VLC issue: no sound, no video... nothing

[baobob]

Hi all!

First of all, a short introduction (this is my 1st post here): fed up with windows, I'm trying to switch to Linux (dual boot ^^). It's not always easy and I'm experiencing some difficulties sometimes.

One of them is that I can't play anything with VLC. I use the gnome desktop, my openSUSE version is 11. There is no error message. The progress bar does progress, but without any sound or video.
I also tried to install Foobar2000, through Wine. And I've no playback neither.

Any ideas? need more details?

Thanks a lot! )

Aow, another thing: I'm french, trying to write properly in english but I guess it's not perfect! sorry in advance! ^^

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by baobob

First of all, a short introduction (this is my 1st post here):

Welcome to our forum, and thank you for participating. Since you are new to openSUSE Linux, I recommend you read this openSUSE Linux concepts page, to become more familiar with to level concepts:
Concepts - openSUSE

Originally Posted by baobob

One of them is that I can't play anything with VLC. I use the gnome desktop, my openSUSE version is 11. There is no error message. The progress bar does progress, but without any sound or video.

I will assume you have sound working in other applications. Please advice me if you have no sound in any application. You can test for sound by copying and pasting the following in an xterm/konsole:
speaker-test -Dplug:front -c2 -l5 -twav

Typically openSUSE users will obtain their "vlc" from one of two repositories (videolan or Packman). From which repository did you obtain the version of "vlc" on your PC? Note it is often best not to mix rpms from these two repositories. Hence I recommend you set up your repositories with the Packman repository per the guidance in this URL:
Repositories/11.0 - openSUSE-Community
Add only OSS, NON-OSS, Update and Packman. Only select those 4 for now.

Now install vlc again, and also install
* w32codec-all
* xvid

And finally, if you have 3D affects enabled, you could have problems seeing the video on vlc, in which case inside the vlc program switch its video input to x11 (or disable special effects).

Originally Posted by baobob

I also tried to install Foobar2000, through Wine. And I've no playback neither.

I can not help with Foobar2000.

Good luck, and Welcome to our forum.

[baobob]

hey oldcpu! thanks for your reply!

Originally Posted by oldcpu

I recommend you read this openSUSE Linux concepts page, to become more familiar with to level concepts:
Concepts - openSUSE

Indeed, it was useful, thanks for the link!

Originally Posted by oldcpu

I will assume you have sound working in other applications.

Yup, sound works: I was listening to Herbie Hancock while writing the first post... with banshee...

Originally Posted by oldcpu

From which repository did you obtain the version of "vlc" on your PC?

I obtained VLC fron the VLC repository
So I did like you said: I deleted the VLC repository, and installed VLC from packman (which was already installed), and w32codec-all and xvid.

But it still doesn't work
When I try to open a video (avi, mkv, wmv) file, it returns a error message without details, or VLC simply kills itself. With mp3s, it opens, it seems to play it, but there's no sound.

I thought that VLC is "shipped" with all the codecs (except realmedia ones).

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by baobob

I thought that VLC is "shipped" with all the codecs (except realmedia ones).

I've read of that claim, but in practise I find that not to be the case.
Also, if you have custom 3D desktop selected, in vlc you could change your video input to 'x11'.

[baobob]

I assume you meant "output". Yeah, I have images, but still no sound. Perhaps by playing with the audio outputs?

We make progress! ^^

[baobob]

yeeeaaah!

with "Linux OSS audio output" for audio output, it works!

thank you again!

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by baobob

with "Linux OSS audio output" for audio output, it works!

Congratulations. ... Does it not work with the "ALSA" setting? I ask that, because if you wish to have multiple applications able to play sound at once, they all must be using ALSA.

[baobob]

Well, I spoke too fast: it doesn't play the sound anymore. The video is ok, but when I try to increase the volume, VLC crashes. And it tends to reset the outputs to "default".

[microchip8]

get MPlayer or Xine, dude. Solves all your problems. VLC is very buggy

[oldcpu]

Originally Posted by baobob

Well, I spoke too fast: it doesn't play the sound anymore. The video is ok, but when I try to increase the volume, VLC crashes. And it tends to reset the outputs to "default".

IMHO this is not vlc by itself, but its interaction with other factors. Please copy and paste in an xtern/konsole and run the following two diagnostic scripts and post on this thread the output URLs that they provide:

wget -O alsa-info.sh http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-info.sh && bash alsa-info.sh

For this next script, when prompted for a password enter the root password, and type "NO" for every question that you do not understand.

su -c 'wget -O tsalsa wget http://home.cfl.rr.com/infofiles/tsalsa && bash tsalsa'

again, post here the URL that each of these scripts create.

Also copy and paste the following (one line at a time) into an xterm/konsole and post here the output of:
rpm -qa | grep alsa
rpm -qa | grep pulse
rpm -q libasound2
cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound

Please also point to a location on the web (if possible) of the video that is causing your vlc to crash when you try to change the audio.