VLC bug issue?

[TECH198]

Running 3.0.8 on Mac OS X Mojave 10.14.6 and having issues with playing .mkv file..

Not sure if its specific yet, but usually if a reverse and re-play same part its ok... However, it only occurs when opening fresh and playback.

https://pastebin.com/Gn3NLuZa

[unidan]

Hi, what is your issue ?

[TECH198]

frames are being dropped as posted..

exert :

main warning: picture is too late to be displayed (missing 1293 ms)
main warning: picture is too late to be displayed (missing 127 ms)
main warning: picture is too late to be displayed (missing 419 ms)
main warning: picture is too late to be displayed (missing 335 ms)
main warning: picture is too late to be displayed (missing 1294 ms)
main warning: picture is too late to be displayed (missing 334 ms)

main warning: buffer too late (-663833 us): dropped
main error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 1276 ms)
main debug: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
main debug: Buffering 0%
main debug: Buffering 3%
main debug: Buffering 13%
main debug: Buffering 16%
main debug: Buffering 26%
main debug: Buffering 29%
main debug: Buffering 39%

If i reverse, the re-play its ok same section, its ok.... but this dropped frames happen only when opening file from scratch. some are noticeable drops.would this be do to file/format specific?.. .mkv file

[isadorothy]

I`m having the same issue.

Mac Mojave 10.14.6 - installed. Vlc 3.0.2 (updated) - VLC quick when I try open a mkv file.

[TECH198]

https://pastebin.com/bbC7H5Bb

Confirmed not just mkv files.. It's happening with mp4 as well
main debug: configured with /Users/d-fu/vlc-3.0/extras/package/macosx/../../../configure '--prefix=/Users/d-fu/vlc-3.0/build/vlc_install_dir' '--enable-macosx' '--enable-merge-ffmpeg' '--enable-osx-notifications' '--enable-faad' '--enable-flac' '--enable-theora' '--enable-shout' '--enable-ncurses' '--enable-twolame' '--enable-realrtsp' '--enable-libass' '--enable-macosx-qtkit' '--enable-macosx-avfoundation' '--disable-skins2' '--disable-xcb' '--disable-caca' '--disable-pulse' '--disable-sdl-image' '--disable-vnc' '--build=x86_64-apple-darwin17' '--host=x86_64-apple-darwin17' '--with-macosx-version-min=10.7' '--with-macosx-sdk=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.13.sdk' '--with-breakpad=https://mac.crashes.videolan.org' 'build_alias=x86_64-apple-darwin17' 'host_alias=x86_64-apple-darwin17' 'CC=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/clang' 'CFLAGS=-g' 'LDFLAGS=' 'CXX=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/clang++' 'CXXFLAGS=-g' 'OBJC=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/clang' 'OBJCFLAGS=-g'
main debug: auto hiding mouse cursor
main debug: auto hiding mouse cursor
main debug: toggling pause
main debug: toggling pause
main warning: buffer too late (-237051 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-215880 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-194693 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-173483 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-152296 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-131099 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-109902 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-88638 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-67371 us): dropped
main debug: playback too late (61199): flushing buffers
main warning: playback too late (72814): up-sampling
macosx debug: Activated assertion NoDisplaySleepAssertion through IOKit (33610)
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
main debug: auto hiding mouse cursor
main debug: resampling stopped (drift: -324 us)
main warning: picture is too late to be displayed (missing 42 ms)
main debug: picture might be displayed late (missing 2 ms)
main debug: picture might be displayed late (missing 2 ms)
main error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 1740 ms)
main debug: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
main debug: Buffering 0%
main debug: Buffering 14%
main debug: Buffering 28%
main debug: Buffering 43%
main debug: Received first picture
main debug: Buffering 57%
main debug: Buffering 71%
main debug: Buffering 86%
main debug: Stream buffering done (1750 ms in 607 ms)
main debug: Decoder wait done in 0 ms
main warning: buffer too late (-233517 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-212469 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-191406 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-170682 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-149582 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-128508 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-107370 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-86493 us): dropped
main warning: buffer too late (-65424 us): dropped
main debug: playback too late (61737): flushing buffers
main warning: playback too late (73352): up-sampling
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
main debug: toggling resume
macosx debug: Releasing IOKit monitor sleep blocker (33610)
main debug: toggling resume
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
videotoolbox warning: pic_holder_wait timed out
main debug: auto hiding mouse cursor
main debug: auto hiding mouse cursor

[SomeRandomGuy]

I have what appears to be the same issue, which was annoying enough to make me sign up for this forum... (I'm running the standard DLed 3.0.8, and I don't have debug logs like the ones posted above, so while I am not 100% sure it's the same issue, it seems likely.) But I'm not at all sure it's VLC's fault... or not entirely.

I see this problem consistently and continuously, about once every 30-60 seconds, with 720p video (I haven't tried anything else), in both normal and full-screen mode, using both h.264 and h.265 encoded files. Input bitrates for the h.264 are up to about 4mbps, and for the h.265 up to 3mbps but usually lower. When it occurs, I lose perhaps a half second of video, but audio seems unaffected.

I first thought that this was a new issue with 3.0.8, because I haven't seen it until very recently. But then I downloaded 3.0.7 and 3.0.6 and they are showing the same problem. They very definitely did NOT show this problem when I was originally using them (which was when they were current versions).

Since I have the 32GB 2.9GHz MBP 15" 2018 model, I am really damn sure it's not insufficient CPU resources or RAM. And it's not the encoding, since winding back 10 seconds (or 3 seconds) always produces good playback the second time.

You know what's different now, though? The MacOS version. Running 10.14.4 I did not see this problem. Running 10.14.6 (WITH supplemental update), I do. I can't swear to the state of 10.14.5, but I am 95% certain it was OK.

Unfortunately I do not have a 10.14.4 or .5 system handy that I can boot to verify that this is the problem. Can anyone else?

The more I think about this the more I think it's the OS. It really does feel like the scheduler starving the VLC process, or something like that- though that's a pretty impressively screwed up scheduler if so, making VLC drop 15 frames at a time. Next time I watch something I'll try renicing the VLC process, though that's a long shot.

Could anyone else with this problem please post their OS version (indicate if you've installed the supplemental updates) and what hardware they're using? I note the two other posters are both running 10.14.6, though they didn't say if they'd installed the supplemental update.

Going very far out on a limb here, I wouldn't be surprised if either of these were true:
1) Only affects systems with T2 chips (since there haven't been so many reports)
2) Only affects 10.14.6 with supplemental update (since that messed with the EFI, IIRC)
... but in any case, there's only one way to find out. Post data!

Thanks.

[TECH198]

Thanks.. I never thought to think being a issue with OS. but i'm on 10.14.6 with supplemental update applied.

Its not isolated to T2 as i'm on Macbook air (Early 2017).. 1.8Ghz CPU, 8 Gig ram an it does it.. but i have applied supplemental update. I do have installer of Mac 10.14.6, so i may try it on duel boot/partition on Mac, and see how i go.. with same mkv's/mp4's tested

I could test this in virtual machine, which would have been easyest, but due to emulation VLC wouldn't work anyway.

[SomeRandomGuy]

Small correction to my post: One of the supplemental updates to 10.14.6 (I think there were two) isn't yet applied. I am about to apply it and try again.

@TECH198, testing in a VM is likely not useful for a number of reasons. It would be much more useful to test with an earlier OS if you have one handy (10.14.4, or even 10.14.)

In a couple of days I'll be able to test on other hardware and 10.13 with the same files. Unfortuantely, I won't be able to control for just the OS (it's a different MBP).

[SomeRandomGuy]

Small additional data point: I applied the missing Supplemental update to 10.14.6, and both my girlfriend and I think that skips are somewhat less frequent than they were before. But we have no measurements to back that up, so we could be wrong. And in any case, they are still *frequent*- on the order of once a minute.

Can ANYONE using 10.14.6 confirm that they are NOT seeing this? If so, using what hardware?

[SomeRandomGuy]

You know what doesn't help much at all? Renicing the VLC process to -20.

You know what *else* doesn't help at all? Using Quicktime Player instead of VLC! Or using the player built into Firefox, to watch random vids on facebook. Both have the same glitches.

So this is definitely not a VLC issue. I can't watch *any* video without running into this problem. Which is insane. I want to call this a MacOS issue, but I'm not quite ready to go there yet. I'll have to boot in safe mode, and also without a while bunch of other things, to see if I can identify what's causing this, or if it really is just something completely screwed in MacOS now.

BTW, after further consideration, I no longer think the 10.14.6 supplemental update reduced the incidence of this problem. But I still have no hard data.

[SomeRandomGuy]

So it turns out the fix is pretty simple: Don't run anything else. Quit all your apps, all your menubar extensions, log out all other users, and then you can play video. This is true for VLC, QuickTime Player, and FireFox native video, at least. If you do this gradually, you can see that the incidence of stalls grows progressively less frequent as the number of other things running declines.

I can't believe how f'ed up MacOS is right now.

@TECH198, can you tell me if this is true for you as well?

[SomeRandomGuy]

I feel like I'm talking to myself, but just in case someone else comes across this:

Switching to a different user seems to solve the problem also, even though all my apps continue to run. I'm not sure what to make of this. It must be something in Apple's code that's only executing for the user who currently owns the screen and keyboard. (loginwindow, SystemUIServer, something like that?)

How do they manage to screw up something so basic?!?