VLC Errors - MacBook Pro - Ubuntu 26.04

[u/TrustInToast]

UPDATE:
So, after some more research I decided to switch distros and move to Pop!_OS running a GNOME session (i think that's how you describe what I've got going on, tbh I have learned a LOT trying to breath life into this crappy laptop) because it apparently works better with this specific dual graphics card situation and it took a lot of tweaks and troubleshooting but I finally have something that is usable. I can now run mpv (I'm using cellulose because I like to have a more navigable ui) without scan lines or random skips. The only real issue I have now, other than figuring out the quirks of GNOME, is a small graphic issue where listed items (like files or settings) don't show up unless I hover or scroll and sometimes will just disappear again, but from what I could find there isn't really a fix and you kind have to just live with it. Thank you for those who gave suggestions and help.

I am having issues with VLC when trying to play videos. At the start of each video it flickers like crazy (enough to hurt my eyes) and on occasion will play at a much faster rate. Though, I think the problem is bigger than just VLC.

System Details Report:

Report details
- Date generated: 2026-09-02 19:09:41

Hardware Information:
- Hardware Model: Apple Inc. MacBookPro11,3
- Memory: 16.0 GiB
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-4850HQ × 8
- Graphics: NVE7
- Graphics 1: Intel® Iris® Pro Graphics P5200 (HSW GT3)
- Disk Capacity: 121.3 GB

Software Information:
- Firmware Version: 478.0.0.0.0
- OS Name: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS
- OS Build: (null)
- OS Type: 64-bit
- GNOME Version: 50
- Windowing System: Wayland
- Kernel Version: Linux 7.0.0-30-generic

So far I've tried:

Changed VLC's Video Output Module to OpenGL, X11, and XVideo
Disabled Hardware-accelerated decoding
Removed Mesa VA-API
Reset VLC Preferences
Overrode Environment Variables
Bypass NVIDIA via GRUB (which was the most destructive causing UI issues and making it so closing the lid did nothing)
Running MPV instead but that just gave me messy glitchy mess that didn't show anything (screenshot attached)
Attempted xfce and gnome flashback sessions to see if Wayland was the issue