Bug 331954

Summary: VLC unsuitable for general music playback (old pitch bug)
Product: [Frameworks and Libraries] phonon-backend-vlc Reporter: Martijn van Beurden <ktf>
Component: generalAssignee: Harald Sitter <sitter>
Status: RESOLVED UPSTREAM    
Severity: major CC: bcooksley, fabo, fincer89, jb, martin.sandsmark, myriam
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 0.6.2   
Target Milestone: 0.8   
Platform: Ubuntu   
OS: Linux   
URL: https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/10056
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments: File played through the VLC backend
Original belonging to attachment #85504

Description Martijn van Beurden 2014-03-10 11:25:42 UTC 
Hi,

While I realize quite a few people here won't like it, but VLC seems unsuitable for general music playback, because it doesn't keep a stable pitch.

There's a nice ticket in de Videolan trac that sums it up: https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/10056

I've opened a thread on hydrogenaudio on this matter as well: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=104958

Maybe it's a good idea to abandon the VLC backend and focus on something else?

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Play music through the VLC Phonon backend
Actual Results:  
The first few seconds of the music are off-key, with pitch-difference as much as 1%. That's as much as 17 cent! After some time the pitch stabilizes, but for every new track the pitch drops again.

Expected Results:  
A stable, true pitch
Comment 1 Martijn van Beurden 2014-03-10 11:35:29 UTC 
Created attachment 85504 [details]
File played through the VLC backend

This file was 'captures' by using pulse audio volume control to redirect the output to Audacity.
Comment 2 Martijn van Beurden 2014-03-10 11:37:03 UTC 
Created attachment 85505 [details]
Original belonging to attachment #85504 [details]

This was the file played to get to the capture in attachment #85504 [details]