VLC will not play DVDs or BDs -- crashes

[markfilipak]

Windows 10. VLC 3.0.6
Computer: 3.2 GHz, 64GB ACER Predator with Optimus
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M

PDVD would not play a BD.
VLC played BDs & DVDs, but poorly -- would sometimes crash.
I reinstalled my video drivers (details withheld for brevity; all went fine).
PDVD now plays everything.
VLC crashed on launch.

I 'refreshed' the VLC installation via 'vlc-3.0.6-win64.exe' -- no joy.
I rebooted Windows and tried again -- no joy.
VLC would not uninstall via 'vlc-3.0.6-win64.exe'.
I used the Windows Control Panel to uninstall VLC.
I rebooted Windows.
I installed VLC via 'vlc-3.0.6-win64.exe'.
I rebooted Windows.
VLC now runs but crashes as soon as I try to play either a DVD or BD.
I reset all VLC preferences to default via 'Tools' 'Preferences' [Reset Preferences] button.
No joy.
I ran shortcut to 'vlc.exe --reset-config --reset-plugins-cache vlc://quit'
VLC crashed.
I reran shortcut to 'vlc.exe --reset-config --reset-plugins-cache vlc://quit'
Success.
I ran VLC -- no improvement.

I followed the instuctions here:
https://wiki.videolan.org/Reset_Settings/
no improvement.

Can you suggest what to do next?

With Regards, Mark.

[markfilipak]

Thank you for version 3.0.7, Here is my experience with it.

I launched VLC, reset to default settings, and restarted Windows 10 (v.1803).
The first time I played a decrypted BD, it played, but VLC spontaneously closed as soon as I clicked the next index [=>] button.
I launched VLC again and tried clicking near the right end of the playback bar in order to skip ahead. VLC spontaneously closed.
Now, VLC spontaneously closes whenever I attempt to open either BD or DVD.
Internet Radio plays.

[corey]

Try using another platform like kodi to see if it is causing it to also crash I had to download it to see if it was a vLC issue or if it was a windows issue. or other issue.

Is it a specific title that is causing it?

Open the dvd file directory and look in the video folder check the vob files make sure they are not in excess of .99gigs if it is you having the same issues as I am and its not vlc specific. I believe there may be a new or a existing windows 10 drm sceme at work that may be blocking protected dvd and BD with certain type of coding. That is overriding the players and shutting them down or causing them to not work correctly in order to prevent you from viewing it with a platform they do not approve of. Doesn't matter if your platform is legal or not.

I started having this issue after trying to watch the HBO movie called the Tale and now also 20centryfox "APB" tv show on DVD.
where the vob files show as exceeding .99gigs

PS I used 3 different versions of VLC with the same results the most recent version being 3.0.7.1 and also kodi which are all displaying the same behavior as you describe.

[markfilipak]

Try using another platform like kodi to see if it is causing it to also crash I had to download it to see if it was a vLC issue or if it was a windows issue. or other issue.

The only other platform I have is PowerDVD. It plays everything just fine.

Is it a specific title that is causing it?

All titles so far. BDs & DVDs.

Open the dvd file directory and look in the video folder check the vob files make sure they are not in excess of .99gigs if it is you having the same issues as I am and its not vlc specific. I believe there may be a new or a existing windows 10 drm sceme at work that may be blocking protected dvd and BD with certain type of coding.

All my BDs & DVDs tested are devoid of any protection or DRM.

That is overriding the players and shutting them down or causing them to not work correctly in order to prevent you from viewing it with a platform they do not approve of. Doesn't matter if your platform is legal or not.

What you describe is called 'bus encryption'. All of my files are legal. And all of them used to play (poorly) in VLC versions prior to v 3.0.6.

I started having this issue after trying to watch the HBO movie called the Tale and now also 20centryfox "APB" tv show on DVD.
where the vob files show as exceeding .99gigs

All VOBs in a title set are 1,073,709,056 bytes except the last file in the title set. Also, BDs don't have VOBs. Also, I don't know whether what you call ".99gigs" is 0.99GB or 0.99GiB, but since 1073709056/1024/1024/1024 = 0.99 you seem to be citing 0.99 GiB. I've not seen a VOB file that is larger than that. I really don't think a VOB can be larger than that.

PS I used 3 different versions of VLC with the same results the most recent version being 3.0.7.1 and also kodi which are all displaying the same behavior as you describe.

Clearly, this is a continuing problem that I first encountered when I upgraded to version 3.0.6. I will uninstall 3.0.7 and try backing off a few versions. Stay tuned...

[markfilipak]

I have not backed off versions yet.
I went to the web site and discovered that unless you choose otherwise, it downloads the 32-bit build.
A 32-bit video application will not work in my system.
I updated the last few times via the automatic updater.
I wonder if it updated VLC to a 32-bit build?

My current version is 3.0.7.0, dated 5 June 2019 with 985,800 bytes.
I don't know whether that's a 32-bit build or a 64-bit build.
I just downloaded 'vlc-3.0.7.1-win64.exe'. I will install it now and get back to you.

[markfilipak]

I tried
'vlc-3.0.7.1-win64.exe'
'vlc-3.0.3-win64.exe'
'vlc-3.0.2-win64.exe'
in that order.
All would install.
None would play.
All spontaneously closed.
All would try to play a BD, but would not play a DVD at all.
None would uninstall via the installer.
All had to be forced to uninstall via Control Panel.
PowerDVD plays all, flawlessly.

[markfilipak]

I had to back off all the way to 'vlc-2.2.8-win64.exe' in order to find a VLC that would play.
As in the distant past, VLC's disc menu button doesn't work at all for BDs.
For BDs, I have to select titles using the VLC 'Playback' 'Title' menu, but at least it plays without crashing.
Curiously, BDs & DVDs don't play such things as lead-in trailers. I think the First-Play menu system is broken.
Those are the symptoms for v. 2.2.8, so I suppose that no one's interested in that.
...Well, I apparently can't use any VLC v. 3.x.x.

[corey]

I had to back degrade to 2.2.8 as well for different reason than yours. yours is slightly different issues than mine but I believe we both suffer the same issues in general with the newer versions of VLC in general.

There has been some fundamental change to vlc after 2.2.8 I have major video and audio issues from the "extended settings" not working correctly post 2.2.8
particularly the audio enhancement, image adjust and geometry messing with the playback/audio (ones I use most) so it would freeze on a frame while the timer is advansing then suddenly the video would kick into fast forward while also skipping frames till it caught up with the time index. or audio would garble instead of play correctly thus in the audio case I have to turn off the audio features and then restart VLC.
------------

I am wondering if you are suffering from the "menu system issues" I vaguely remember that part of vlc is done by a third party and VLC Developers can't do anything about it. Until that third party fixes it to accommodate some of the new menu systems found on disks

I believe I had brought that up at some point in the past, when several movies would not play thus having to turn dvd menus off to bypass it.

-------------
My suspicion is that the companies that make these legal disks are using the menu system as a DRM platform to defeat NON legal players like VLC.(players that do not pay the royalty fees for codexes, decoders, etc, in order to play the commercially protected DVDs, BD etc.)

Your movie collection must be extremely small, if you have no DRM movies. I am in the USA region though. the vast majority of movies I have viewed have at least 1 drm scheme like macrovision etc.

Quote from https://www.videolan.org/developers/libbluray.html: NB: Most commercial Blu-Ray are protected by AACS or BD+ technologies and this library is not enough to playback those discs.

People interested in AACS technologies should have a look at libaacs.

People interested in BD+ technologies should have a look at libbdplus.
end quote

^^^^^If you had not done that yet, I would check to see if you have those libraries in your VLC I do not know if they come with the stable VLC or not. Since I never use Blue ray movies. This indicates that VLC does NOT flawlessly play bluray out of box because of key codecs, decoders etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BD%2B "BD+" is one of the Blue-ray DRM schemes, if your watching comercial movies on Blue-ray using VLC its getting around the DRM to do so without actually cracking it. Only licensed players can legally play blue-ray.(players that paid the royalty fees for decoders etc) so the businesses that make blue ray and the licenced players are the primary players that "say" VLC is violating the DMCA and associated laws.

So in terms of blue ray I would use a licenced Blue ray player when it comes to playing any of the commercial blue ray movies. and stop messing with VLC since its not technically approved for protected blue ray movies since most legal commercial disks are protected in some way or form even when it does not specifically say on the back its protected.

If they were movies you ripped to BD then It should play if you have the correct codecs and decoders for the format you burned to. I would be curious if you have any issues in this case?

I NEVER got into blue ray content except for PS4 specifically, because of its DRM schemes causing all kinds of comparability issues(refusal to work because the DRM schemes/handshake fails some how , not because of hardware function or other, ).

[corey]

*****when you install one of the player look carefully at the options choose the one that deletes the user preference and cache. I know its a pain, but some times that cache can mess things up, and it can carry over that mess from a previous install and mess things up on follow on installs. *****

[markfilipak]

*****when you install one of the player look carefully at the options choose the one that deletes the user preference and cache. I know its a pain, but some times that cache can mess things up, and it can carry over that mess from a previous install and mess things up on follow on installs. *****

What is cached, Corey?

[markfilipak]

... I have major video and audio issues from the "extended settings" not working correctly post 2.2.8

I have learned to leave all non-interface settings at their defaults. The only settings I change are the location for screen shots and the length of time that an on-screen title is displayed.

I am wondering if you are suffering from the "menu system issues"

Version 2.2.8 appears to not play first-play menus.

... Your movie collection must be extremely small, if you have no DRM movies.

I have about 700 movies. As I wrote earlier, none tested have any kind of protection, encryption, or DRM.
Certainly, none of that would explain version 3.x.x crashes.

[corey]

what are you using to test if it is DRM free? even formats themselves are a form of DRM. unless all of the formats are all opensource with completely free license use, its still DRM.

I have over 1000 commercial movies on DVD and almost all of them have one form of DRM or other. many have 2-3 forms. Most of these movies were NOT tripple AAA movies either.

On DVD the easiest way to check for most intrusive form of DRM is trasfer a VOB file or other video file you know that contains part of the movie to a PC hard drive, then pass the video to a sound system, then to the TV if you can play the video file without it being garbled it free of DRM in its restrictive form. (NOT USING HDMI since it uses HDCP DRM)

If you can not cleanly and pass the video through a device in the middle between the player and the screen It is DRM'ed

I learned that the hard way when trying to hook a newer DVD player to an older TV. That required going from RCA connection to the sound system then from the sound system through Cable to the TV. It won't play specifically because DRM interference.
-----------

I don't know specifically what data is cached by VLC.

Quote "a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place."

VLC uses "cache" to store bits of data for proper function. That can be transferred to a new install along with the previous user preferences.

Some times that cache or user preferences can be corrupted. and thus corrupts the new install when you have it transferred from the old install bringing with it problems.

I had a hard time remembering my preference settings after a year of use and thus always transferred it along with the cache to a new install. After a certain point it started corrupting the new installs and it was suggested by previous VLC staff to select "delete" "preference and cache" on a new install. And was told that corruption and other things can get transferred and its better to always start new install completely free of old content from previous installs.

I would strongly suggest also using another "FREE" third party Player that has its own codeces to see if it plays fine or if you still have issues. I found one and used a online guide on setting up video settings to improve quality. This player has played flawlessly what VLC failed on. I obviously can't tell you because it would violate rules on forum.

This new player has a LOT of settings which is its weak point, but with guidence this can be overcome. I do not know if blu-ray can be played on it though since I do not watch them...

[markfilipak]

Corey,

I'm sorry to say that I can't discuss your interests further on this forum. You are welcome to send me a private message.