VLC 2.2.0 very slow to open video files

[ptnik]

I upgraded to VLC 2.2.0, and suddently all the videos I used to play without incident in the previous versions started taking a very long time to open up (over 30-60sec in some cases). I tried removing, clearing all settings, (making sure the folder was deleted) and reinstalling, and the problem remained. Going back to the previous version fixed the issue.

Some things that might be of help: really small video files (100-200MB) seemed to load quickly- though 1GB took forever (closing VNC left the tasking lingering around in the task manager for several minutes or until I killed it.) I tried changing the caching settings, but it made no difference; this is happening in 2 different computers, one with a lowly Atom CPU, other with a much faster i7 machine with SSD, and in both cases, going back to the previous version fixed the issue.

Any ideas on how I can get more info to help debug what's the cause of this problem? Would really like to be able to use VLC 2.2.0.

Thanks

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Does running VLC without file take a lot of time?

[ptnik]

Simply openning VLC takes the same time as it usually did in the previous version, it just when opening a video file that it takes a very long time (either by doublic clicking it, or drag-dropping it into VLC - the file title shows up quickly in the VLC title, but then it stays like that - black video area - for very long time.) CPU usage doesn't seem to be high during this long time, neither any disk or network access... really can't figure out what it might be doing to take that time. Are there any log files that can be used to debug this issue?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

What format is it?

[ptnik]

HD 720p - H264 MPEG4 AVC + AC3 Audio

[Mark0]

Hi! Same thing is happening to me, and after Googlin' a bit I found this thread.

For me, it definitely seems that it's reading / scanning the file for some reasons. For a typical 1GB/50min MKV it tooks 4-5 seconds before starting (on an i5-3.5GHz); but I have a 3GB .ts file that just doesn't seems to start. However, I see it's reading from the NAS where the file is at about 5MB/s. The same file open instantly on Media Player Classic, for example.

Here's the media info:

[ptnik]

A bit more info. This indeed seems to be something related to some kind of scanning.

After Mark referring to files on the NAS, mine are also on a NAS. So, I tried copying it to a local drive and they were indeed much faster to open.

This indicates it might have something to do with limited bandwith and/or higher latency - though, as I said, the previous version of VLC opens up the files without such delays. Hope the same can be done in the 2.2.x.

[Mark0]

Nice catch! Can confirm: I copied the file to the local SSD and it start immediately.
But, the NAS is far from slow (it easily saturate a 1Gbit link), and previous versions of VLC had no problems.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Yes, this is the known MKV/NAS bug of VLC 2.2.0. We fixed that for VLC 2.2.1, you can try it by using a Nightly Build of VLC

[ptnik]

Glad to know it's a fixed issue. Meanwhile will try to find out some more bugs...
Thanks for your support Jean-Baptiste.

[vittithebest]

Hi!
Sorry if i re-open this thread, but i'm new and i've read of this problem and is similar with mine.
But i've always this problem... all file type, with no file etc...
I've try to change some setting, but nothing... i don't understand why, before VLC was very fast, but now it took about 20/40 sec to open a simple .avi and 15/20 only to open with nothing
Is only a my problem?
Sorry again!

[Mark0]

In the mean time, you can simply try renaming the file to 8 chars name + 3 chars extension, and it will mostly likely be as fast as before.

[vittithebest]

I've tried to download the Nightly build and it is faster, but not only with MKV, but with all the files.
Now i'd like to know if the problem is mine or general

[DirectuX]

Hi,

I've tried to download the Nightly build and it is faster, but not only with MKV, but with all the files.
Now i'd like to know if the problem is mine or general

on my system (Win8.1 up to date new fresh install) with other AV than MS's Windows Defender (tried a fresh install of VLC with WDefender turned off too) ,
VLC 2.2.0 (32b or 64b) is very slow (>30s) to open a file (the heavier, the slower).

Installing an old version (2.0.4 32b) and the problem is gone.
After reading your post, I installed the 3.0.0-git-20150402-0003 version : It works fast too.


Hope I answered your question.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Use 2.2.1

[vlcHorst]

Hi,

unfortunately I have the same promlem. The last 'fast' version without this problem was 2.1.5.

Also 2.2.1. takes minutes to open a large .ts file. At least when opening first time. Reopen is faster. Does VLS store scanned date about the .ts files?

How can I make it as fast as in 2.1.5.?

Horst

[ptnik]

Use the nightlies... have been working great for me.

[jimmytiel]

i have read the thread and installed version 2.2.1

i still observe that 1st launch of VLC player ( just the program from task bar - no media file) - takes 10 seconds or more to appear. but future launches are instant.

after the PC has been in sleep overnight,or is rebooted I am back to the one-off slow start.

older threads imply that this has been an issue for a long time.

I also located app data and deleted the file with cache in its name ( which has yet to re-appear)

so is this a know issue, or something that only I am experiencing. are the any other suggestions or clues or thinks to check

I am running windows 7. 64 bit.

if that 10 seconds is by design, I can live with that, but I am curious to know what it is doing for those seconds ?

NB i see exactly the same behaviour on my other windows 8.1 PC, albeit I have not updated yet to 2.2.1 on that PC. it has some version 2.x

I do have a RAM drive so I could explore moving program and.or app data to there if that is possible. I have not checked the installer to see if customized install path is available. I suspect thouh that this trick would not help any , and that is it some other cause - like program re-indexing something checking for updates maybe ?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

If it is slow to start, it's because the plugins.dat is not created. Do you have something cleaning it?

[jimmytiel]

OK : when I check program files x86 folder, I see that plugins.dat was modified this morning, but its file properties say that it was created in 2013
and it is only 257kb - that seems very small for a file that take time to create ?

so that does not seem to be the explanation.
I also have 11 files like this: plugins.dat.nnnn where nnnn is a 3 or 4 digit number. should those be there. will deleting them make things better or worse ?

plugins.dat.280 , plugins.dat.1580 , etc

maybe my plugins.dat is corrupt or needs a rebuild... should I delete it & force a re-create , then re-test? or up load it for inspection. ( I see no attach files option on the board )

happy to try that if you think it may be helpful

AFAIK I am not using any plug-ins , I was not aware that VLC even had/used plugins ?

[jimmytiel]

PS the only cleaner that I use regularly is CCleaner. its menu entry fro VLC player is Unticked, and always has been, AFAIK

I have tried a little reversible experiment.
I zipped all those plugins.dat files into a zip file, then started VLC. it took maybe 20 seconds to start ( No stopwatch handy) and it has now recreated plugins.dat. same file size as before. 257kb

that goes some way to supporting what you said. maybe it recreates it every day but windows does not change the file creation date because the name is not changing ?

i will now run ccleaner to see if it removes anything from vlc program files folder - NO it didn't....

I will see what happens tomorrow after overnight sleep or restart. VLC as at now is starting instantly, like it always does after a single slow start.

I will also inspect files names and create / modify dates on my windows 8 pc, nxt time that I use it...

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

You need to delete all of them.

[jimmytiel]

ok thanks, that is effectively what I've done. I hid them in a zip in case you came back and said Don't delete them...

so I will see if I get a fast start after next reboot. no news will mean good news.....

if there are any logging or debug options that I shoudl enable before that, please let me know, otherwise we wait and see.

[jimmytiel]

ok - on my windows 8.1 PC with UAC enabled. vlc 2.13 clean install when PC was bought , new, in january. never updated on this PC

In program files x86 I find plugin.dat last modified in january, when VLC was first installed. I see no additional plugin.dat.nnnn files.
I experience a very slow initial launch just like on the older win 7 PC, after then it is instant until next sleep or reboot.

when I ,as a test, run VLC as administrator, it changes the plugin.dat last modified date to today...

can someone explain that behavior please. if it is supposed to have write access in normal everyday use then clearly it does not get that from a vanilla clean install, so the modify date has been unchanged despite almost daily use for 5 months.

So shoudl vlc have everyday write access to plugin.dat or not ? . if yes, then how does it have to be installed so that it gets that for normal use.

if it does not need/ is not supposed to have write access, then why did it just modify plugin.dat when run as admin.

I am not the world's greatest expert on windows 8 , but something seems awry here ?
I thought the idea was that changeable data shoudl not be kept in program files, because windows restricts changes there; it should be in app data or appdata local ?

I also suspect this is all distraction from the real reason why 1st launch is equally slow on 2 PCs with different O/S. one with UAC, one without...

[jimmytiel]

update: it opened faster in today's test ( win 7 - overnight sleep -no reboot). not instant but only 2-3 seconds.

yesterday I went though every idea that google searches could find, tweaking preferences as suggested, as I don't think the plugins.dat theory is a winner
sSo I turned off collect and report usage stats, which was one of google's ideas. i turned off all use of media library - that was another
confirmed that check for updates is OFF
NB I am testing a pure launch the program, not a double click on a media file
other ( older ) google links basically say - it's slow - live with it; but I am still thinking that if 2nd launch is much quicker then 1st, then either windows is caching stuff in spare RAM, or there's sometime else that VLC does only once per day...

all ideas welcome