Problem with EPG update hanging/crashing

[Bobins]

For some time I've been having a problem where partway through the OTA EPG update something in the NVPVR software hangs. Whilst existing scheduled recordings still record and you can still playback existing stuff, the EPG doesn't get updated again until the recording service has been re-started. You may also notice other odd behaviour such as can't delete watched recordings or new recurring recordings don't get scheduled. This is all triggered after the EPG update has aborted part way through.

This doesn't happen every night and when it does there are absolutely NO error messages in any of the NPVR logs. The only thing you see is the EPG update stops partway through a channel scan (and not the same channel each time either). Everything can run fine for a week or more then suddenly one night the EPG update will hang. My EPG update would run for a long time because of the number of FreeSat channels being scanned and I was hoping that the update to 3.2.9 with the fixed FreeSat (UK) option would improve EPG stability....unfortunately not.

Having updated to 3.2.9, added the patches and set all the FreeSat channels to the new FreeSat (UK) option, I cleared the EPG, re-started the recording service and started NPVR. Go to the system menu and trigger an EPG update. The channels get scanned, but partway through the scan I now get "NPVR has stopped working" "Windows will close the programme"

Again there are no errors in the NPVR logs but there are errors in the Windows Application logs.

e.g.Faulting application name: NextPVR.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x535c4ad8
Faulting module name: ole32.dll, version: 6.1.7601.17514, time stamp: 0x4ce7b96f
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x000499b5
Faulting process id: 0xe84
Faulting application start time: 0x01cf66b55d7cde4f
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\NPVR\NextPVR.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\syswow64\ole32.dll
Report Id: c98444e3-d2a9-11e3-8c34-001fd0aeb26c

or

Faulting application name: NextPVR.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x535c4ad8
Faulting module name: clr.dll, version: 4.0.30319.18444, time stamp: 0x52717e84
Exception code: 0xc0000409
Fault offset: 0x0000df7c
Faulting process id: 0xa44
Faulting application start time: 0x01cf66b31651f566
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\NPVR\NextPVR.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\clr.dll
Report Id: 92f90f59-d2a6-11e3-8c34-001fd0aeb26c

or
Faulting application name: NextPVR.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x535c4ad8
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 6.1.7601.18247, time stamp: 0x521ea8e7
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0002e3be
Faulting process id: 0x1378
Faulting application start time: 0x01cf66b1705a5995
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\NPVR\NextPVR.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ntdll.dll
Report Id: f8727d24-d2a4-11e3-8c34-001fd0aeb26c

These don't seem consistent.

NPVR can be re-started and it looks like the EPG update completed but I'm losing confidence in the reliability of the EPG Update functionality.

The hang during automated update and the NPVR crash may or may not be connected but without anything in the NPVR logs it's difficult to tell.

Apart from this EPG issue, everything else seems to be working fine.

Any suggestions as to how to track down the problem would be welcome.

[gEd]

firstly (although it may not be related at all) make sure you don't have update DVB EPG during Live TV enabled in Misc option - this is virtually guaranteed to cause EPG update problems.

[johnsonx42]

post your logs anyway, even if there are no errors. other lines in the logs, or NOT in the logs, can be just as telling as actual errors.

[Bobins]

gEd.
I disabled the Live Update a while ago as it introduced weird characters in the EPG at the beginning of the programme titles via the Now/Next information on the specified channel.

Johnsonx42
I've compared logs with successful runs and the only thing that seems to happen is the EPG update (and EPG logging) just stops part way through during the 60s scan period. The log continues with other entries not associated with the EPG. I'll try and post a complete set next time it happens however that is sometimes a challenge because the NPVR log gets overwritten so quickly if the WAF decides to watch a couple of programmes before I can get to the system. I wish there was a way to either increase the log size or the number of retained logs.

[haverer2]

had the same issue for over a year now - I use XBMC as the front end and find that closing and re-opening that gets it going again.