The best linux platform I have found for VLC is Gentoo VLC is built right into the portage.
Gentoo Is a little dificult to set up... but a long as you set it up just as the DOC says ti is easy....
I have ran VLC on boath FreeBSD and Linux. When I play Any Video throuth the composit output of my video card I get a blue line on the right and top of the picture.