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working_files/DEBUGGING_MEDIA_SKIPS.md

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+# Debugging Media File Skips - Guide
+
+## Summary
+Your playlist has been analyzed and all 3 media files are present and valid:
+- ✅ music.jpg (36,481 bytes) - IMAGE - 15s
+- ✅ 130414-746934884.mp4 (6,474,921 bytes) - VIDEO - 23s  
+- ✅ IMG_0386.jpeg (592,162 bytes) - IMAGE - 15s
+
+## Enhanced Logging Added
+The application has been updated with detailed logging to track:
+- When each media file starts playing
+- File path validation
+- File size and existence checks
+- Media type detection
+- Widget creation steps
+- Scheduling of next media
+- Any errors or skips
+
+## How to See Detailed Logs
+
+### Method 1: Run with log output
+```bash
+cd /home/pi/Desktop/Kiwy-Signage
+source .venv/bin/activate
+cd src
+python3 main.py 2>&1 | tee playback.log
+```
+
+### Method 2: Check Kivy logs location
+Kivy logs are typically stored in:
+- Linux: `~/.kivy/logs/`
+- Check with: `ls -lth ~/.kivy/logs/ | head`
+
+## Common Reasons Media Files Get Skipped
+
+### 1. **File Not Found** 
+**Symptom**: Log shows "❌ Media file not found"
+**Cause**: File doesn't exist at expected path
+**Solution**: Run diagnostic tool
+```bash
+python3 diagnose_playlist.py
+```
+
+### 2. **Unsupported File Type**
+**Symptom**: Log shows "❌ Unsupported media type"
+**Supported formats**:
+- Videos: .mp4, .avi, .mkv, .mov, .webm
+- Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif
+**Solution**: Convert files or check extension
+
+### 3. **Video Codec Issues**
+**Symptom**: Video file exists but doesn't play
+**Cause**: Video codec not supported by ffpyplayer
+**Check**: Look for error in logs about codec
+**Solution**: Re-encode video with H.264 codec:
+```bash
+ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -preset fast -crf 23 output.mp4
+```
+
+### 4. **Corrupted Media Files**
+**Symptom**: File exists but throws error when loading
+**Check**: Try playing file with external player
+```bash
+# For images
+feh media/music.jpg
+
+# For videos  
+vlc media/130414-746934884.mp4
+# or
+ffplay media/130414-746934884.mp4
+```
+
+### 5. **Memory/Performance Issues**
+**Symptom**: First few files play, then skipping increases
+**Cause**: Memory leak or performance degradation
+**Check**: Look for "consecutive_errors" in logs
+**Solution**: 
+- Reduce resolution setting in settings popup
+- Optimize video files (lower bitrate/resolution)
+
+### 6. **Timing Issues**
+**Symptom**: Files play too fast or skip immediately
+**Cause**: Duration set too low or scheduler issues
+**Check**: Verify durations in playlist.json
+**Current durations**: 15s (images), 23s (video)
+
+### 7. **Permission Issues**
+**Symptom**: "Permission denied" in logs
+**Check**: File permissions
+```bash
+ls -la media/
+```
+**Solution**: Fix permissions
+```bash
+chmod 644 media/*
+```
+
+## What to Look For in Logs
+
+### Successful Playback Pattern:
+```
+SignagePlayer: ===== Playing item 1/3 =====
+SignagePlayer: File: music.jpg
+SignagePlayer: Duration: 15s
+SignagePlayer: Full path: /path/to/media/music.jpg
+SignagePlayer: ✓ File exists (size: 36,481 bytes)
+SignagePlayer: Extension: .jpg
+SignagePlayer: Media type: IMAGE
+SignagePlayer: Creating AsyncImage widget...
+SignagePlayer: Adding image widget to content area...
+SignagePlayer: Scheduled next media in 15s
+SignagePlayer: ✓ Image displayed successfully
+SignagePlayer: ✓ Media started successfully (consecutive_errors reset to 0)
+```
+
+### Skip Pattern (File Not Found):
+```
+SignagePlayer: ===== Playing item 2/3 =====
+SignagePlayer: File: missing.mp4
+SignagePlayer: Full path: /path/to/media/missing.mp4
+SignagePlayer: ❌ Media file not found: /path/to/media/missing.mp4
+SignagePlayer: Skipping to next media...
+SignagePlayer: Transitioning to next media (was index 1)
+```
+
+### Video Loading Error:
+```
+SignagePlayer: Loading video file.mp4 for 23s
+SignagePlayer: Video provider: ffpyplayer
+[ERROR  ] [Video       ] Error reading video
+[ERROR  ] SignagePlayer: Error playing video: ...
+```
+
+## Testing Tools Provided
+
+### 1. Diagnostic Tool
+```bash
+python3 diagnose_playlist.py
+```
+Checks:
+- Playlist file exists and is valid
+- All media files exist
+- File types are supported
+- No case sensitivity issues
+
+### 2. Playback Simulation
+```bash
+python3 test_playback_logging.py
+```
+Simulates the playback sequence without running the GUI
+
+## Monitoring Live Playback
+
+To see live logs while the app is running:
+```bash
+# Terminal 1: Start the app
+./run_player.sh
+
+# Terminal 2: Monitor logs
+tail -f ~/.kivy/logs/kivy_*.txt
+```
+
+## Quick Fixes to Try
+
+### 1. Clear any stuck state
+```bash
+rm -f src/*.pyc
+rm -rf src/__pycache__
+```
+
+### 2. Test with simpler playlist
+Create `playlists/test_playlist_v9.json`:
+```json
+{
+  "playlist": [
+    {
+      "file_name": "music.jpg",
+      "url": "media/music.jpg",
+      "duration": 5
+    }
+  ],
+  "version": 9
+}
+```
+
+### 3. Check video compatibility
+```bash
+# Install ffmpeg tools if not present
+sudo apt-get install ffmpeg
+
+# Check video info
+ffprobe media/130414-746934884.mp4
+```
+
+## Getting Help
+
+When reporting issues, please provide:
+1. Output from `python3 diagnose_playlist.py`
+2. Last 100 lines of Kivy log file
+3. Any error messages from console
+4. What you observe (which files skip? pattern?)
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. **Run the app** and observe the console output
+2. **Check logs** for error patterns
+3. **Run diagnostic** if files are skipping
+4. **Test individual files** with external players if needed
+5. **Re-encode videos** if codec issues found
+
+The enhanced logging will now tell you exactly why each file is being skipped!