My system is trying to assassinate me using sound

[Shahar Or]

Most modern video formats that I find on the interwebs, when I try to play them with VLC, the sound is such a loud white noise, that I thought maybe it is an assassination attempt on my life.

Totem refuses to play, claiming an error loading supporting library.

Attached is a recording of what it sounds like.

This started happening some one month ago or so.

Until then, I've been enjoying all kinds of videos and their audio without issues.

Likely not a VLC issue, although it would be nice if players could protect me from such atrocities.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: vlc-nox 2.2.2-5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-34.53-generic 4.4.15
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-34-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Tue Aug 16 21:51:33 2016
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/vlc
InstallationDate: Installed on 2010-10-12 (2135 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
SourcePackage: vlc
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2015-11-13 (277 days ago)

[Shahar Or (mightyiam)]

Here's another report, but with Totem: bug #1613854.

[Shahar Or (mightyiam)]

Another piece of info. To workaround this, using `pavucontrol`, I turn off the HDMI device, that I'm using as output, and turn it back on.

[Sebastian Ramacher (s-ramacher)]

Since you also have this issue with totem, this sounds a lot like a pulseaudio bug and not a vlc one. Changing the status for vlc to invalid.

[Shahar Or (mightyiam)]

So... I've figured out a workaround for this issue. Works every time.

1. Turn off both my built-in audio device and my HDMI device
2. Run VLC with the video I wish to play
3. While it is playing turn the HDMI device back on

Viola! Audio instead of unbearable noise!

Turning off/on the audio devices that I mention above I do via pavucontrol ("Volume Control").

[Arun Raghavan (arunraghavan)]

Could you dump the output of pactl list when the output is white noise and when it is proper?

[Shahar Or (mightyiam)]

White noise `pactl list`: http://paste.ubuntu.com/23226468/
Proper `pactl list`: http://paste.ubuntu.com/23226477/