Recordings Failing with "No Errors but no Data Delivered" message

[BrettB]

So, it seems that somehow there is a link between the webclient server thread and the failed recording threads... I guess the next time that it happens, I can try just exiting the webclient and see if the failing recordings then begin saving to the .ts file. Anything else that I can try/check?

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I last had this problem. I setup a ParallelProcess.bat system to notify me immediately if a recording wasn't growing. And tonight it happened again. At 18:59 NPVR attempted to start recording Blindspot (along with 2 other recordings--The Goldbergs before and Shots Fired after). The other 2 started just fine, but the Blindspot .ts file wasn't growing. The HDHR was tuned and sending the stream, but the .ts file wasn't growing.

Now, I was in the middle of watching a recording using the X-NEWA webclient in Kodi on my RPi 3 at that time. After I was notified at 19:00 that the file wasn't growing, I stopped playing the file on the Pi and used the Exit menu option to completely exit the webclient at 19:01. Sure enough, as soon as the webclient ended, the Blindspot recording began growing. I didn't do anything to it. At 19:06, I relaunched X-NEWA in Kodi and went back and started playing again. The recordings appeared to continue just fine.

[sub]

It's going to be a bit difficult to get to the bottom of this if it's only happening occasionally.

If it where happening here, I'd try some steps like these...

While it is happening, you can look in the nrecord.exe for where the recording is starting:

2017-05-17 18:59:02.114 [DEBUG][10] About to start recording (205926 on 1566): D:\NPVR Recordings\Blindspot\Blindspot.S02E22.Lepers Repel.ts...

Then a few lines later, you'd see where NextPVR has asked the HDHR to send the stream:

2017-05-17 18:59:03.264 [DEBUG][10] Executing: C:\Program Files\Silicondust\HDHomeRun\hdhomerun_config.exe 131EA0C1 key 100566 set /tuner1/vchannel 811
2017-05-17 18:59:03.357 [DEBUG][10] Executing: C:\Program Files\Silicondust\HDHomeRun\hdhomerun_config.exe 131EA0C1 key 100566 set /tuner1/target rtp://192.168.143.10:36321

In this case, it's sending the stream to UDP port 36321. I'd check in resmon.exe to see if this is a port option by nrecord.exe (or some other app).

[sub]

There is some other very detailed logs that can be turned on to log the network traffic from the HDHR, but unfortunately these will likely fill your hard drive long before you manage to force the problem to happen...so it's probably not worth recommending these at this stage. We could revisit that if you find a way to make it happen at will.

[BrettB]

There is some other very detailed logs that can be turned on to log the network traffic from the HDHR, but unfortunately these will likely fill your hard drive long before you manage to force the problem to happen...so it's probably not worth recommending these at this stage. We could revisit that if you find a way to make it happen at will.

Thanks for looking into this problem, sub.

As I said back in post #10, when it happens, the only thing listening on the port is NRecord.exe. And I've used Wireshark to capture the network traffic and verify that the HDHR is sending the stream to the port. So, it seems that something is blocking NRecord.exe either from receiving the data sent to the port or from writing the data received to the .ts file.

The really strange thing is that once I exit the webclient, then NRecord begins working normally. And it only seems to affect 1 recording going on at the time. In the case last night, 3 recordings all started at 18:59. And the first and last one worked fine, but the middle one didn't start writing to the .ts file until the webclient exited.

[sub]

Can you force it to happen with 3 recordings, so we don't need to leave the extended logging turned on for hours?

[BrettB]

Can you force it to happen with 3 recordings, so we don't need to leave the extended logging turned on for hours?

Unfortunately, I still have no clue what causes the condition, so I can't force it to happen. I just have monitoring setup now so that if I'm home when it is happening, I get notified right away. I can then exit the webclient, let the recording start writing to the file, and then go back into the webclient.

[BrettB]

Can you force it to happen with 3 recordings, so we don't need to leave the extended logging turned on for hours?

It just happened again. I used Process Explorer to generate a full dump file for the NRecord.exe process when the file wasn't growing. Then I exited the webclient and the file began growing. I then generated another full dump file for the NRecord.exe process while it was working OK.

Would those dump files be useful to you to try to see what it was doing? If so, I can put them on OneDrive so that you can get them.

EDIT: Nevermind--the dump files are empty. :-(

[jcole998]

I, too, am having this problem. Just started happening two days ago. (I started a new thread that I shouldn't have.:o) I've subscribed to this thread with hope of a solution from the NextPVR gurus.

BTW, BrettB, I'd like to try your "Alert" script. Can I get a copy of it along with its Cliffnotes?

Many thanks.

[BrettB]

I, too, am having this problem. Just started happening two days ago. (I started a new thread that I shouldn't have.:o) I've subscribed to this thread with hope of a solution from the NextPVR gurus.

John: I presume that you also don't know how to force the problem to happen. :-( So I'm interested in trying to find commonalities.

Your signature shows you have a DCR-3250 and a HDPVR. Do you know if the problem only affects recordings on the DCR-3250? That should use the same recording mechanism as my HDHR Primes.

Do you use the X-NEWA webclient in Kodi? Since I discovered that exiting the webclient while one of these recordings is in progress causes the recording file to begin growing, I'd be very curious to know if you see the same behavior.

[jcole998]

Hello, Brettb.

I have no problems using the HDPVR. The problems are all with the DCR-3250 which, before this past Sunday, has performed flawlessly. I use NextPVR on the install machine and only rarely use any kind of client software on other machines.

And you are correct that I cannot force the condition. Just last night I got only the first one second of "The Flash." This morning, I got all of two shows recording simultaneously. Go figure. Log even shows evidence of interference from a live TV operation which was not in use when last night's recording started.

I am ready to try various things. I have a complete NextPVR installation on another machine. I will be running tests on that machine.

I hope we can find an answer. And thanks for the script.