[Video] mp4 files crashes vlc and debian 12

[hthi]

debian 12 main firmware=never installation

since about debian 8 I have not encountered this error before.

Searching the internet I noticed others reporting the same error and appears
to be debian 12 specific. Did not find a solution.
I have tested different settings in vlc. Mostly about tools -> preferences -> out. Vlc stays
not stable. Setting open gl and video sometimes plays. Often not.
A lot of times if you drag and drop a mp4 file into vlc or right click a mp4 file and start
vlc then the screen turns black. About half a minute later debian log in screen displays.
You can log in. All programs are closed and you have to start them again.
Have you encountered this error and is there a solution?

If you drag and drop a mp4 file into mpv player same result. Often the
screen turns black. About half a
minute later debian log in screen displays. Suggesting the
error is not specifically about vlc.

If in a firefox tab you drag and drop a mp4 file the file plays and
no errors. Thanks.

[bbbhltz]

I assume this happens with every MP4 file?

What codecs are the videos using?

[CwF]

debian 12 main firmware=never installation

Despite popular opinion this is not user choice but a hardware dictate.

What gpu? Nouveau for example would run fine without firmware in 8 and 9 and maybe 10. That changed. Maybe changed for other gpus also. The difference is whether the gpu attempts the render, now with firmware support, or the job is left to the cpu's through software rendering.

Recent versions of VLC and MPV will attempt gpu rendering and expect to do so in a proper install. The fallback to software rendering is maybe flawed. You should be able to confirm and force the proper method starting either program in a terminal. Check their manpages for the how to. Firefox is likely using software rendering by default, or has a more robust fallback to software rendering.

This type of error kills the session but not the kernel, so sends you back to the DM if in use, or loops back to a fresh desktop session if using any autologin mechanism.

[stevepusser]

Yeah, no firmware could be at the root of it, but maybe letting us know the hardware and driver situation with inxi would help us figure something out?

[hthi]

it has also crashed while opening a mp3 file.

I ran both hwinfo and inxi.
It says Intel Core i5 m 520 and Driver: "i915".
I do not remember the context. But previously command line has said Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915.
Intel 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset High Definition Audio.
snd_hda_intel.

[Trihexagonal]

VLC is not the most sable video player to begin with. I like it bet but any time I use it I never know when it will freeze controls and have to reboot the computer to get past it. Parole and MPV Video Player are both options I have available.

[hthi]

Parole

vlc often crashes the system playing a mp4 file. Testing parole it also can crash playing a mp4 file. Maybe not as often. Do you know if you can start mp4 files in parole in a safe mode?
I also tested an unofficial vlc appimage. My understanding is, that appimages come with a lot of the required software packages. Still the vlc appimage playing mp4 files crashed the system just like the vlc debian package. If it is a matter of not installed non free firmware then the vlc appimage cannot be expected not to crash the system. Similar to the vlc debian package.

[hthi]

I installed pragha and mplayer. On pragha and mplayer I have tested
mp3 and mp4 files which frequently make vlc and other media players crash
and also debian 12 crash. And pragha and mplayer do not crash.

If in smplayer -> options -> preferences -> general -> multimedia engine you select mplayer and play
a mp4 file, smplayer and debian 12 will frequently crash. Same mp4 file played with command
mplayer in command line will not crash mplayer.
I have tried several settings in smplayer. Smplayer and debian 12 still frequently crashes.

[arzgi]

I use cmus, plays also mp3, but I use ogg. mplayer plays well mp4 and other video formats also here.

@stevepusser hinted about inxi, it would tell about your hw.

So install inxi, and run inxi -Gxx, post the result, just use code tags.

Code: Select all

arto@dell:~$ inxi -Gxx
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Haswell-ULT Integrated Graphics vendor: Dell driver: i915
    v: kernel arch: Gen-7.5 ports: active: eDP-1 empty: DP-1,HDMI-A-1,HDMI-A-2
    bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:0a06
  Device-2: Sunplus Innovation Integrated_Webcam_HD type: USB
    driver: uvcvideo bus-ID: 1-1.6:3 chip-ID: 1bcf:2b8d
  Display: server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 compositor: xfwm v: 4.18.0 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: crocus gpu: i915
    display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1366x768 s-dpi: 96
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 model: BOE Display 0x05df res: 1366x768 dpi: 118
    diag: 336mm (13.2")
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6 Mesa 22.3.6 renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics (HSW
    GT1) direct-render: Yes
arto@dell:~$ 

[None1975]

Hello.
How about mpv player?

you select mplayer and play
a mp4 file

SMPlayer supports mpv as well.

[hthi]

SMPlayer supports mpv as well.

Selecting mpv engine in smplayer -> options -> preferences -> general -> multimedia engine
also makes smplayer and debian 12 crash frequently.

[None1975]

Selecting mpv engine in smplayer -> options -> preferences -> general -> multimedia engine
also makes smplayer and debian 12 crash frequently.

Ok. How about using just mpv? How about crashes?

[hthi]

just mpv?

If I start mpv a mpv window displays. It says drop files or urls to play here. No settings, no nothing. I have not made statistics on the matter. But my impression is mpv crashes less often than vlc. But both mpv and mplayer in smplayer can crash for several reasons. Sometimes they do not crash when you start playing a mp4 file. But then crash if you select full screen or close the media player. If crashing is a matter of me not installing pieces of non free firmware then we have a reason why for instance vlc crashes. But making vlc such that it requires non free software is vlc not doing free software a favor.

Is it correct that smplayer is nothing more than a wrapper for other media players? If so I am puzzled how smplayer manages to make a wrapper that makes smplayer and debian 12 crash playing a mp4 file when playing the same mp4 file from mplayer command line makes nothing crash?

[bbbhltz]

smplayer is a front-end for mplayer and mpv

[CwF]

Start mpv in a terminal with any problem file so you have a full log of what is happening.

Code: Select all

mpv file