MacBook Unibody - All Files Stutter On Newer Versions

[Chansey]

It has been brought up before but I want to put an end to this now!

Any VLC version newer than 0.8.6i makes video and audio stutter, almost like the HDD wasn't spinning fast enough. The fact that all files (including 1080p mkvs) work great on the older version confirms that it is not a hardware problem but a software error.

I think this might occur more frequently to people who have upgraded their MacBooks.

I got the Unibody 2.0 with 4GB RAM (Crucial), & 500GB HD (Seagate Momentus 5400).

So people with the same problem please post a reply in this thread!

I'd like to have this working for VLC 1.0!

[rlkz]

Reporting...

I've been using VLC for a very long time, but when i switched from hardware/os platform i've encounterd problems with VLC 0.9.x on Leopard 10.5 when playing 720p/1080p content. Although the workarounds are crawling over the internet, no one works for me. Some modifications to the "skip loop filter of FFmpeg" didn't work either. If i start playing a mkv file which contains a 1080p resolution my CPU usage is jumping around 80-90% and even peaks over 100%. 720p is saving the CPU, but also this gives time by time problems with the playback. The media file stutters or hangs for a few seconds, not likely a plesent way to watch High Definition mkv's.

VLC 0.9.9 is just released, but also this version is giving me headages! The x264 codec wouldn't be able to render on two CPU core's, just single - as i've heared. Correct me if i'am wrong.

Specifications;
MacBook Pro Unibody (early '09)
Intel Core 2 Duo 2,66Ghz 6MB cache (T9550)
4GB DDR3 1067
320GB 7200rpm 16MB cache HDD
nVidia 9600M GT 512MB enabled
Mac OSX Leopard 10.5.6

I'am sure the hardware shouldn't be a problem!

[edit]VLC 0.8.6i-intel gives CPU load over 100% and the following error when fastforwarding

ffmpeg: more than 5 seconds of late video -> dropping frame (computer too slow ?)

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I think 0.9.9a should fix it, could you try?

[Chansey]

Where can I get 0.9.9a? Could only find 0.9.9 or nightlies

[The DJ]

Where can I get 0.9.9a? Could only find 0.9.9 or nightlies

ssssst, it does not exist yet
http://ftp.videolan.org/pub/videolan/vlc/0.9.9a/macosx

[rlkz]

Thank you for providing the download link. Only 0.9.9a unfortunately doesn't improve the video playback on my MBP with mkv files. Before installation i removed all the preferences by AppCleaner, so no old traces would be used by VLC.

Primary 1080p media content stutters a few seconds, it occurs rapidly when fast frames are renderd (or with high bitrates).

[Chansey]

Doesn't resolve stuttering using a freshly installed copy of any copy of vlc newer than 0.8.6i (including 0.9.9a).

For some reason it started working for me with 0.9.9 after having used 0.8.6i for a while. So problem solved...almost. Would be nice to know why it doesnt work properly from scratch!

If I delete preferences it stops working so there is some change in the default vlc settings that my computer doesn't like.

Want me to upload my preference files?

Preferences/org.videolan.vlc.plist
Preferences/VLC

Edit:

Messages with bad "default" preferences:

avcodec debug: Invalid and inefficient vfw-avi packed B frames detected
(mpeg4@0xa4a010)
main warning: computed PTS is out of range (76195), clearing out
main warning: PTS is out of range (76427), dropping buffer
main warning: output PTS is out of range (87106), clearing out
main warning: PTS is out of range (52758), dropping buffer
main warning: PTS is out of range (28780), dropping buffer
main warning: PTS is out of range (4801), dropping buffer
main warning: late picture skipped (101569)
main warning: PTS is out of range (-8419), dropping buffer
main warning: PTS is out of range (-32113), dropping buffer
mpgatofixed32 debug: libmad error: bad main_data_begin pointer
main warning: late picture skipped (79917)
main warning: late picture skipped (38227)
main warning: computed PTS is out of range (91363), clearing out
main warning: PTS is out of range (91422), dropping buffer
main warning: output PTS is out of range (110096), clearing out
main warning: PTS is out of range (67466), dropping buffer
main warning: PTS is out of range (43503), dropping buffer
main warning: PTS is out of range (19550), dropping buffer
main warning: PTS is out of range (-4413), dropping buffer
main warning: PTS is out of range (-28380), dropping buffer
mpgatofixed32 debug: libmad error: bad main_data_begin pointer
main warning: late picture skipped (121681)
main warning: late picture skipped (79982)
main warning: late picture skipped (58425)
main warning: late picture skipped (16734)

With my "good" ones I don't get any yellow messages

Thanks

[mike.be]

I also have this problem, but today, after reading this thread, perhaps I have good news. I first downloaded 0.8.6i and deleted the preferences. I opened a file and played it. There was no stuttering. Then I downloaded 0.9.9a. It asked to delete the preferences (I said yes) and so far, it is working quite well (no stuttering). Perhaps it will take longer to see if it comes back, but at least for now it works fine.

[mike.be]

Sadly, the stuttering did come back. So, it's back to 0.8.6i. I hope this will be fixed very soon.

[jackholexxxx]

I have the same issue on my Mac Pro. Any 1080p MKV file stutters and pixelates several times a minute. I am able to play 720p content mostly without issue.

I tried the suggestion of downgrading to 0.8.6i, but that version behaved the same way as 0.9.9 and 0.9.9a. Is there any relief? I cannot imagine my machine is not powerful enough to handle this.

Pete

Mac Pro 8x2.33Ghz
16GB RAM
ATI Radeon 3870
Lacie 4Big 6TB RAID

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Deactivate H264 loopfiltering.

[Chansey]

Video codecs > x264 > "skip loop filter"?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

No, in ffmpeg in 'other codecs'

[rlkz]

Deactivate H264 loopfiltering.

I noticed that disabling the H264 loopfilter should work on some configurations, including changing the option simple to bit. To bad this is not working on my MBP. I also saw a degradation in quality when playing a random mkv. If i'am able to help with testing nighty's or some other changes, please let me know! glad to help

[killasapo]

i too am having the same issue with the new unibody macbooks

*.avi
*.mkv

all stutter


i have noticed playing the files in quicktime or movist they play flawless
so it's definitely something to do with VLC (software) wise

[The DJ]

I have an idea.... Does this happen to be during times when your laptop is battery powered instead of line powered ?

(in that case it's an error in the clock caused by the CPU going into a certain power save mode, and Apple will then need to release a firmware update to correct this problem).

[killasapo]

I have an idea.... Does this happen to be during times when your laptop is battery powered instead of line powered ?

(in that case it's an error in the clock caused by the CPU going into a certain power save mode, and Apple will then need to release a firmware update to correct this problem).

no it's not issue is still there

running on battery or power from outlet

[Chansey]

Occurs while on battery as well as with the adapter connected.

With my MBA 1.6 nothing like this ever happened.

[elchmaen]

I set the cache size for "File" access to 3000ms. That did the trick for me. I can even stream HD over WLAN.

[rlkz]

I set the cache size for "File" access to 3000ms. That did the trick for me. I can even stream HD over WLAN.

Wow! just wow! elchmaen

Now i can drop several 1080p mkv's into VLC without a headage. Even when bitrates are at 16Mbit/s and up
Looks like this is the solution for who has an Intel mac.

Thanks a million!

[edit]Though it is promising for most mkv's, i found that some files are still stuttering during playback. Anyway, for the most common bitrates it works!

[Chansey]

3000ms works for me too.

Maybe you guys should set the final value to this?

BTW: Setting loop off for ffmpeg doesn't do anything

[The DJ]

3000ms works for me too.

Maybe you guys should set the final value to this?

BTW: Setting loop off for ffmpeg doesn't do anything

If this is the case, then this would indicate that the muxing of this file is incorrect (The interleaving of the tracks is too far out of sync). The "time difference" between the audio and the video samples is too large for comfort of the VLC. By the time that VLC has the audio samples buffered, the video of the exact same time has not been read yet. VLC decides the time difference is too large and that waiting longer is likely not useful.

This is a problem in how the files were written during encoding and should be fixed at THAT point.

[nikk]

I don't have any issues in VLC with any video formats except 1080p on my MacBook Unibody. Only PLEX for now can play 1080p movies without stutter and framedrops. So I use VLC for video till 720p, and use PLEX for 1080p.

[rlkz]

A small bump.

It starts to be a multi-platform issue, as it seems. I have tried the suggestions for VLC on Mac, but with 1080p files the problem is still occurs. Even, when playing the very same mkv (same VLC version) on a Windows XP laptop (C2D, 4GB, nVidia GPU, 7200rpm 16MB cache) the stutter takes place on the very same moments. Luckily i was also able to test it on a clean Ubuntu 9.04 64bit desktop (AMD 7750BE, 4GB, nVidia 8300GPU), unfortunately no positive news

I this because ffmpeg doesn't support Multiple cores?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Yes.