The VideoLAN Forums

Beginner here needing advice!
I have searched your forums using my header text. No results so I try here.

I've been using VLC for years but today when I insert a CD into my PC the opening window says each file is 1KB & the play button just flickers. Nothing happening.
It was working a few months ago when I bought a new CD & downloaded the files to my PC. (My normal practice for ease of use)

So I try Windows Media Player, making it default in the process, & it works perfectly. (VLC was the default previously)
So it seems that all my equipment, settings & CDs are OK, but I'm at a loss to know what to do now.

I do not want to have to use WMP...
Advice please: )

Which version of VLC are you running?
Please try with the 3.0.1 version

Thanks, but when I check for updates it tells me I have the latest version of VLC.

Try with VLC 3.0.2 and use the menu Media -> Open Disc

Howdy, I've got exactly the same problem, I've been able to open any audio CD in the past. Oddly enough, the same disk will happily run on WMP of all things. It sounds like a VLC bug or some setting gone awry.
VLC vers is 3.0.7.1
Perhaps I'll jump back to an older version until this bug get fixed?

I am experiencing the same thing. I have Version 3.08 X64 Vetinari and it won't play CDA files even though I have made VLC my default for Video and Audio files.
Coming upon this thread and seeing I had to manually make a change to play audio files? Strange this has been going on for some time. I hope it gets fixed soon.

I've been having the same problem. I just installed v3.0.10 Vetinari and still no luck. Like others on this thread, I don't want to use WMP to play CDs. Is there a plan to fix this issue?

OK, I found a workaround. Open Windows Explorer, right-click on the CD drive in the left pane, then select "Play with VLC media player." Works like a charm.

I am experiencing the same thing. I have Version 3.08 X64 Vetinari and it won't play CDA files even though I have made VLC my default for Video and Audio files.
Coming upon this thread and seeing I had to manually make a change to play audio files? Strange this has been going on for some time. I hope it gets fixed soon.

Why is it there are so many folks with the same problem (i.e., VLC will NOT, repeat, NOT play audio CD's, but as no problem playing just about any other media format (including DVD's), and to more or less add insult to injury, I've yet to find any other media playing software (WMP, WinAmp, whatever) that has this rather unique point of failure. Additionally, this problem presents itself in both the built-in optical drive, and an older, USB DVD drive. So the make and model are not an issue here.
Is no one really paying any attention to this, beyond the same old, same old, "oh, click this, instead of that".

VLC will not play CDA files. VLC does play CDDA disks.

It doesn't here. OK I know that .cda isn't really a file extensikon, o that's not the point here either. What I get is this:
VLC is unable to open the MRL 'dvd:///F:/'. Check the log for details.

In my (so far) three days or so of trying to drill down on this, the only answer that even tried to work was to compromise my PC's security settings. (i.e., kill a firewall, for instance) . While not as ridiculously counter-productive as just ripping the content to another location -- which, by the way, is NOT THE POINT! If I wanted to work around it like this, I wouid --
compromising security settings in order to make a presumably reputable application to do something it was supposed to do without jumping through hoops like these is unbelievably stupid.
So, I ask again, what's going on, here?

Well a CDDA is not a DVD.

VLC is unable to open the MRL 'dvd:///F:/'.
So, I ask again, what's going on, here?

Looks like you're trying to play an audio CD as a DVD.
Make sure to tick the Audio CD option and the correct drive device letter in the Disc Selection from the Open Disc menu.

The option presents itself as an "Audio CD" but still generates the abovementioned error.

Yup, this is still an issue. Doesn't matter how the disc is approached.

Indeed, I just tried on vlc 3.0.18 (on win10 64bit), and it still is an issue.
I don't mean to bash anyone, esp. open source developers, but it is surprising to see that a problem with such basic functionality has been open for such a long time

Observed behaviour:
- associate cd disks with vlc (I presume... this was possibly done long ago)
- pop in audio cd
- vlc opens, listing .cda files
- try to play them: vlc quickly "blinks" over each file and plays nothing
- same on right-click on cd in windows explorer -> play

The only way to get the cd to play seems to be to click "open disc" within vlc, and choose "audio cd" in the dialog which pops-up.

But then there is no list of audio tracks displayed. When I try to open the disc in "audio cd" mode, and choose "enqueue" from the "Open Media" dialog, the .cda files get displayed, and again their are unplayable.

The only way to get the cd to play seems to be to click "open disc" within vlc, and choose "audio cd" in the dialog which pops-up.

Exactly.