For a few versions of Kubuntu (IIRC at least back through 15.10, maybe earlier) through current (16.10), with VLC from the standard repo, vlc always skips once or twice right at the start of playback -- any media, audio or video, every time.
I'm using a USB audio interface via Jack. Kubuntu uses pulseaudio.
It seems to have something to do with the creation/attatchment to a pulseaudio stream (in this case, a "Jack sink"). If I change the output module to feed to Jack directly, the problem does not happen, but I want to keep it at pulseaudio so I have OS volume control.
Once the pulesaudio stream is flowing, it's fine: meaning I can seek back to the start and there is no skip. If I stop play and then play again, it happens again (and in the pavucontrol window I can see the playback stream disappearing and reappearing when this happens.) And of course it happens on every piece of media in a playlist.
I couldn't google up any info... one or two forum posts of similar-but-different issues... any thoughts on a fix or workaround? I tried setting Input/Codecs -> File caching to 2500ms; didn't fix it.
"vlc --verbose=2 /some/file.mp3" produces this:
Thanks!...
...
[00007fcc80015f58] core audio resampler debug: looking for audio resampler module matching "any": 3 candidates
[00007fcc80015f58] core audio resampler debug: using audio resampler module "samplerate"
[00007fcc8cc05518] core decoder debug: End of audio preroll
[00007fccbc004068] core input debug: Decoder wait done in 1 ms
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: cannot synchronize start
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (9648 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output warning: starting late (-16348 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: changing sink 3: jack_out (Jack sink (PulseAudio JACK Sink))
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: Trying Lua scripts in /home/casey/.local/share/vlc/lua/meta/art
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: Trying Lua scripts in /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: Trying Lua playlist script /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/00_musicbrainz.luac
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: skipping script (unmatched scope) /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/00_musicbrainz.luac
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: Trying Lua playlist script /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/01_googleimage.luac
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: started
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: skipping script (unmatched scope) /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/01_googleimage.luac
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: Trying Lua playlist script /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/02_frenchtv.luac
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: skipping script (unmatched scope) /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/02_frenchtv.luac
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: Trying Lua playlist script /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/03_lastfm.luac
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: skipping script (unmatched scope) /usr/lib/vlc/lua/meta/art/03_lastfm.luac
[00007fcc84000958] lua art finder debug: Trying Lua scripts in /usr/share/vlc/lua/meta/art
[00007fcc84000958] core art finder debug: no art finder modules matched
[00005620435b6148] core libvlc debug: art not found for Coming on Strong
[00005620436e4fe8] dbus interface debug: Getting property Position
[00005620436b3e48] core audio output warning: playback too late (74406): up-sampling
[00005620436b3e48] core audio output warning: timing screwed (drift: 165180 us): stopping resampling
[00005620436b3e48] core audio output warning: playback too late (173391): up-sampling
[00005620436b3e48] core audio output warning: playback way too late (187884): flushing buffers
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: write index corrupt
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: cannot synchronize start
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (399414 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: write index corrupt
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: cannot synchronize start
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (399323 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (168544 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (168536 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (168525 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (168518 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: changing sink 3: jack_out (Jack sink (PulseAudio JACK Sink))
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (158304 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (142652 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (116164 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (85901 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (45761 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (38168 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: deferring start (11667 us)
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: starting deferred
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: changing sink 3: jack_out (Jack sink (PulseAudio JACK Sink))
[00005620436b3e48] pulse audio output debug: started
[00005620436b3e48] core audio output warning: playback way too early (-163507): playing silence
[00005620436b3e48] core audio output debug: inserting 7210 zeroes
[00005620435b6148] core libvlc debug: exiting
[00005620435b6148] core libvlc debug: removing all interfaces
...
...