VLC not playing MP4

English Multimedia
#1

Hi guys,

I am started just today with a new fresh installation of Leap with Gnome DE. Everything seems ok and hopefully my hopping is now over, I am tired.
The only problem I have is VLC playing MP4. Actually I can play other videos, like AVI but MP4…no way.

I installed all the codecs according to http://opensuse-guide.org/codecs.php from the terminal.
I have also changed VLC Video Output setting to X11, at no avail.

When I start those MP4’s with Totem they do not play too and Gnome Software pops out saying that some Gstreamer codecs are needed.
The same MP4’s played with no problems on Xubuntu, Fedora, etc so those files should be ok.

I am kind of stuck now.

Thanks in advance for your help.

#2

rpm -qa | grep vlc

returns:

phonon4qt5-backend-vlc-0.8.2-2.3.x86_64
libvlccore8-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-noX-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
libvlc5-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-qt-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-codecs-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
phonon-backend-vlc-0.8.2-1.2.x86_64

So all codecs should be there.

#3

that guide is incomplete and a bit buggy
you need to do a full vendor change with packman as just adding a repo is not enough you need to make sure rpm files come from that repo
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Vendor_change_update#Full_repository_Vendor_change
post your repo list

zypper lr -d

and although phonon-backend-vlc works with leap phonon-backend-gstreamer is better so install that one (you don’t have to remove vlc’s but it’s better you do)

zypper rm phonon-backend-vlc
zypper in phonon-backend-gstreamer
#4

Thanks.
I’ve had to reinstall Fedora because I had to work on urgent things, next week I hope to have time to make a new install and then follow your advice.

#5

The only thing you need to get full multimedia is to add the packman repo, switch installed rpm’s from that repo and just in case pull rpm’s that don’t exist in the OSS repo, in 3 commands:

sudo zypper ar -f ftp://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/ packman
sudo zypper dup --from packman
sudo zypper in vlc-codecs libxine2-codecs

That’s it now you have full multimedia support in opensuse and not just in vlc but with kaffeine, dragon, totem, Firefox etc…
the last command might not be needed as vlc from packman should pull vlc-codecs but pull them just in case

#6

Long time Debian user, I just experienced and installed openSUSE for the first time this week and liking it a lot.

I’m having the same problem the OP describes and with no luck resolving it yet.

Working with a fresh install of LEAP 42.1.

VLC plays avi, mkv without problem. mp4 gives audio output, but no video output.

rpm -qa | grep vlc

returns:

libvlccore8-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-qt-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-noX-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-noX-lang-2.2.2-1.1.noarch
phonon4qt5-backend-vlc-0.8.2-2.3.x86_64
libvlc5-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
vlc-codecs-2.2.2-1.1.x86_64
phonon-backend-vlc-0.8.2-1.2.x86_64

I’ve added packman repo, given it highest priority. I never added VLC repo, so no conflict there.

In YAST vlc and codecs are listed as installed from packman repo

ran as recommended:
sudo zypper ar -f ftp://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/ packman
sudo zypper dup --from packman
sudo zypper in vlc-codecs libxine2-codecs

Still no mp4 video output.

Also tried fix from: https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/482940-VLC-just-stopped-playing-mp4-videos

by switching video output to x11, but no change.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

#7

uninstalled:

libvdpau_va_gl1

as referenced here: https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/506960-Black-screen-in-vlc

and it resolved the issue for me. Hope this helps OP and others too!

#8

that’s an intel graphic card issue, not a vlc issue, actually nvidia users need libvdpau_va_gl1 (vdpau was developed by nvidia) for hardware acceleration, so please don’t mix things up

#9

No, they don’t!

Actually, libvdpau_va_gl1 breaks nvidia’s VDPAU, because it redirects VDPAU to VA-API (which nvidia doesn’t support).

On an nvidia system, you must not have libvdpau_va_gl1 installed, if you want to use hardware decoding.

intel users do need libvdpau_va_gl1 though for VDPAU support, although most players should support VA-API natively too.