"Internal data flow error" playing dvds

[Jon-o Addleman]

Since upgrading to saucy salamander, with totem 3.8.2-0ubuntu1, I have errors playing DVDs. They start playing, but after a little while, I get the "Internal data flow error" and playback stops. This didn't happen before upgrading ubuntu.

The dvds are actually iso files created with ddrescue, but I don't expect that would change things. The same files play without problem in mplayer.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Jacob Zimmermann (jacob)]

I'm having the same problem with real (physical) dvds. They used to play fine in Ubuntu 13.04 and VLC plays them without problems as well.

[glennric (glennric)]

I am having the same problem with many dvd images and physical dvds.

[Dennis Shimer (dshimer)]

With me it is physical DVDs

Some posts say this is exclusive to 64bit, is that true, that is all I have on 13.10 currently but would wait to upgrade my 32bit box if true.

[Jon-o Addleman (jaddle)]

I'm on a 32-bit system, so it doesn't seem to have anything to do with 32/64 bits.

[KarlRelton (karllinuxtest-relton)]

My (32 bit) system is showing the same behaviour, and totem gives the following error message each time:

** (totem:7505): CRITICAL **: gst_video_decoder_allocate_output_frame: assertion 'frame->output_buffer == NULL' failed

A quick trawl on upstream gstreamer lead me to:

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=710615

This is marked fixed a few weeks back. I wonder if it can make it through to 13.10 repositories?

[Damian Christey (damian-christey)]

I am also seeing this bug when trying to play dvds on both 32 and 64 bit systems. I also found a duplicate in bug #1253799, so that's +3 more affected.

[slcpunk (sckemp1)]

Just to add, same here. (32bit) VLC seems to work better? ( hard to test, as the crash point is random )

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[KarlRelton (karllinuxtest-relton)]

Installing version 1.2.2 of gstreamer1.0-plugings-ugly in saucy (by using the latest package from Trusty archive) fixes the problem on my system

[Philipp Schlesinger (philipp-sadleder)]

I can confirm that #10 fixes the problem for me

[ilya nazarov (nazarov-already-inuse)]

KarlRelton, may I ask you to advise, how can I do that?
Should I download that package manually from TT repository?

[Chris Martin (chris-martin-cc)]

I found that I had to also install liborc-0.4.0 (dependancy) as well as gstreamer1.0-plugings-ugly from Trusty for amd64.
This also solve the problem for me. Thanks KarlRenton

[hfwilke (hfwilke)]

Good work KarlRelton. Installing version 1.2.2 of gstreamer1.0-plugings-ugly in saucy (by using the latest package from Trusty archive) along with liborc-0.4.0 (dependancy) seems to have fixed mine as well. No more booting into Windows just to watch DVDs.

[A Lenzo (ablenzo)]

Hello - I would like to echo #12's question. I am running a 64-bit AMD system and I currently have gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly (version 1.2.0-1) installed. But I would like to upgrade to 1.2.2 as KarlRelton has suggested. There is not an option to do this in the Software Center. I visited the Trusty Archive website and it was suggested there that I use the aptitude or synaptic package manager to download their packages. I installed these but was unable to determine how to get the package in question. Under the synaptic package manager gstreamer is shown to be up-to-date with no option to get the newer version.

Perhaps there is a way to install the package gstreamer1.0-plugings-ugly in saucy (by using the latest package from Trusty archive) from the command line?

Could someone please offer the terminal command required to install gstreamer1.0-plugings-ugly in saucy (by using the latest package from Trusty archive)? Or if another method is preferred, please clarify the method.

Many thanks for your time.

[A Lenzo (ablenzo)]

Hello - just touching base once more. Can anyone offer a step-by-step method for installing gstreamer1.0-plugings-ugly 1.2.2 in saucy through the Trusty archive? A step-by-step clarification would really help those of us who are newer to Ubuntu.

Thank you for your time.

[KarlRelton (karllinuxtest-relton)]

Hi Ablenzo

Its highly unorthodox as a method ... but in this case it gets us out of a hole.

- Use packages.ubuntu.com to find the gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly package from the Trusty series
- From that page, 'Downloads' section near the bottom, you can click on 'i386' or 'amd64' link (depending on your architecture) to download the package .deb file
  (it will take you to a page to choose a mirror site, just pick one that seems to be in your geography)
- Do the same for liborc-0.4-0 package

- at command line do
sudo dpkg -i liborc*.deb gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly*.deb

and you should be done.

Enjoy!

[A Lenzo (ablenzo)]

Thank you for this extended description. It is very helpful. I found that the package has been updated again recently - and I found what I needed here:

http://packages.ubuntu.com/trusty/gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly

Many thanks for your help, KarlRelton.

[A Lenzo (ablenzo)]

I also needed this:
http://packages.ubuntu.com/trusty/liborc-0.4-0

[brian hedgecock (bhedgecock)]

I'll try again. thank you.

[emptythevoid (emptythevoid)]

Manually updating liborc-0.4-0 this way will break installing Wine (at least on 64-bit installs)

[emptythevoid (emptythevoid)]

(at least 64-bit installs of Ubuntu 13.10)

[Thomas Harries (tharries618)]

can someone please run me through ho to do all this im good with computers but never used linux before
thanks

[Stewart Kluss (stewart-kluss)]

I am also having these same issues with not being able to read any CD or DVD. Like #23, I would really appreciate it if someone would provide a step-by-step process that those of us who are less computer-literate can understand and follow. Instructions using the terminal works for me.

[Michel-Ekimia (michel.ekimia)]

Not sure it's the same issue but DVDs generate the same error on Ubuntu 15.10, what a shame.