VLC media player - ArchWiki

# VLC media player

From the project home page:

  VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols.

## Installation

Install the vlc package.

Notable variants are:

- vlc-gitAUR - Development branch.
- vlc-noxAUR - Without X support.
- vlc-qt5AUR - With Qt5 interface.

Notable optional dependencies are:

- qt4 - for the GUI
- libcdio- for audio CD playback support

## Language

VLC does not offer an option to change language in its Preferences menu. But you can use the LANGUAGE= prefix. For instance, modify the `/usr/share/applications/vlc.desktop` line:

    Exec=/usr/bin/vlc %U

to:

    Exec=LANGUAGE=fr /usr/bin/vlc %U

to switch VLC interface to French.

## Skins

VLC can be "skinned" for a different look and feel. You can get skins at the skins website.

To install a skin download it and move it to:

    ~/.local/share/vlc/skins2

Open up VLC, click Tools > Preferences. When the preferences window opens up you should be in the "Interface" tab

Choose the "Use custom skin" radio button, and select the downloaded skin.

Restart VLC for the change to take effect.

## Web interface

Run VLC with the parameter `--extraintf=http` to use both the desktop and web interface. The `--http-host` parameter specifies the address to, which is `localhost` by default. To set a password, use `--http-password`, otherwise VLC will not allow you to log in.

    # vlc --extraintf=http --http-host 0.0.0.0:8080 --http-password 'yourpasswordhere'

Or you can enable this feature in the UI by navigating to View > Add Interface > Web Interface.

VLC defaults to port 8080: http://127.0.0.1:8080

Edit `/usr/share/vlc/lua/http/.hosts` to allow remote connections. You will need to restart VLC in order for changes to take effect.

## Tips and tricks

### File associations in GNOME

Copy the system desktop file to the local one (local `.desktop` files supersede the global ones):

    $ cp /usr/share/applications/vlc.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/

Define its mime types (known playback file type abilities) by doing:

    sed -i 's|^Mimetype.*$|MimeType=video/dv;video/mpeg;video/x-mpeg;video/msvideo;video/quicktime;video/x-anim;video/x-avi;video/x-ms-asf;video/x-ms-wmv;video/x-msvideo;video/x-nsv;video/x-flc;video/x-fli;application/ogg;application/x-ogg;application/x-matroska;audio/x-mp3;audio/x-mpeg;audio/mpeg;audio/x-wav;audio/x-mpegurl;audio/x-scpls;audio/x-m4a;audio/x-ms-asf;audio/x-ms-asx;audio/x-ms-wax;application/vnd.rn-realmedia;audio/x-real-audio;audio/x-pn-realaudio;application/x-flac;audio/x-flac;application/x-shockwave-flash;misc/ultravox;audio/vnd.rn-realaudio;audio/x-pn-aiff;audio/x-pn-au;audio/x-pn-wav;audio/x-pn-windows-acm;image/vnd.rn-realpix;video/vnd.rn-realvideo;audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin;application/x-extension-mp4;audio/mp4;video/mp4;video/mp4v-es;x-content/video-vcd;x-content/video-svcd;x-content/video-dvd;x-content/audio-cdda;x-content/audio-player;|' ~/.local/share/applications/vlc.desktop

Then in System Settings > Details > Default Applications and on the Video drop-down menu, select Open VLC media player.

### Twitch.tv streaming over VLC

See Livestreamer#Twitch.

### Playing streamed content from a local DLNA server

If you find that trying to play uPNP/DLNA content (by going to View > Playlist > Local Network > Universal Plug'n'Play), that vlc fails to see the DLNA server on the local network, then make sure that the firewall is not blocking port 1900 UDP. It is essential that this port is open in order to play local uPNP/DLNA content.

### Control using hotkeys or cli

Install openbsd-netcat.

Get script at: http://crunchbang.org/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=112035%23p112035#p112035

Follow instructions in script to setup a socket for VLC.

Either run the script from the command line or register the script with keyboard shortcuts through your desktop.

Alternatively, you can use dbus-send as discussed here to interact with VLC:

    $ dbus-send --print-reply --session --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.vlc /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause

### Preventing multiple instances

The default settings for VLC is to open a new instance of the program for each file that is opened. This can be annoying if you are using VLC for something like playing your music collection. You can disable this in Tools > Preferences > Interface > Instances > Allow only one instance. Optionally, tick Enqueue files when in one instance mode which keeps current file playing and adds any newly opened files to the current playlist.

### Hardware acceleration support

See Hardware video acceleration.

VLC automatically tries to use an available API, but you can override it by going to Tools > Preferences > Input & Codecs and choosing the suitable option under Hardware-accelerated decoding, e.g. `Video Acceleration (VA) API` for VA-API or `Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix (VDPAU)` for VDPAU.

### systemd service

VLC's web interface can be started from systemd. First, you need to create a default user. This example will use UID 75 since it's not reserved according to DeveloperWiki:UID / GID Database.

    # useradd -c "VLC daemon" -d / -G audio -M -p \! -r -s /bin/false -u 75 -U vlcd

Now create the systemd service file:

    /etc/systemd/system/vlc.service

    [Unit]
    Description=VideoOnLAN Service
    After=network.target

    [Service]
    Type=forking
    User=vlcd
    ExecStart=/usr/bin/vlc --daemon --syslog -I http --http-port 8090 --http-password password
    Restart=on-abort

    [Install]
    WantedBy=multi-user.target

Start and enable `vlc.service`. Log in to http://yourmachine:8090/ with no username and with the password you put in the service file.

## Troubleshooting

### Video broken or other issue after upgrade

Now and then VLC will have some issues with configuration even in minor releases. Before making bug reports, remove or rename your configuration located at `~/.config/vlc` and confirm whether the issue is still there.

If using a ffmpeg variant from the AUR, be sure that you have upgraded it as well. Pacman will not upgrade it when necessary and a mismatch will break VLC.

### Segmentation fault

When starting VLC you can get a segfault, and ruling out general factors such as Microcode, a possible workaround to this is running the following:

    # /usr/lib/vlc/vlc-cache-gen -f /usr/lib/vlc/plugins

Then reinstall VLC.

Another workaround can be reinstalling vlc within an `LD_PRELOAD` environment:

    # LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0 pacman -S vlc

### Missing icons in dropdown menus

This can happen under XFCE, there will be no more icons in dropdown menus, like the PCI card icon.

Execute these commands to reactivate these icons:

    $ gconftool-2 --type boolean --set /desktop/gnome/interface/buttons_have_icons true
    $ gconftool-2 --type boolean --set /desktop/gnome/interface/menus_have_icons true

### Failed to open VDPAU backend

See Hardware video acceleration#Failed to open VDPAU backend.

Since your system probably doesn't support VDPAU you should tell VLC to use VA-API instead, see #Hardware acceleration support.

### Video output overlaps the desktop, does not scale nor position properly

This happens at least on Intel cards, and a fix that reportedly solves the problem is setting the output in the video settings to OpenGL GLX (XCB) and the Input/Codecs decoding to VA-API (any of them).

### No playback via SFTP of media files names containing spaces

If VLC does not play any videos or audio files over SFTP make sure you have sshfs installed.

If it refuses to play any media files containing spaces via SFTP and always asks for authentication change the Exec line in the vlc.desktop file from

    Exec=/usr/bin/vlc --started-from-file %U

to

    Exec=/usr/bin/vlc --started-from-file %F

[1]

## See also

- List of applications#Multimedia
- VLC homepage
- playerctl: A command-line utility and library for controlling media players
- Control VLC via a browser

Category:

- Multimedia players