In the world of video playback and network streaming, encountering unknown identifiers like "bafxxx" alongside "Videolan top" usually points to one of three scenarios: a misidentified video filter, a corrupted streaming index, or a specific naming convention for fragmented MP4 files.
If VLC still uses 100% CPU, uninstall it and install mpv (a lighter player) or switch to VLC 4.0 experimental. VideoLAN is powerful, but even the best media player chokes on broken "bafxxx" streams. Have you encountered a specific "bafxxx" error log? Post the exact output of your top command in the comments below for a tailored diagnosis.
top -pid $(pgrep -x VLC) | Column | Healthy VLC | Unhealthy VLC (bafxxx issue) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | %CPU | 5-25% (4K video) | 90-150% (Software decoding loop) | | MEM | 150-500 MB | 1.5 GB+ (Memory leak) | | RPRVT (macOS) | Stable | Increasing linearly every second | | Command | vlc --intf | vlc --codec avcodec --demux avi (fallback loops) |
top -p $(pidof vlc) Or, for macOS: