VLC Issue Troubleshooting Guide

vlc troubleshooting guide this guide walks through the most common causes of vlc playback failure when using zixi, along with step by step checks and recommended actions for each work through the steps in order step 1 verify the zixi plugin is installed root cause vlc cannot play zixi streams without the zixi plugin present and correctly placed what to check confirm the zixi vlc plugin has been downloaded and installed windows users the plugin file must be located in the vlc plugins folder if vlc was installed to the default path, this is typically c \program files\videolan\vlc\plugins if the plugin is missing from this folder, manually move it there and restart vlc macos users ensure you are using the universal version of vlc (not the intel only or apple silicon specific build) the universal build is required for plugin compatibility on mac macos venture uusers on upgrading to macos ventura, you may find that your existing vlc installation my stop working and/or show up as damaged on launch if so please jump down to step 7 for more information action reinstall or relocate the plugin, then relaunch vlc and attempt playback again step 2 verify you are running the correct vlc version root cause using an incompatible or unsupported vlc version can prevent the plugin from loading or functioning correctly (known stable versions 3 0 16 & 3 0 17) what to check macos confirm you are running the latest available universal version of vlc windows confirm your vlc version is current and matches the plugin version requirements if you are on a very recent vlc release and experiencing issues, see step 6 for version rollback guidance action download the latest universal vlc release from videolan org and reinstall if necessary step 3 confirm required network ports are open root cause firewall or network policy blocking zixi traffic will prevent vlc from establishing the stream playback what to check port 2077 must be open for both inbound and outbound tcp/udp traffic this must be permitted across all relevant subnets including any intermediate network segments between the vlc client and the zixi broadcaster/zen master host check both host level firewalls (e g , windows firewall, iptables) and network level firewalls or security groups aws specific checks if the zixi broadcaster is hosted on aws, verify the following the ec2 security group associated with the broadcaster instance allows inbound and outbound tcp/udp on port 2077 from the appropriate source cidr ranges network acls (nacls) at the subnet level also permit port 2077 traffic in both directions nacls are stateless and require explicit rules for both directions no vpc routing issues are preventing traffic from reaching the instance diagnostic tip use curl or telnet from the vlc client machine to test reachability on port 2077 curl v telnet //\<broadcaster ip> 2077 a successful tcp handshake confirms the port is reachable action work with your network or cloud infrastructure team to open port 2077 for inbound/outbound traffic across all relevant network levels step 4 confirm zixi pull egress is enabled on your zixi license root cause the zixi license may not have the pull egress feature enabled, which is required for vlc pull based playback what to check in zen master or zixi broadcaster , navigate to your license details and verify that pull egress is listed as an active/licensed feature if pull egress is not listed or is marked as inactive, the stream cannot be pulled by vlc regardless of other settings action contact your zixi sales representative to request that pull egress be added to your license entitlement once the license has been updated in broadcaster or zen master, reload the license to apply the update without requiring a full service restart retry playback in vlc after the reload completes step 5 reload the license root cause even if pull egress is licensed, the running service may be holding a cached version of an older or more limited license what to check confirm the license was recently updated or re issued verify the active license in the ui reflects the correct entitlements action reload the license through the broadcaster or zen master interface after reloading, confirm the updated license is reflected and retry vlc playback step 6 rollback vlc to a known good versions root cause newer vlc releases occasionally introduce compatibility regressions with third party plugins what to check if all previous steps have been verified and playback still fails, the active vlc version may have a compatibility issue with the current zixi plugin build action roll back vlc to 3 0 16 or 3 0 17 , which is a confirmed working stable version with the zixi plugin older vlc releases can be obtained from the videolan archive https //download videolan org/pub/videolan/vlc/ after installing reinstall/confirm the zixi plugin is in the correct plugins folder retry playback step 7 macos ventura vlc shows as damaged or fails to launch root cause upgrading to macos ventura can break existing vlc installations vlc may refuse to launch or display a "damaged" warning due to gatekeeper and library compatibility changes introduced in ventura a full reinstall of both vlc and the zixi plugin is required which vlc binary should i use? two builds of vlc 3 0 17 3 are available for macos try the intel64 binary first — it is the simpler path only install the universal binary if the intel build fails after the plugin is installed build when to use intel64 try this first on all macs (including apple silicon via rosetta) universal use only if intel64 does not work after plugin install reinstallation steps download and install vlc intel64 (try first) https //get videolan org/vlc/3 0 17 3/macosx/vlc 3 0 17 3 intel64 dmg universal (only if intel64 fails) https //get videolan org/vlc/3 0 17 3/macosx/vlc 3 0 17 3 universal dmg double click the downloaded dmg to mount it, then drag vlc to your applications folder universal binary only — enable rosetta before first launch skip this step if you installed the intel64 binary after dragging vlc to applications but before opening it for the first time right click vlc in applications and select get info in the get info panel, check the box labeled "open in rosetta" close get info open vlc and leave it running while you complete the plugin installation in the next step install the zixi vlc plugin download the latest mac plugin from the zixi customer portal https //portal zixi com untar the downloaded archive to extract the installer package launch and run the installer once the installer completes, close vlc and reopen it verify playback by connecting to your zixi stream if playback fails after following these steps with the intel64 build, uninstall and repeat from step 1 using the universal binary with rosetta enabled troubleshooting decision tree vlc will not playback stream, vlc opens but does not load stream zixi plugin installed and in correct folder? → no → reinstall / move plugin are you using correct / universal vlc version? → no → re/install latest universal vlc is port 2077 open for inbound & outbound traffic (all subnets / aws)? → no → open port in firewall / security group is pull egress enabled on your license? → no → contact zixi sales has your license been reloaded after any changes? → no → reload license via zm or ui is your vlc version compatible with plugin? → no → rollback to vlc 3 0 16 or 3 0 17 macos ventura – vlc damaged or won't launch? → yes → reinstall vlc 3 0 17 3 (intel64 first, universal + rosetta if needed) + plugin escalation checklist if you have worked through all steps above and playback is still failing, please open a support ticket (email support\@zixi com) include as much as possible of the following so that the team may investigate the issue vlc version in use operating system and version zixi plugin version screenshot or details of your broadcaster/zec license details evidence that port 2077 is open for inbound & outbound traffic on your firewall (& aws if relevant) output of a port 2077 connectivity test from the affected machine any error messages displayed in vlc (tools > messages, set verbosity to 2)