Kiwy-Signage/working_files/DEBUGGING_MEDIA_SKIPS.md

# 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!