Installing VLC Player violates the warranty of the speakers in a Dell laptop

If you have a Dell laptop, then be careful when installing the software. One of the users reports that he was denied warranty service because VLC Player was installed on the computer.

Specialists of technical support explained that the warranty disappears only for the built-in speakers and is retained for the rest of the laptop. Even if you do not use the player, the fact of its installation is the basis for refusal of warranty service.

Dell employees say that the VLC player has a special function that allows you to force the sound volume to a higher level than is possible in other players (more than 100% is specified in the program settings). Such a procedure can damage the small built-in speakers of a laptop. Dell conducted tests and made sure that after several hours of operation in this mode, the VLC player really spoils the laptop's speakers.

The first illustration shows the normal sound, and the second illustration shows the result of clipping in the VLC Player program at a volume level of 200%.
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Perhaps, similar rules of warranty service are accepted not only at Dell, but also at other manufacturers of laptops. In any case, if you carry a laptop for repair due to a breakdown of the built-in speakers, you must first remove the VLC Player.

PS One of the developers of VLC Player explains that they have long been aware of the problem, and they tried to negotiate with Dell about technical problems in their laptops, but without success. In fact, VLC Player does nothing dangerous and uses standard Windows API (DirectSound) tools. The function of sound amplification with the help of clipping is intended for listening to defective files with too low sound. The same can be done in any sound editor. In any case, official APIs are used here, so the program cannot be blamed for incorrect behavior. “Maybe Dell needs to ban its users from listening to metal and only allow Celine Dion songs because they spoil the speakers less?”, The developer asks.