Topic: Not sure whether to call this a bug... [crash for incomplete files]

I've noticed that if I'm downloading a FLAC or SHN file with BitTorrent, and attempt to play it with Cog before the download is complete, then it'll invariably crash Cog as soon as the file reaches the incomplete part.  In other words, if the file is 4:00 long and has a missing piece at the 25% mark, it'll crash at 1:00.

I'm not sure whether this qualifies as a bug, but it would be nice if Cog could handle things a little more gracefully.  Sometimes I'll have a folder full of FLACs, some of which are complete and some aren't, and I'll want to preview the ones that are done while I wait for the torrent to finish.  Since the files often have names like blahblaht01.flac, it's all too easy to mix up which ones are "safe" to listen to.

I don't have Leopard, however, so I can't say whether this behavior is true in the latest nightly.

Last edited by goldenband (2008-04-05 11:30:20)

Re: Not sure whether to call this a bug... [crash for incomplete files]

I don't know if it is. VLC handles unfinished video quite well (most of the time), so I guess it is possible. And any behavior would be better than a crash.

Solutions could be skipping to next file if file is broken, playing what works, then skipping, or probably more complicated, skipping till next finished part in the same file.

Re: Not sure whether to call this a bug... [crash for incomplete files]

Re: Not sure whether to call this a bug... [crash for incomplete files]

I'm using Azureus, which I think can be set for either of the behaviors you describe (though I could be wrong).

I guess the broader issue is what Cog does when it suddenly hits a stream of garbage content.  Throwing up an error and moving on, like VLC, would be great;  crashing is not so great.

Re: Not sure whether to call this a bug... [crash for incomplete files]

ah, i see what you mean & have to agree... whether or not one's choice of torrent client is a factor in the issue, an error message is obviously preferred behaviour over an unexpected crash. makes sense.

Re: Not sure whether to call this a bug... [crash for incomplete files]

This is very much a bug. I somehow missed this post previously, sorry. I put a ticket in trac for it, so I'll take a look when I get a chance.