Based on your description, it seems like you're experiencing issues playing back video files from an SMB share using VLC Media Player on Manjaro Gnome laptop while accessing them via another computer or device without any problems.

Here are some potential causes and solutions to consider:

1. SMB Share Configuration:

* Ensure that the Mac Mini Server's SMB service is enabled, configured correctly, and accessible from other devices.

* Check if there are any firewall rules or settings on your router or network equipment blocking traffic between your devices.

2. File Permissions/Access Rights:

* Verify that the user account you're using to access the share has read permissions (r-x) for others on the Mac Mini Server's side, at least in the directory containing the video files.

* Make sure there are no other conflicting permission settings or group memberships affecting file accessibility.

3. SMB Browser/Client Compatibility:

* Try accessing your SMB share using a different client software like Nautilus (default GNOME File Manager), Dolphin (KDE's file manager), or even Windows Explorer to rule out VLC-specific issues.

* If other clients can access the files but not VLC, it might be an issue with VLC itself rather than the underlying network/protocol.

4. SMB Password/Authenticating:

* Double-check that your SMB password is correctly entered in both VLC preferences and the login dialog when connecting to the share.

* If using NTLMv2 or other advanced authentication methods, ensure they are enabled on both ends (VLC and Mac Mini Server).

5. File Name Encoding/Mapping:

* Some characters like spaces (%) might need URL-encoding in SMB paths; try changing them to underscores (_) instead.

6. SMB Protocol Version Compatibility:

* Try forcing a specific version of the SMB protocol being used (e.g., `smb2://`) or disable newer features in VLC's preferences under 'Network' > 'CIFS/SMB'.

7. VLC Bug/Issue:

* Report this issue to the VLC project on their bug tracker, providing as much detail about your setup and configuration as possible.

* You can also try using a more recent version of VLC or even an older one to see if the problem persists.

If none of these suggestions help resolve the issue, please provide more detailed information such as:

* VLC versions used

* Operating system distributions and release numbers (Manjaro Gnome, MacOS Big Sur)

* Any relevant logs from VLC's console output when trying to play a video

Additionally, it would be useful if you could confirm whether this problem is limited only to .avi files or if other types of media also fail to playback correctly via SMB.

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