Can VLC play 4k? Yes, but it can be extremely annoying to watch a super choppy video that hampers the UHD video playing experience. 4k videos not playing or stuttering are common errors in VLC. The footage recorded in 4K at 60fps can be extremely lagging at times if VLC is not configured properly. In this post, we will analyze common causes of VLC playback error and corresponding fixes.

Why 4K Video Not Playing Ideally in VLC?

• I’m currently running VLC 3.0.6 on a Toshiba laptop. The freezing occurred in both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. From then on the whole computer sloooowed down on all programs, even after a power down, ‘curable’ only by removing the battery pack for 60 sec.
• You can fix VLC audio delay on Windows or Mac using Keyboard shortcut keys. You can shift the audio up and down in increments of 50ms. Although fixing out-of-sync audio in VLC Player using the shortcut keys is a temporary quick fix. This method will only fix the audio problem of the current video playback in VLC.

• The resolution is too high

By the way, ALL of my movies play perfectly on Windows Media Player, including the large 3D movies, without any audio skips; and with my laptop on. I do not like to use WMP because it does not play the downloaded subtitles, and it lacks many features that come with VLC. I am happy that I get to continue using VLC.

If the resolution of the video is too high, then it is possible that while running the video playback, you will have a lagged video that might buffer or stutter at many points.

• The frame rate is too high

The stuttering can also happen if the frame rate is high as well. This is because the GPU takes a longer time to render the frame than it is expected and sometimes it might even skip the frame. Once that happens, the video is bound to give a choppy output. That's in fact the trade off when CPU is overloaded. VLC enables frame dropping to decode less frames, thus causing the choppy video performance.

• Encoding affects the video playback

If the video coding engine is not up to the mark and 60fps video is being run with equal quality and speed, then the lag will be a continuous part of the playback and there will be a workload on the GPU.

• Slow system

If the system is too slow to decode the images, then also the video can be choppy and there can be numerous breaks.

Best Solution – Tailor 4k Video for Your Good Old VLC

Don't fret out if none of above method works. If you want stick to VLC instead of switching to default Media Player, VideoProc can help you out. With this tool, you will be able fix 4K videos stuttering when playback, compress unlimited 4K files as well as time-lapse videos. Changing the codec, frame rate, bitrates and so on is 1-click away.

• Transcode 4k video at full GPU acceleration
• Compress 4k video while retaining high quality
• Adjust 4k frame rate, bit rate, playback speed

• Change 4K Video Codec and Format

You can transcode 4k video from HEVC to H.264 without significant quality loss. The conversion process can be delivered at fast speed, thanks to full GPU acceleration powered by Intel, AMD or Nvidia.

• Change Frame Rate

Click the codec option (Gear icon on your imported video), find Frame Rate section and change it to a desired one. You can play with it until a suitable FPS is found.

• Compress 4k Video without Quality Loss

For smoother 4k playback, you can compress videos using VLC, but it would be demanding on old computers. As one of the best companions for VLC, VideoProc support compress 4k videos at full GPU acceleration, thus delivering a fast and high quality result.

Besides format compression, you can also change video resolution and trim out unwanted clip parts easily. The editing you made is non-destructive for the original 4k video, as you can always save a copy.

Another 5 Methods to Fix 4K Playback Choppy in VLC

Download Vlc Player For Mac

It is the current trend to record high definition videos on 4K devices and DSLR cameras. Now people are also inducing action cameras, drone cameras and even cell phones that support 4K. But it would be a waste of time if the video playback is lagging. So today we are going to give you the solutions that will help you to fix 4K 60fps playback error.

Method 1. Update VLC.

Update your VLC media player to the latest version. In fact, VLC 3.0 and higher versions provide better 4K video support.

Method 2. Disable/Enable GPU Acceleration

This method seems contradictory, but the situation various since users have different systems and hardware environment. Toggle GPU acceleration on or off? Feedbacks from users are divergent. Enabling GPU acceleration works for some users and disabling it works for others. For instance, StackExchange user harrymac provided his example in the thread How to configure VLC to play 4K content properly. When Hardware-accelerated decoding is not disabled, 4k video freezing issues exists; when disabled, VLC can manager better frame rate, though it requires high end CPU.

You can try to switch it on or off and stay with whatever works for your 4k videos.

Step 1. From VLC menu, click tools > Preferences.
Step 2. Click Input/Codecs, in Hardware-accelerated decoding, select Disable.
Step 3. Save settings, close VLC and restart it again. See if you 4k video playback smoothly this time. If not, follow step1-2 to enable hardware decoding.

Method 3. Change Cache Time

Increasing cache value can improve the smoothness in video playback. You can change the File caching value from 300 (3 seconds) to 1000 for instance. Keep adjusting the value until you find one that suits you. Here are steps to change VLC cache time.

Step 1. Go to Preferences > Input/Codecs.
Step 2. Tick Show settings: All.
Step 3. Navigate to Input/Codecs advanced section, and change caching time.
Step 4. Save the changes, restart VLC and load your 4k video.

Method 4. Change VLC Video Output Settings

Changing output settings from automatic to DirectX, Open GL, and DirectDraw are proved as workable for many users. You can go to tools > Preferences > Video, and switch output settings.

Method 5. Amend FFmpeg Thread Settings and Loop Filter Skipping

Vlc Player Mac Lagging Usb

This fix is from VideoLAN official forums, where many users found changing FFmeg settings works to avoid choppy 4k playback. Here are the steps.

Free Vlc Player Mac

Step 1. VLC menu Tools > Preferences > Select All in Show settings to manage advanced settings.
Step 2. Search for FFmpeg in filter box, or navigate to Input/Codecs > Video codecs > FFmpeg.
Step 3. Change threads from the default 0 to 1, 2, 3, 4 or other numbers.
Step 4. Save, close VLC and restart it. Load your 4k HDR videos.
Tips: You can also tweak loop filter skipping settings for FFmpeg until 4k playback worked.