id	summary	reporter	owner	description	type	status	priority	milestone	component	version	severity	resolution	keywords	cc	mlocked
4425	Occasional zero length mythtv recordings	puterguy	Isaac Richards	"I am using the latest mythtv 0.20.2-169 packages with a pchdtv 5500
(and also an older winfast 2000xp).

I notice that occasionally I get zero length recordings - i.e. the
show itself shows up in mythfrontend with the appropriate timeslot and description but the recording itself is an empty file. 

It probably happens about 5% of the time but I have not noticed a
definite pattern though it tends to happen more to some shows/channels than others. Note that I am using the OTA us-broadcast ATSC signals from the dvb tuner on the pchdtv5500 card. All signals are >70% strength since I am only a couple of miles from (and in sight line of) the antennas.

I don't see any log entries in
/var/log/mythtv/mythbackend.log (or even in /var/log/messages)
 mentioning problems.

The only relevant entries I have are:

{{{
    2007-12-23 05:30:02.589 TVRec(1): Changing from None to RecordingOnly
    2007-12-23 05:30:02.618 TVRec(1): HW Tuner: 1->1
    2007-12-23 05:30:02.646 DVBChan(0) Warning: Symbol Rate setting (0) is out of range (min/max:5056941/10762000)
    2007-12-23 05:30:02.664 Started recording: Hometime ""Fold-Down Bed"": channel 2041 on cardid 1, sourceid 2
    2007-12-23 06:00:00.983 TVRec(1): Changing from RecordingOnly to None
    2007-12-23 06:00:01.464 Finished recording Hometime ""Fold-Down Bed"": channel 2041
    2007-12-23 06:00:01.486 Reschedule requested for id 0.
    2007-12-23 06:00:02.011 Scheduled 93 items in 0.5 = 0.03 match + 0.50 place
}}}

The only log difference I see between this failed recording and all
the other successful recordings is that during a successful recording, I get a SECOND ""Finished recording..."" line between the ""Reschedule requested for id 0"" line and the ""Scheduled X items..."" line. Also, in a successful recording, I get a series of lines following the ""Scehduled XX items..."" line that seem to describe the recorded stream that don't appear in the corresponding failed recording

Here is an example of a SUCCESSFUL recording of the same show:

{{{
     2007-12-16 05:30:02.624 TVRec(1): Changing from None to RecordingOnly
     2007-12-16 05:30:02.650 TVRec(1): HW Tuner: 1->1
     2007-12-16 05:30:02.683 DVBChan(0) Warning: Symbol Rate setting (0) is out of range (min/max:5056941/10762000)
     2007-12-16 05:30:02.731 Started recording: Hometime ""Pint-Sized Fireplace"": channel 2041 on cardid 1, sourceid 2
     2007-12-16 06:00:00.170 TVRec(1): Changing from RecordingOnly to None
     2007-12-16 06:00:00.253 Finished recording Hometime ""Pint-Sized Fireplace"": channel 2041
     2007-12-16 06:00:00.293 Reschedule requested for id 0.
     2007-12-16 06:00:01.049 Finished recording Hometime ""Pint-Sized Fireplace"": channel 2041
     2007-12-16 06:00:01.109 Scheduled 87 items in 0.8 = 0.00 match + 0.81 place
     0: start_time: 8230.118 duration: 161.642
     1: start_time: 8230.086 duration: 161.637
     stream: start_time: 91445.405 duration: 1796.378 bitrate=18504 kb/s
     2007-12-16 06:00:01.211 AFD: Opened codec 0xae1d2d20, id(MPEG2VIDEO) type(Video)
     2007-12-16 06:00:01.241 AFD: Opened codec 0xae1d3320, id(AC3) type(Audio)
     [mpeg2video @ 0x35782c0]ac-tex damaged at 10 67
     [mpeg2video @ 0x35782c0]00 motion_type at 57 67
     [mpeg2video @ 0x35782c0]00 motion_type at 83 67
     CC length(103) seq_num(1) 0x74 0x61
     CC length(103) seq_num(1) 0x74 0x61
     CC length(103) seq_num(1) 0x74 0x61
}}}

Note that I get the DVBChan(0) Warning even when recording works (and also whenever I start mythbackend). I'm not sure what it means (does anybody?) but it doesn't seem like the problem here.

So in summary:

1. What is causing these zero length recordings?[[BR]]
2. How do I fix the problem?[[BR]]
3. Shouldn't mythtv give better error messaging when zero length recordings occur?[[BR]]
4. Shouldn't mythtv fail more gracefully in terms of:[[BR]]
       - Deleting the zero length recording from the recorded programs menu[[BR]]
       - Making sure that the show is not marked as recorded[[BR]]
       - Reschedule showing for another time if there is another slot for the same show in the future[[BR]]
"	defect	new	minor	unknown	mythtv	unknown	medium		zero length		0