Hey Yann, let's work through this problem you're having with VLC—first those annoying playback glitches, now the reinstall failure. Here's a step-by-step breakdown to get things back on track:

First: Resolve the Reinstallation Failure #

It sounds like some residual VLC files or broken dependencies are blocking the install. Let's clean things up properly:

1. Purge all VLC-related files (including configs)
   Run this command to remove not just the program, but its data and plugins too—this is more thorough than autoremove:

   sudo apt purge vlc vlc-data vlc-plugin-*
   

2. Clean up leftover dependencies and cache
   Follow up with these commands to clear out unused packages and cached install files:

   sudo apt autoremove
   sudo apt clean
   

3. Refresh your package sources
   Sometimes outdated or corrupted package lists cause install failures. Update them first:

   sudo apt update
   

   If you see errors here, run sudo apt --fix-missing update to repair missing index files.

4. Reinstall VLC
   Now try installing VLC again:

   sudo apt install vlc
   

   If this still fails, you can try the Flatpak version (it uses isolated dependencies, so system conflicts are far less likely):

   sudo apt install flatpak
   flatpak install flathub org.videolan.VLC
   

Then: Fix the Original Playback Glitches #

Once VLC is reinstalled, if you still run into stuttering or playback anomalies:

• Adjust hardware acceleration: Open VLC, go to Tools > Preferences > Input/Codecs. Under "Hardware-accelerated decoding", try switching between Automatic, VA-API, or VDPAU (pick the one compatible with your GPU—Intel/AMD usually work best with VA-API, NVIDIA with VDPAU).
• Free up system resources: Close unnecessary background apps that might be hogging CPU or RAM, which can cause video lag.
• Update graphics drivers: Outdated GPU drivers are a common culprit for rendering issues. Run ubuntu-drivers autoinstall to install the latest recommended drivers for your system.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Yann Hezekiah