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

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

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:

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

# 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

ls -la media/

Solution: Fix permissions

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

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

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:

# 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

rm -f src/*.pyc
rm -rf src/__pycache__

2. Test with simpler playlist

Create playlists/test_playlist_v9.json:

{
  "playlist": [
    {
      "file_name": "music.jpg",
      "url": "media/music.jpg",
      "duration": 5
    }
  ],
  "version": 9
}

3. Check video compatibility

# 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!