

Changing the font cache directory back to being read-only and even making the files belong to root (like the rest) seems to do no harm. Deleting the cache files makes the problem return.

[raziel2001au]

I figured it is probably a permissions issue. How hard would it be to fix this the proper way (so users just download it and it works without terminal hacks)? I don't know much about X11, but I'm assuming there is a reason why the fontcache is created where it is - could it be moved, say into /Library/Application Support/VLC?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Well, GonHiDi, that's what I thought
Thanks for confirming. We need to patch fontconfig to force the cache to be in VLC space for VLC 1.0.2

[raziel2001au]

Awesome, that fix worked... well, I did it slightly differently, I used:
sudo chmod a+w /usr/X11/var/cache/fontconfig

The first time I loaded an MKV after that it took 1 minute to load, but generated the cache info it needs to go back to loading files with subtitles at normal speed. I hope you guys will do a proper fix for the next release, but at least it all works with this little workaround.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I believe this is the correct fix.

[raziel2001au]

I believe this is the correct fix.

Well, if you guys intend to keep it as a manual process, at least ship these instructions with the next release somehow... Like, prompt the user in-program if he tries to open something with subtitles if the permissions on that folder is not set correctly.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Well, we will see if we can patch fontconfig like on Windows.

[raziel2001au]

Well, we will see if we can patch fontconfig like on Windows.

Good luck with that. Thanks for the help .
- Raz

[SnidelyW]

Has this issue ever been corrected? I am currently using 1.0.5 with Snow Leopard 10.6.3 v1.1.

Thanks!

[generalkhaos]

I found a fix for this on another forum while to learn why my evangelion embedded subs don't load < which i still have not figured out> BUT i am incredibly grateful for whoever came up with this genius fix cuz MAN does it take a long to load anime

apparently the problem has to do with X11 for some ungodly reason. open up a terminal and run this command and problem solved.


sudo chmod a+w /usr/X11/var/cache/fontconfig

[Jabrwock]

The issue is still present in 1.1.0, SL 10.6.4

[waverwave]

*bump*
subtitles are filling the screen nicely to the top until i can not see anything. they wont dissapear..

[zouche]

Sorry to bump an old post but a strange thing has happened:

I used this fix a couple of months ago to get MKVs to load instantly and it was a 100% success.

Then last week I reinstalled Snow Leopard and the latest version of VLC but now when i try to use the command 'sudo chmod a+w /usr/X11/var/cache/fontconfig' i get the error 'No such file or directory'. In fact neither the 'cache' nor 'var' folders seem to exist and the only folder inside 'X11' is one called 'share'.

Does anyone have any ideas about this?

[mifortin]

Sorry for reviving an old post, however since the issue still persists without changing permissions of X11's fontconfig folder; Apple's X11 seems to put its fontconfig files in ~/.fontconfig -- putting the cache files there by default might be a better long-term solution?