The VideoLAN Forums

In previous versions before 2 one could get full screen video on Monitor 2 and the playlist and controller on monitor 1. I tried many preferences and could not do this with VLC 2. So how do I do this?

2.0 RC1 , i confirm.

Use latest NB.

Where can one get the NB?

The nb has the same issue.

My get info indicates version 2.0. Should it be 1.2? Anyway proper dual monitor support is critical for me.

Just upgraded to the newest non-Beta version "Version 2.0.0 Twoflower (Intel 64bit)" on my 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 MBP and have the same issue with not being able to send the full-screen video to the 2nd monitor.

I can drag the windowed video to the 2nd screen, however as soon as I click "Full-Screen" - the video changes to displaying on the primary MBP screen, and the controls display on the 2nd monitor.


Please advise...
*~AJ~*

There is an option in preferences that when you hook up another monitor will show up under video. Look for fullscreen video device and change it to your external monitor while it's connected and you're good to go.

There is an option in preferences that when you hook up another monitor will show up under video. Look for fullscreen video device and change it to your external monitor while it's connected and you're good to go.

Already set those settings - and no it DOES NOT fix the issue.

Video > Fullscreen Video Device -
The options that it gives you:
* Default
* Screen 1 (1680 x 1050)
* Screen 2 (1680 x 1050)

Doesn't matter which setting it's set to - same behavior.

Yes that is what is happening to me. Using today's download. (2/18/12).

i'm just posting to underscore this annoyance.

Going to OS X's full screen function with dual monitors in Lion is horrendous - see the Apple discusion at http://goo.gl/Cp7nN for more.. VLC 1.x used not to behave this way in Lion. Also, just confirming like ajx22 that I canNOT toggle which is my primary monitor (either by selecting Video/Full Screen Video Device...) or in VLC/Preferences/ ..Video. Selecting one monitor over another does not change which is my primary monitor... ALSO... toggling 'black screens in Fullscreen mode' has no effect either... I still get the ugly grey hatching background on my secondary monitor... The ugly grey hatching wouldn't --please stay polite-- me so much if I could even select which monitor was the primary one... one is my HDTV, the other a lower resolution monitor.

I love VLC, but will have to revert to the old version until this is sorted. Thanks.

(Also, everyone.. if you can spare a buck or two, why not donate a few of them to the VLC developers who are doing awesome work?)

I'm donating $25 today in the hopes this gets fixed quickly.

I don't have dual monitors to test, but have you tried deselecting "Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" and then restarting VLC to see if it helps. It acts like the previous version's full screen and maybe the other issues would go away as well. Good luck.

Of course, deactivate "Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" and complain to Apple.

Of course, deactivate "Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" and complain to Apple.

Yeah this worked for me! If you just go to preferences than interface make sure that the use native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion is disable and reboot VLC and than make sure that the black screen feature under the video settings is not clicked { same thing as 1.2 VLC } and it should work. Worked for me fine after many trys , I think the key just has to be that you have to restart VLC have you turn off the Fullscreen mode on OS X Lion option

I don't have dual monitors to test, but have you tried deselecting "Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" and then restarting VLC to see if it helps. It acts like the previous version's full screen and maybe the other issues would go away as well. Good luck.

Thank you. I had played with the "Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" setting before - however I had not restarted VLC before retrying it. The restart of VLC seems to have been the difference.

Again - thank you for the advice!

Of course, deactivate "Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" and complain to Apple.

THANK YOU JEAN-BAPTISTE!!!!!! It's now back to what I am used to after unchecking that option and then rebooting VLC... I will continue complaining to Apple!

I just want to add my 2 cents to this discussion. I don't use Lion (I use 10.6.5) so ""Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" is deactivated. I have no solution to the dual monitor support. With 1.1.12 I could double click a video and have it launch into vlc on to my second monitor (TV) and start playing. The controller remained on my main screen. With 2.0 I cannot get this to happen. The video launches into the small vlc screen on my main screen and only when I click the full screen control does it switch over to my TV. The I also have to move the controller back off the TV.

I also crashed vlc 2.0 once while trying to terminate it.

So we have a new, somewhat unstable, vlc 2.0 with a so called "improved" interface. If this is "improved" I sticking with 1.1.12.

I just want to add my 2 cents to this discussion. I don't use Lion (I use 10.6.5) so ""Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" is deactivated. I have no solution to the dual monitor support. With 1.1.12 I could double click a video and have it launch into vlc on to my second monitor (TV) and start playing. The controller remained on my main screen. With 2.0 I cannot get this to happen. The video launches into the small vlc screen on my main screen and only when I click the full screen control does it switch over to my TV. The I also have to move the controller back off the TV.

Did you try deselecting "Show video within the main window" in the Interface preferences and the "Fullscreen Video Device" is set under the Video preferences? The first option separates the controls from the playback window.

Again, these are just guesses that I can't test without a 2nd monitor.

I just want to add my 2 cents to this discussion. I don't use Lion (I use 10.6.5) so ""Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" is deactivated. I have no solution to the dual monitor support. With 1.1.12 I could double click a video and have it launch into vlc on to my second monitor (TV) and start playing. The controller remained on my main screen. With 2.0 I cannot get this to happen. The video launches into the small vlc screen on my main screen and only when I click the full screen control does it switch over to my TV. The I also have to move the controller back off the TV.

Did you try deselecting "Show video within the main window" in the Interface preferences and the "Fullscreen Video Device" is set under the Video preferences? The first option separates the controls from the playback window.

Again, these are just guesses that I can't test without a 2nd monitor.

I set both of those to OFF and it does the trick, but looks damn ugly. The controls are attached to the VLC library window, which is huge even when shrunk to its smallest size, compared to how it was before when it was just showing the controls with buttons that were larger than they are now. Yep, like the previous poster said—back to VLC 1 for me. Hopefully it branches off into "VLC Legacy" or something for those who dislike the new, "Windows Media Player"-like interface.

I tried the deselecting "Show video within the main window". Full screen video has always been set for my TV in the video prefs -- inherited from the vlc1 prefs. It still doesn't work for me. Movie starts playing on the main window no matter what I do. If I enable the separate controller it always appears on the full screen, i.e., TV, requiring me to move it off of there.

Also, vlc2 fouls up my audio settings. I use SwitchResX to enable/disable my tv. Along with that I switch the audio between my computer line out speakers and the optical audio to the TV. Somehow vlc2 affects that switching where I cannot flip between the computer line out and the optical once I've used vlc2. It get's "stuck" in the line-out once I've disable the TV. Only a reboot clears this problem. Never have this problem with vlc1.

Also, managed to crash it about 5 times too. I think that has something to do with playing full screen and quitting vlc while it is playing.

I give up. Vlc1 works. If it ain't broke I am not going to fix it. Vlc2 offers nothing I want (at present) except aggravation.

Of course, deactivate "Use the native fullscreen mode on OS X Lion" and complain to Apple.

Many thanks for this!

I tried the deselecting "Show video within the main window". Full screen video has always been set for my TV in the video prefs -- inherited from the vlc1 prefs. It still doesn't work for me. Movie starts playing on the main window no matter what I do. If I enable the separate controller it always appears on the full screen, i.e., TV, requiring me to move it off of there.

Also, vlc2 fouls up my audio settings. I use SwitchResX to enable/disable my tv. Along with that I switch the audio between my computer line out speakers and the optical audio to the TV. Somehow vlc2 affects that switching where I cannot flip between the computer line out and the optical once I've used vlc2. It get's "stuck" in the line-out once I've disable the TV. Only a reboot clears this problem. Never have this problem with vlc1.

Also, managed to crash it about 5 times too. I think that has something to do with playing full screen and quitting vlc while it is playing.

I give up. Vlc1 works. If it ain't broke I am not going to fix it. Vlc2 offers nothing I want (at present) except aggravation.

Any update on this? I'd love to start using VLC 2 but I'm in this boat too. I've changed all the recommended preferences in 2.0.1 and restarted VLC umpteen times but it still plays video in a window on the main screen instead of Screen 2. Lion fullscreen is disabled, all that. Thanks for all your work, VideoLAN!

Sorry, opening the video in fullscreen by default is not supported in VLC 2.0.0 and 2.0.1. This will be re-added in VLC 2.0.2. Regrettably, I wasn't made aware of that regression in time for VLC 2.0.1.

I set both of those to OFF and it does the trick, but looks damn ugly. The controls are attached to the VLC library window, which is huge even when shrunk to its smallest size, compared to how it was before when it was just showing the controls with buttons that were larger than they are now.

With the video playing in a separate window, you can collapse the library to just the controller by clicking the playlist button (3 stacked lines) or you can close the entire playlist window so you don't have to see it.