Bug Report Output Timer - Potential bug?

Deepblue1968

New Member
Using OBS 25.0.1 (64bit, windows) I have observed the following "feature" when using the Output Timer tool to terminate a recording session:

- The FIRST recording after launching OBS works as expected. Recording stops after exactly the specified time and is complete and correct.
- The SECOND recording (with the same or different settings) leads to a dysfunctional recording: the output file is 185 Byte in size and does not increase during recording. During this "fake" recording, the output timer decrements as expected and the recording stops as expected - but with the mentioned defective output file.
- When stopping and pressing Start Recording again (either in the "Controls" panel or "Output Timer" window) it works again as expected.

==> My current workaround is to press Start Recording/Stop Recording/Start Recording and then it works as expected (indicated by the "Pause Sign" = || being displayed right next to "Stop Recording" in the Controls panel). That way I end up with one invalid recording and a correct one each time.

This is acceptable, given the excellent results I get using the OBS software. But I wonder if this is a bug or if I'm overlooking something.
 

koala

Active Member
Seems a bug to me. I can reproduce it. With the timer active, every other recording is terminated immediately. But the other ones are terminated according to the timer correctly.

The timer seems to fire multiple times internally and seems not removed internally after it triggered. After my tries, these entries appear in the log:
Code:
14:36:15.334: ==== Recording Start ===============================================
14:36:15.334: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Writing file 'D:/OneDrive/Alex/Videos/Aufzeichnungen/2020-04-02 14-36-15.mkv'...
14:36:15.493: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Output of file 'D:/OneDrive/Alex/Videos/Aufzeichnungen/2020-04-02 14-36-15.mkv' stopped
14:36:15.493: Output 'adv_file_output': stopping
14:36:15.493: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 1
14:36:15.493: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 9
14:36:15.494: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
14:36:15.509: media_remux: Could not open input file 'D:/OneDrive/Alex/Videos/Aufzeichnungen/2020-04-02 14-36-15.mkv'
14:36:25.329: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.335: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.338: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.340: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.342: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.344: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.346: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.348: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.352: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.354: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.356: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.358: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.360: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.362: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.364: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.366: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.368: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.370: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.374: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.377: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.379: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.381: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.383: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.385: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.388: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.389: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
14:36:25.391: Stopping recording due to OutputTimer timeout
The number of "Stopping recording do to OutputTimer timeout" entries increase. If I counted them right, every terminated recording adds one more. @R1CH might perhaps want to take a look at this, and if this is real, open a bug report.
 

Deepblue1968

New Member
@koala

many thanks for your swift reply - I though the problem was between screen and seat ;-)
Good that you were able to reproduce this and pull some traces.

One more piece of information: If after the first successful recording I start/stop a recording manually (so without Output Timer) this seems to "reset" the logic and the failure does not appear. (In fact this is exactly the workaround I mentioned...)
 

margroloc

New Member
Still not fixed
1644448603094.png


1644448630496.png


every other recording with the output timer is busted
you know this is happening when the 'recording stopping in: xxx' timer hits 0 and the start/stop button still says 'Stop'
 

White Candle

New Member
Using OBS 25.0.1 (64bit, windows) I have observed the following "feature" when using the Output Timer tool to terminate a recording session:

- The FIRST recording after launching OBS works as expected. Recording stops after exactly the specified time and is complete and correct.
- The SECOND recording (with the same or different settings) leads to a dysfunctional recording: the output file is 185 Byte in size and does not increase during recording. During this "fake" recording, the output timer decrements as expected and the recording stops as expected - but with the mentioned defective output file.
- When stopping and pressing Start Recording again (either in the "Controls" panel or "Output Timer" window) it works again as expected.

==> My current workaround is to press Start Recording/Stop Recording/Start Recording and then it works as expected (indicated by the "Pause Sign" = || being displayed right next to "Stop Recording" in the Controls panel). That way I end up with one invalid recording and a correct one each time.

This is acceptable, given the excellent results I get using the OBS software. But I wonder if this is a bug or if I'm overlooking something.
Let's call a bug...a bug.
When I use the Output timer, whether for 4 hours or 4 seconds, it starts/stops recording normally for the 1st 7 uses. But on the 8th or 9th use, the timer does not correctly stop the recording and so the vid file is lost. This happens RELIABLY on the 8th or 9th use (without closing and restarting the program between recordings). My system is top of the line in every respect, including graphics card. I've tried the various suggested adjustments with no change. It's NOT a hardware issue when it's an issue of how many times you record and NOT how long the recording is. Of course, the obvious workaround (for me, anyway) is to restart the program after 5 recordings, but it would be nice to get an update that would cure this problem without workarounds.
 

statesmanuel

New Member
Problem: Mp4 recording does not stop when clicking "stop recording" button (whether main display stop button or output timer stop button).
Solution: When STARTING the MP4 recording, Left Click and HOLD the start button for at least 5 seconds (before releasing) to start the recording. For STOPPING the MP4 recording, Left Click and HOLD the stop button for at least 5 seconds before letting go.
Since I switched to starting/stopping recordings that way, I have had ZERO problems stopping the mp4 recording.
BTW, if your computer can handle it, start TWO instances of OBS recordings. When you start the 2nd instance, it gives you a "You sure you want to do that?" message, but as long as your computer can handle it, you get 2 recordings out of it and an "extra shot" at getting a good recording out of it (should one of the instance recordings go awry).
 

Deepblue1968

New Member
The bug I reported Apr 2020 with OBS 25.0.1 appeared to have been fixed with one of the next releases and as far as I could tell everything was working pretty ok until version OBS 28.x. (That was at least my finding based on my use-pattern in the last year or so.)
*However*, after upgrade to OBS 29 (currently 29.0.2 64bit on Win 11) the bug *re-appeared* in a slightly modified way:
*Now* I can perform 3-4 recordings with the Output Timer with no issue, but after a number (<5 typically), the problem re-appears and stays - until OBS gets close and restarted. Then again, after a small number we have a 1kB File on disk with no advancements / application stalled.
I'll try to locate the bug report mentioned above and add this information.
 
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