VLC Android subtitles cause video to stutter/ drop frames

[hotboy87]

Same here mi box s 4k

We need solution ,, we like vlc

[hotboy87]

I found solution ,, on mi box s ,, I think it is ram problem ,, when I force stop others app problem solved

[a4tech]

Problem is still present even on devices with 4GB ram and S905X4 CPU.
Can VLC team give us a hint ?

I improved it by denny scalling but at that time, position and size of subtitles or teletext is not fine...

[Mirko]

Same Problem here, the only solution at this time i found is convert to ass type subtitles, or use the old yuvp renderer

in my raspberry pi 4 w/last Raspberry Pi OS.

~/.config/vlc/vlcrc

Code: Select all

# Use YUVP renderer (boolean) freetype-yuvp=1

this render avoid laggy o choppy video playback, but i cant find the way to change the size of the font, vlc refuse to take the vlcrc config for the fonts size and type.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

ASS subtitles have built-in size. The size setting is of course only for unformatted text subtitles.

[jimlan]

Is there any news about this issue?

I have the same issue(on Android TV). Thanks.

[Mirko]

ASS subtitles have built-in size. The size setting is of course only for unformatted text subtitles.

yes ass subtitles work good, but the yuvp renderer w/ srt subtitles work without lag but cant change the size or font.
only tested in linux (raspberry pi4 headless )

[elebomin]

Just tested android lib v3.4.0, and still have the pbl (on Android TV in my case)
Do you need any logs or more details ?
I would be glad to help if needed
Eric

[user456]

OMG. When is it going to be fixed? So old thread and issue and still was not fixed.

Video freezes all the time a new subtitles appear on the screen. Samsung S10 and also Xiaomi Android TV. Any device I use has this problem. Same videos with soft subtitles work great on MX Player, no issue with lugging (freezing) when subtitles appear

MX Player can but VLC can not, why?

[user456]

And yeah, it's not hardware issue of devices. It works perfect on MX Player

[whitepuzzle]

Still getting this issue. VLC 3.4.3 on a Sony X90J running latest firmware. Very big obvious stutter every time a subtitle shows up. Seems to happen with PGS, but not SRT. Not sure about ASS.

[Lorryquai]

Also noticed this problem at Appletv 4/4k gen1/4k gen2 with app IPTVX.

Whenever subtitles are active there a pile of stutter/judder as soon as the subtitle is shown.

Getting a headache of this. Very annoying.

[Nrby]

Same problem on Chromecast TV

[testerr]

My Solution:
I have Amazon Fire TV Lite with VLC 3.4.4 and have this frame drop on every subtitle change.
What helped for me is set OpenGL ES2 to "force on" in Advanced settings, and Close And Restart VLC.
Founding this take me about 6 hour fighting with reading logs, reinstalling different versions, fiddling with settings etc.

I have consistent results: when I set this to Always Off - subtitle frame drop comes back. When I switch it to Force On - subtitle frame drop disappears.
When I set it to Automatic then sometimes subtitles cause frames drop, sometimes not.

[cbong]

Hi there!
I'm having this issue as well on a Sony Android TV and I've been patiently waiting for a fix, but this is 2 year old now and there's no resolution in sight. I've always appreciated that the application is free and they're fighting to keep it independent and free of ads (also donated - not that it really matters), but a product that cannot be used is still useless, even if it's for free.
I'm really disappointed and I guess it's time to switch to something else. If you have any suggestions, please don't be shy.

PS: I tried the solution posted by testerr above, for me it didn't change anything.

[reinis]

Hey!

I also have "Chromecast with Google TV" (which effectively is Android TV) and I've been having the same issue with VLC ever since I bought it a year ago. I play off my local network and without subtitles the video plays perfectly fine (even 4K HDR), but if I enable subtitles on any video in VLC, then the video starts stuttering in the moments when subtitles change so a video is unwatcheable. This is really, really annoying. Please fix!

[unidan]

Hi,

I still have an old fix for that on 4.0 branch, which is approximately still working somehow but scaling is wrong. When I tried to ensure scaling is correct, I realized that SPU scaling and placement is not identical between OpenGL rendering and others, so I'm looking for a way to improve the current state reliably here, but time is scarce currently.

[cbong]

Hi @unidan, thanks for the update and for looking into it.
I understand that time is an issue, I guess for everyone these modern days. However, I see this as a critical issue making the app unusable in these conditions and should be prioritized. As much as I like and support VLC, I can't use it like this. And the number of people complaining on different channels is increasing, especially when considering the (continuously growing) market of Android devices - TVs, Chromecast, etc.

Issue also tracked here and here.

[vivaldi21]

Hi from France (sorry for bad english).
Happy to find this thread, because i have the same problem for many years.
Sony Android TV KD-49XG9005. VLC app 3.4.4. I read videos files from an USB key connected on TV. Files are « standard » .mkv files (no 4K) with .srt subtitles inside. So, my configuration is very simple, nothing sophisticated !
Each time a subtitle appears, there is a jump on the video, skipping images.
No problem with MXPlayer, or Kodi, or Nova player. So I abandonned VLC...

[may008]

Hi VLC Team
Same problem here.
VLC v.3.5.3 on Xiaomi Mi TV p1 (android 10)
I’ve tried some different options but the problem persists.
Thanks for your support!

[csmscooby]

"Testerr" 's answer fixed my problem! I've been having this stutter problem in vlc player with subtitles for like a year or two, and that one little change fixed it. Wooohoooo! Thank you Testerr. No more stuttering on my firetv when i change "OpenGL ES2" to "force on". It did make my subtitles look different than what i had set, so maybe if you have something other than the default subtitle customization it can cause stuttering? Just a thought as it might help someone else with a streaming device that doesn't have the option to force OpenGL ES2 on.

My Solution:
I have Amazon Fire TV Lite with VLC 3.4.4 and have this frame drop on every subtitle change.
What helped for me is set OpenGL ES2 to "force on" in Advanced settings, and Close And Restart VLC.
Founding this take me about 6 hour fighting with reading logs, reinstalling different versions, fiddling with settings etc.

I have consistent results: when I set this to Always Off - subtitle frame drop comes back. When I switch it to Force On - subtitle frame drop disappears.
When I set it to Automatic then sometimes subtitles cause frames drop, sometimes not.

[ionwizard]

Hi...

So it's 2023... is there any info or update on the subject?

the opengles2 force on trick didnt work for me, nor anything else at this point...

The problem seems to be that the subs are rendered in the same resolution as the video... and that is too much... if you could set that res manually to something like 480p or even less 360 I am sure the stutters would not be there... At this point it doesn't matter that the fonts arent super sharp... we just want the subtitles pixelated or blurred and barely readable and stutter free...

Please any info would be greatly appretiated..

Thank you!

[ionwizard]

or maybe there is a way of making or downloading a vlc plugin or addon to change the library used to render the subtitles? how do i activate the yuvp rendered someone talk about 2 years ago?

[cbong]

One more year has passed, complaints pile up and still nobody cares to fix this issue. It's just ridiculous!

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

If it was really important to someone, surely they would have cared to make a fix.

The only logical conclusion is that it is unimportant, and thus it is not really ridiculous that it was not fixed yet.