Pre 3 stopped playing audio

Yesterday, my Pre 3 (webOS 2.2.4, some homebrew patches) suddenly stopped playing audio. MP3 files do not play (in neither of the standard Music player, nor Music Player Remix, nor Kobo). Ringtones do not play back. Sound notifications such as for SMS or alarms do not play their sounds but just a standard "ding" if I get lucky. I have been missing calls for that reason.

This is not a hardware issue with the sound output. I still get the "swoosh" sound when I toss a card away (close the app). I installed The Ghastly Headset and I do not have the "stuck in headset mode" problem. But even if I use a headset, or an A2DP Bluetooth headset, I do not get sound from MP3 playback.

Streaming apps like TuneIn Radio or DrPodder do not play back.

I have tried moving from stock kernel to uberkernel and back. Did not change a thing. I tried restarting the phone. Did not fix it. I am running out of ideas. I don't think I changed any patches or other significant settings between the day where audio was still working and the day where it did not.

I am hesitant to doctor since I got lots of apps and configuration and data set up on the phone. It is my primary phone and I do not want to go through setting everything up again, reinstalling apps, restoring data etc. etc.

Other than that, I am really lost. Any ideas why this is happening and how to possibly fix it are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Max

P.S. similar sounding problem described in [url]http://forums.webosnation.com/palm-pre-pre-plus/290205-mp3-audio-no-longer-working-sprint-pre.html[/url] for an original Pre, but also there no fix is listed.

Most likely you need to wipe your USB partition, this fixed the same exact issue for me. MP3s were not playing, doctored first then wiped USB partition.

[QUOTE=OldSkoolVWLover;3285880]Most likely you need to wipe your USB partition, this fixed the same exact issue for me. MP3s were not playing, doctored first then wiped USB partition.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the hint! I copied everything off the USB drive, then wiped it through the Device Info app, then put most of the stuff back. At least this keeps my apps and app settings!

After that, sounds worked again for a few hours, but now after a reboot they stopped working again. What the #$%$%!

This way my Pre 3 is all of a sudden no reliable phone anymore. I did not get woken up this morning by the alarm clock, I miss some calls and SMS just because there are no sounds. Plus I cannot listen to my MP3s but that is the least of my problems now.

Max

My problem hasn't returned (hopefully it stays that way), but I doctored and wiped.

I will say the day the issue started for me, I had played MP3s (Dr Podder) that very morning via bluetooth on my way to work... went to lunch and got nothing (thought it was corrupt file, tried more files/streaming, then thought maybe Dr. Podder was messed up, erased and reinstalled, then I just went for broke and reset everything).

I would really like to find the root cause of the problem to get rid of it once and for all.

I had the same problem on my pre2 and had tried everything I can think of , doctoring, USB erasing, full erasing, secure erasing, nothing work. I just don't know what to do and this half functioning pre2 is just laying around collecting dust. :'(

Thanks for all your comments. I wiped the USB one more time (still did not re-doctor!) and only put photos, wallpapers, ringtones, appdata (Navit maps) and my regular music folder back. For now, I get ringtones and alarms, but for some reason the music player does not show my music. Something really is fishy, it seems like it cannot index the music files or something like that.

How is the music index generated? For some reason, now that the music player is not showing the music again, also when I try to select a ringtone, the list is empty.

Which pieces of software and which files have to do with the media index?

I spent another while searching the forums, and I think I found the root cause and solution.

See [URL="http://forums.webosnation.com/webos-discussion/280211-media-index-not-updating-3.html#post3041512"]this thread and solution post[/URL] about a known bug with the media indexer.

I followed the steps (delete /var/luna/data/filenotify.db3 then reboot), and after taking a camera picture (or possibly just waiting a while?) the media index is then rebuilt. (It is harmless to delete the file as it will be rebuilt automatically.)

All my music, pictures, and ringtones came back and the phone seems to be functioning correctly again. No need to move stuff off the USB partition, nor doctoring, nor wiping.

Now I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will stick ;)

Max

If I would have seen this sooner (we are on opposite sides of the earth), I could have saved you some time... MetaView has made a patch to fix the media indexer, you can see it right now on the front page of webOS Nation.

[url]http://www.webosnation.com/media-indexer-refresh[/url]

Well, reindexing by removing filenotify.db3 and rebooting, then using the camera, did not last. I tried one more time to wipe USB, reboot, then put files back and again it made it work for an hour or two, but then audio and camera stopped working AGAIN.

This seems to be a long-standing problem with webOS. See [URL="http://forums.webosnation.com/palm-pre-pre-plus/259656-has-happened-others-camera-not-working-media-files-not-able-play.html#post2616580"]this thread about camera not working and media files not able to play[/URL]

So I guess doctor will be next. This sucks.

Did you try the fix in my post above? This is a brand new fix as of about a week ago. The first of it's kind for the media indexing issue.

Actually, I tried all of it now. First, I doctored (without USB wipe). Did not fix it, but I had to go through all the save/restore, reinstall Preware etc. etc. madness.

Next, another couple of hours re-tinkering with USB deletions and re-addings and restarts and deleting filenotify.db3 and so on. Sometimes, ringtones would start playing again and camera start working, but then stop again after a bit or after another reboot.

Finally, I now got it to a state where at least it is playing ringtones, showing my photos and playing the current music. But it is not recognizing new music (added via USB) unless I run the Media Indexer Refresh app on the newly added directory.

The thing is, you really have to enter each directory and tell it to refresh, so it is kind of tedious. Let's see how long the fun lasts.

I am actually really disappointed how sick this media indexer issue is, and how little one can do to resolve it apart from trying a bunch of different approaches which may work or work half-way or may work for a little while only. This is a broken piece of software.

I really long for opensourced webOS, at least then we can try to fix it ourselves.

what I don't understand is, why the problem doesn't get solve even with doctoring, USB erasing, full erase or even secure full erase.

[QUOTE=idiotboxxer;3288923]what I don't understand is, why the problem doesn't get solve even with doctoring, USB erasing, full erase or even secure full erase.[/QUOTE]

Which problem? The USB erase fixes the audio problem.

[QUOTE=OldSkoolVWLover;3288928]Which problem? The USB erase fixes the audio problem.[/QUOTE]

Well, I don't fully understand it either. While the USB erase fixed it initially, when I put back ringtones and some music, the problem came back. That's why eventually I started doctoring too (which definitely does not solve it, or at least not alone).

There must be some awkward conditions under which the Media Indexer stops indexing, or corrupts its database and any music playback application cannot play anymore, or something like that.

I haven't quite figured out what you have to do after the USB erase to put everything back on the USB and still keep the audio functioning. Somehow after all my interventions it just started working again. BUT: whenever I now enter USB mode and add some music, when I exit from USB mode the photo app and the music player will then only show a spinner. I have to reboot the Pre 3 after that, then the new files will not show up. Then I have to use the Media Indexer Rescan app to add the new files.

So either way, something is broken. But at least my phone is ringing and I get woken up by the alarm clock again.

Yeah I think you have an additional media indexing issue. Because my loss of sound wasn't media indexing (streaming audio wouldn't play either), and other system sounds were functional.

I think you may be fighting multiple gremlins.

This phone is plagued with audio issues, my latest is that randomly when skipping songs, the song is playing but no audio is being heard, and I have to take out the headphones and plug them in and then pick a new song before i get any audio

Although mine is a Pre2, I believe these problems are related with the same causes.

At first the problem appear one day when I was playing audio podcast using Dr Podder. It was on WebOS 2.1, since then I have tried many different methods, including doctoring the phone to v2.2.4, 2.0.1 and now running on 2.0.0. Erase USB Drive, Full Erase and Secure Erase. I have even tried created a new profile after the doctor.
It doesn't play any mp3 files, including all the ringtones. And I have check those files on a desktop and they have no problem whatsoever.

The problems I currently have:

[LIST][*]Ringtone is not playing. Even when a call come in, my ringtone isn't playing. Instead it plays the system Ding Dong sound(Touchstone charging sound). The same when an alarm goes on, it only plays the Ding Dong sound.[*]In Sounds & Ringtones, if I go into Ringtone to try change it, tapping on the play icon to try to preview it. It get stuck at the start with no sound.[*]In Sounds & Ringtones, dragging the Ringtone Volume slider makes "no sound", however, dragging the Volume slider under the System Sounds will make a 'shutter' sound. (See attached)[*]Camera not working(See attached)[*]Youtube video app not playing (See attached)[*]Build-in Videos app not working. (Running Youtube app because I am on 2.0.0, see attached)[*]Media Indexer Refresh app diesn't work. It keeps loading forever.[/LIST]

[QUOTE=idiotboxxer;3289318]Although mine is a Pre2, I believe these problems are related with the same causes.
[/QUOTE]

idiotboxxer, your problem description is very much what I had on my Pre 3. Except I never tried dragging the ringtone volume slider, and in addition the Media player app would just show a spinner.

I am not exactly sure what I finally did to resolve it, but I had done each of these things at least once, and often several times:

- rebooted the phone
- delete /var/luna/data/filenotify.db3 and rebooting the phone
- wiped the USB partition (always using a regular wipe)
- put files back on the USB partition directory by directory, exiting from USB mode each time
- took a photo using the Camera app
- doctored using the 2.2.4 original doctor
- uninstalled Muffle System Logging patch

Eventually I got the phone to a point where it would at least play ringtones, show photos, have a working camera and not hang (spinner) in the Music player. It just would not show new music or photos added in USB mode.

I then installed the Music Indexer Refresh app and use it if I ever add more media files in USB mode.

It is weird.

Well, I've got this issue, unfortunately I'm not willing to doctor, tried filenotify, indexer fixes but nothing. I believe this has something to do with other issue I've recently had - file system problem. Is it possible to detect the problem? Obviously this is fixed by replacing files then it might be possible to check which file is corrupted and fix just this one.

I'm open for suggestions as doctoring is not an option currently.

did you recently use any earphones? If so plug them back in and turn on some music . Then turn of the music and then unplug. Now reboot the phone and try again , . Also you can open the device info app, then tap on preferences on top left, then tests and quick tests to have the phone test your hardware to see if its all working . I'm not positive but I believe it will test the sound as well . You can also try out the interactive tests as well.


if you think its something to do with the media indexer then maybe try this ...... [url]http://forums.webosnation.com/webos-discussion/280211-media-index-not-updating-3.html#post3041512[/url]

I've recreated all folders with audio files on media/ (including ringtones) and it is ok now. The reason is still unclear but at least I didn't have to doctoring and wiping all.

Thanks for the help.

Hi!

I had the same problem as all of you had. It started a few weeks ago.
I tried to delete the filenotify.db3, but it did nothing.

And today morning after an update prompt (actually if I remember right it was FreeHeroes2), it couldn't finish it because it rebooted (the usual one when the screen fades away, and after a few seconds the HP logo appears).
I only noticed it after a few hours that my audio came back. Everything is working: Music (Remix), Ringtones, Ringtones preview in Sound settings. And it seems that my previous problem (a second - default - system sound is played after some notifications) is solved too, but I'm not sure yet.

So I'm happy but confused and puzzled too.

Tylla.

Got lately into this issue today (Pre2 2.2.4), possibly after a forced battery pull. :-(

What I found is the mediaserver (/usr/sbin/mediaserver) is not running.

It is launched by /etc/event.d/mediaserver, which basically runs "/usr/bin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1"

Try to manually run mediaserver with "/usr/bin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1", you should get a message saying "Could not initialize GStreamer: Invalid byte sequence in conversion input". THIS IS THE CULPRIT.

Two ways to perform a quick test:
[LIST][*]run "/usr/bin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1 -d" (debug mode), should be OK and you're back on track[*]run "/usr/bin/mediaserver", you should be OK as well[/LIST]

Had no time to investigate further, simply fixed "/etc/event.d/mediaserver" for now, removing the dreaded "--gst-debug=1" option and relaunching the service ("start mediaserver").

I suspect a malformed option after reading the usage ("/usr/bin/mediaserver --help")...

Anyone to reproduce that (quick) fix to confirm?

[QUOTE=Thibaud;3416188]Got lately into this issue today (Pre2 2.2.4), possibly after a forced battery pull. :-(

What I found is the mediaserver (/usr/sbin/mediaserver) is not running.

It is launched by /etc/event.d/mediaserver, which basically runs "/usr/sbin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1"

Try to manually run mediaserver with "/usr/sbin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1", you should get a message saying "Could not initialize GStreamer: Invalid byte sequence in conversion input". THIS IS THE CULPRIT.

Two ways to perform a quick test:
[LIST][*]run "/usr/sbin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1 -d" (debug mode), should be OK and you're back on track[*]run "/usr/sbin/mediaserver", you should be OK as well[/LIST]

Had no time to investigate further, simply fixed "/etc/event.d/mediaserver" for now, removing the dreaded "--gst-debug=1" option and relaunching the service ("start mediaserver").

I suspect a malformed option after reading the usage ("/usr/sbin/mediaserver --help")...

Anyone to reproduce that (quick) fix to confirm?[/QUOTE]

Yes, me to, same problems here, since one year of using pre 3 without Problems, its getting more and more worse.

I could now get mediaserver to run following your advice but with one difference. On my Pre3 the mediaserver sits in /usr/bin not /usr/sbin !!!!!!! Got the right path from opening /etc/event.d/mediaserver.

Starting mediaserver by hand an i could again take pictures an play MP3s.

What has happend, that sometime the Mediathing is getting worse. To much files ? Corruption of files somewhere related to medias ? Bad files corrupting filesystem and things ?

I will change now the line in /etc/event.d an try to start mediaserver. Ok that works ! Also camera is working again.
I will now reboot an will see, if this last over a reboot............wait.......wait.......wait.........ok music is playing........camera is working......but music stopped playing as i openend camera......i changed to music player......music was paused.....could get it to play by tapping.....changed back to camera......music stops......is this normal ?

That means, i could not hear music while taking photos.... is this a security preset ? ;-)

So confirmed your quix fix for now. Will come back, when sth changes. Many thanks for your investigation !!!!

Achim

from Gießen in Germany

[QUOTE=achimi;3416486]ok music is playing........camera is working......but music stopped playing as i openend camera......i changed to music player......music was paused.....could get it to play by tapping.....changed back to camera......music stops......is this normal ?

That means, i could not hear music while taking photos.... is this a security preset ? ;-)
[/QUOTE]

This is normal behavior. Stinky, but normal. I think it has to do with the plugin architecture used to access the media and camera systems.

[QUOTE=achimi;3416486]On my Pre3 the mediaserver sits in /usr/bin not /usr/sbin !!!!!!! Got the right path from opening /etc/event.d/mediaserver.[/QUOTE]

Yes, mediaserver is indeed located in /usr/bin. :o I fixed my post, thank you. :)

[QUOTE=Thibaud;3416188]Got lately into this issue today (Pre2 2.2.4), possibly after a forced battery pull. :-(

What I found is the mediaserver (/usr/sbin/mediaserver) is not running.

It is launched by /etc/event.d/mediaserver, which basically runs "/usr/bin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1"

Try to manually run mediaserver with "/usr/bin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1", you should get a message saying "Could not initialize GStreamer: Invalid byte sequence in conversion input". THIS IS THE CULPRIT.

Two ways to perform a quick test:
[LIST][*]run "/usr/bin/mediaserver --gst-debug=1 -d" (debug mode), should be OK and you're back on track[*]run "/usr/bin/mediaserver", you should be OK as well[/LIST]

Had no time to investigate further, simply fixed "/etc/event.d/mediaserver" for now, removing the dreaded "--gst-debug=1" option and relaunching the service ("start mediaserver").

I suspect a malformed option after reading the usage ("/usr/bin/mediaserver --help")...

Anyone to reproduce that (quick) fix to confirm?[/QUOTE]

I am having this same problem today, the quick test works, then it goes back to not working. How did you "fix it for now"?