Questions about issues with VLC 3.0.18 on a Pi4

[jon555]

I'm running the latest Raspberry Pi 64-bit OS on a 8GB Pi4, but VLC is proving a challenge and I'd like some ideas please.

I'm using the 3.0.18 version of VLC that they provide (i.e. sudo apt-get install vlc) and say is compiled with Hardware support.

Firstly I found whenever I went full-screen I lost control of the computer and mouse/keyboard input was ignored.

After considerable searching I found an amazingly useful comment from user "Undertow" here:
https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=337359
Which explained that the issue was:
"The default setting leaves VLC in a fullscreen mode with a hidden window underneath which you can no longer see to click or regain focus."
and a work-around is:
"Tools=>Preferences=>Video - Then change Output from Automatic to OpenGL for Embedded Systems 2"
But also suggests that won't be fast enough to work above 1080p (hence "work-around").

So anyway I made the change and it added keyboard/mouse control full-screen and the toolbar now appeared. However there do seem to be performance(?) issues, as when watching even sub-DVD resolution videos you get horizontal line errors from time-to-time, i.e. a few lines appear smeared or shifted to the right. The resolution of the source media doesn't seem to affect this and if I change from Ethernet to a local USB3 drive that doesn't help either.

What I'd like is firstly someone to consider fixing the underlying issue with the extra Window so other Pi users won't get stuck and secondly (most importantly for me) some tips to improve the performance (or whatever) so I don't get the line errors (kodi can happily play at 4k/30 BTW, but I prefer the customised control I get in VLC when checking media I've shot). Can anyone help please?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

As far as I know, rPI OS ships VLC with a custom video output by default, so probably nobody here can help

[jon555]

It has a number of options, there is a custom one for non-GUI environments, but that's not the default and not what I'm using.
(I have asked there as well, but as the hidden Window thing sounded more on the VLC end I mention it here too. Also it's running on a chip designed to play media up to 4k 30p, and where Kodi will happily do that, VLC struggles at 1080p, so again I think worth a mention, especially as the hardware is nailed down and there aren't issues with what graphics card you have or anything.)
Thanks for the reply, appreciated...

[jon555]

BTW the Pi end of my search for an answer is here:
https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?p=2134544

Kodi can do it, so VLC should be able to do it, if whatever is required isn't too far away from how it works...

[graysky]

As far as I know, rPI OS ships VLC with a custom video output by default, so probably nobody here can help

Yes, this is correct, see patches here.
@OP - can open an issue against the package here.

[jon555]

Thanks, I was particularly asking here due to the loss of control in full-screen mode in case there was a more generic issue, as I did expect the performance issue was pi-specific.
I've come to the conclusion that vlc on a Pi4 isn't a good idea at the present (and I've tried a lot of settings, media types, hardware and software decoded, and resolutions).
I think that if you want to play video on a pi4 then get kodi as that works fine for playback (whether you like the interface is up to you of course).
Thanks again to all that replied.