Black screen with m2ts files

[Erich56]

hello NG, I am curious whether other VLC player users are also experiencing the problem, that once in a while the player cannot play a m2ts file correctly. At least, to me this happens some times. Audio is okay, but no video - the screen stays black. Does this mean that in all such cases the file is defective?

[Lotesdelere]

I have the feeling your file may contain interlaced VC-1, which can't be properly played by VLC for now.

Please open Tools -> Messages (set Verbosity to 2) before you start the playback and then paste the full resulting log here or on Pastebin if it's too long.

[Erich56]

okay, I created the message and stopped playing the video after a few seconds. Result is:

main debug: control type=1
main warning: computed PTS is out of range (17472938), clearing out
main warning: output PTS is out of range (17541000), clearing out
main debug: audio output is starving (403356), playing silence
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (9744 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (11023 bytes)
...
there were a lot of such, identical lines, I deleted most of them to shorten the text here
...
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (23056 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (8304 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (8693 bytes)
main debug: removing module "float32_mixer"
main debug: looking for audio mixer module: 3 candidates
main debug: using audio mixer module "float32_mixer"
main debug: TIMER module_need() : 1.000 ms - Total 1.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 1.000 ms)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (34101 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (8774 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (8842 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (27948 bytes)
main debug: removing module "float32_mixer"
main debug: looking for audio mixer module: 3 candidates
main debug: using audio mixer module "float32_mixer"
main debug: TIMER module_need() : 0.000 ms - Total 0.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.000 ms)
main debug: removing module "float32_mixer"
main debug: looking for audio mixer module: 3 candidates
main debug: using audio mixer module "float32_mixer"
main debug: TIMER module_need() : 0.000 ms - Total 0.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.000 ms)
main debug: removing module "float32_mixer"
main debug: looking for audio mixer module: 3 candidates
main debug: using audio mixer module "float32_mixer"
main debug: TIMER module_need() : 0.000 ms - Total 0.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.000 ms)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (13556 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (13535 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (174464 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (13440 bytes)

@ Lotesdelere, does this confirm your suspicion, or is there anything else wrong?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

CPU too slow...

[VLC_help]

If it is a h.264 video, you can try
http://wiki.videolan.org/WindowsFAQ-1.1 ... s_too_slow

[Erich56]

thanks folks for the hints below.
I followed the wiki instructions:

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC playback is too slow
You can speed up the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC playback by disabling loop filter for H.264 decoding. To do this go to Tools -> Preferences (set Show Settings to All) and Input / Codecs -> Other codecs -> FFmpeg and in the drop-down box for Skip the loop filter for H.264 decoding change it to All. Remember to press Save to save VLC settings and restart VLC after that to make sure changes are enabled.

however, nothing changed. The problem still exists.
I was sure anyway that my CPU would NOT be too slow, since many other m2ts files I can playback. The CPU is a DualCore 3MHz, tuned to 3.7MHz.

Any other suggestions?

[VLC_help]

What does tool called Mediainfo say about that file? Have you tried to remux the file?

[Erich56]

MediaInfo shows the following data:

ID : 0 (0x0)
Vollständiger Name : Shauna.Sand.Exposed.m2ts
Format : BDAV
Format/Info : Blu-ray Video
Dateigröße : 9,85 GiB
Dauer : 1h 13min
Gesamte Bitrate : 19,1 Mbps
maximale Gesamtbitrate : 48,0 Mbps

Video
ID : 4113 (0x1011)
Menü-ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : VC-1
Format-Profil : AP@L3
Codec-ID : 234
Dauer : 1h 13min
Bitrate : 18,1 Mbps
Breite : 1 440 Pixel
Höhe : 1 080 Pixel
Bildseitenverhältnis : 2,000
Bildwiederholungsrate : 29,970 FPS
ChromaSubsampling : 4:2:0
BitDepth/String : 8 bits
Scantyp : Interlaced
Scanreihenfolge : oberes Feld zuerst
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.389
Stream-Größe : 9,33 GiB (95%)

Audio
ID : 4352 (0x1100)
Menü-ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Format_Settings_ModeExtension : CM (complete main)
Codec-ID : 129
Dauer : 1h 13min
Bitraten-Modus : konstant
Bitrate : 256 Kbps
Kanäle : 2 Kanäle
Kanal-Positionen : Front: L R
Samplingrate : 48,0 KHz
BitDepth/String : 16 bits
Stream-Größe : 135 MiB (1%)

what exactly do you mean by "remux"? This is a video which I downloaded from the internet as it is; so I am afraid there is not much I can change or do otherwise; please let me know though if I am mistaken.

[Erich56]

by coincidence, I just found out that the GOM-Player is able to playback this video, and also others which the VLC had problems with. Hence, the question is: what does the GOM Player do in a different way?

[Lotesdelere]

MediaInfo shows the following data:

Video
Format : VC-1
Scantyp : Interlaced
Scanreihenfolge : oberes Feld zuerst

The video is interlaced VC-1 and as said before VLC can't natively play this format for now.
You can try to use the DMO codec switch like this:

Code: Select all

"C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" --codec dmo

But it might be broken:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=92229

by coincidence, I just found out that the GOM-Player is able to playback this video, and also others which the VLC had problems with. Hence, the question is: what does the GOM Player do in a different way?

Because AFAIK GOM player is a DirectShow player, so it's using the WMP codec, what VLC is also trying to do when using the DMO switch.