The VideoLAN Forums

Hi,
I've installed the new Ubuntu release and Vlc from the official ubuntu ppa and I have a problem using alsa as audio output module. The audio is good but after I pause a video the audio disappear and I have to quit vlc and run it again to hear it again.

I have not this problem with pulseaudio but I can't use it because it produce a bad sound (I've always had this problem, maybe because of my sound card).

Thanks for the answers.

Make sure pulseaudio is not running.

Make sure pulseaudio is not running.

But I don't want to stop pulseaudio every time I watch a video.

In ubuntu 10.04 I had Alsa 1.0.23 that I compiled by myself, the same version that there is in ubuntu 10.10, and it worked fine, even if pulseaudio was running.
So I think that there is a bug with the new sound system or something like that.

I repeat: vlc worked fine with alsa 1.0.23 in Ubuntu 10.04 but not in Ubuntu 10.10 with the same version.

Thing is, you're supposed to use PulseAudio for output, not ALSA. So you're screwed if it does not work and you don't want to remove it.

Thing is, you're supposed to use PulseAudio for output, not ALSA. So you're screwed if it does not work and you don't want to remove it.

I noticed that if I force VLC's audio output rate to the frequency of 192000 Hz, like you suggested in a previous post, I get a better sound with pulse, so now I can use VLC with PulseAudio for output.

However, it is very strange that Vlc doesn't work with ALSA now, while it worked fine with the same packages in Ubuntu lucid, maybe the Vlc's Alsa plugin should be fixed. Or this issue happens just with me?

The ALSA problem likely comes from the fact that another process (most likely PulseAudio) is claiming the device in the mean time that VLC is paused.

You should probably use 48000 instead of 192000 by the way.

The ALSA problem likely comes from the fact that another process (most likely PulseAudio) is claiming the device in the mean time that VLC is paused.

You should probably use 48000 instead of 192000 by the way.

I tried it but I get a bad sound even with 48000 and 96000, only 192000 works fine.

Maybe the alsa problem is due to the new PulseAudio version, since the alsa version is the same I installed on Ubuntu lucid.

However, thank you very much for your help Rémi.

Install package vlc-plugin-pulse

Install package vlc-plugin-pulse

I've already installed it, thanks anyway.