Portal crashes while in MyTVSeries (1 Viewer)

[wb228]

Hi,

I have a fresh install of Windows XP SP3 with all updates and latest drivers. The latest DivX and other required codecs. I have installed and configured the latest MediaPortal and My TVSeries using the default skins.

When I use MediaPortal, everything seems OK. I have tried all sections with no problems. However when I load up My TVSeries, sometimes it will crash and close down MediaPortal immeditely and sometimes it will stay loaded for about 10 seconds before crashing. Sometimes, MediaPortal will just close with no error, sometimes I will get a Windows applicaton error reporting mediaportal.exe has crashed, faulting module frontengine.dll.

Here are my specs and logs attached, any help would be appreciated. I have used older versions of MediaPortal and My TVSeries without such grave errors.

System:
Dual Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.40GHz with 2.0GB RAM
Windows XP Professional SP3 (Build: 32600)
ATI Radeon x600 SE 128MB RAM, DirectX9 compatible.
DirectX 9.0c

MediaPortal version: 1.0.2.22555
Screen resolution: 1024 x 768
My TVSeries version: 2.3.3491
Series: 58
Seasons: 335
Episodes: 5075

Many thanks in advance.

 

[xppx]

I have experienced the same crashes on my setup.

I've been using the portal for 1.5 years now, and those crashes only occurred in the TVSeries versions that were distributed as of 06/2009.
Btw. I use the same portal version: 1.0.2.22555 on XP SP3.
If you start the portal>myTVSeries a second time after the crash, it is solved in 80% of the cases. Sometimes it needs a 3rd restart of the portal.
Although annoying, once it is started without a crash, the plug-in works perfectly.

I assume it is linked with the dynamic background changes. Just before the crash (with or without the windows message) you see a glitch in/freeze of the background, and hear the HD do some extensive work.

I hope the issue will resolve itself when I switch to portal 1.1.0. If not, I will likewise go through the trouble of providing a detailed description of the event, incl. all logs.

 

[ltfearme]

Probably same as this: Issue 351 - moving-pictures - Random Crash From Backdrop Loading Logic (Threading Issue?) - Project Hosting on Google Code

 

[xppx]

Yes, your link refers to another plug-in, but the behaviour and context is the same.

I'm an IT'er myself so I know what threading and resulting sync issues are about.

I'm guessing that once the plug-in starts, multiple threads are fired off, and if they are not properly sync'd, a race condition occurs. And this would explain why restarting the portal (once or twice) solves the problem. In that case some of the resources are still in cache and the racing outcome will be different.

Could you point out to your fellow developers that this is probably a common problem that needs to be tackled in 1.1.0?

Itfearme, thank you for your out-of-the-box thinking!

 

[xppx]

Extra info.

Workaround: when you disable the fan art (per series), the problem is gone.

So, the problem thread is the one that loads the fan art in the background.