Playback errors drop the viewer back to the list without ever showing the error #7

New Issue

benjamin · 2026-08-26T01:53:38+02:00

benjamin commented

2026-08-26 01:53:38 +02:00

Problem

When playback fails permanently, PlayerController.onPlayerError() gives up after two silent retries and sets errorMessage = "unreachable". Media3 also moves the player to STATE_IDLE on a fatal error.

hasMedia is mediaItemCount > 0 && playbackState != STATE_IDLE, so it becomes false. AppState.syncFromPlayer() then hides the player:

if (!player.hasMedia && playerVisible) {
    playerVisible = false
    currentChannel = null
}

The overlay would have rendered "Wiedergabefehler" — but the whole player screen is gone by then, so that text never appears on the TV. The error only reaches the phone remote via currentStatus().

Failure scenario

A family member picks a channel whose stream is dead. The screen goes black for a moment, then silently returns to the channel list with no explanation. Nothing says what happened or what to do — precisely the "self-healing, plain language" behaviour the app is supposed to have (issue #13 of the original set).

Suggested fix

Keep the player visible while errorMessage != null and show a plain-language message with one action ("Erneut versuchen")
Or route the failure into the existing AppError fullscreen state, which already has the right tone and a retry path
Clear the error and re-prepare() when the user retries, since the player does not recover on its own

Found by multi-agent code review; verified against current PlayerController.kt and AppState.kt.

## Problem When playback fails permanently, `PlayerController.onPlayerError()` gives up after two silent retries and sets `errorMessage = "unreachable"`. Media3 also moves the player to `STATE_IDLE` on a fatal error. `hasMedia` is `mediaItemCount > 0 && playbackState != STATE_IDLE`, so it becomes `false`. `AppState.syncFromPlayer()` then hides the player: ```kotlin if (!player.hasMedia && playerVisible) { playerVisible = false currentChannel = null } ``` The overlay would have rendered "Wiedergabefehler" — but the whole player screen is gone by then, so that text never appears on the TV. The error only reaches the phone remote via `currentStatus()`. ## Failure scenario A family member picks a channel whose stream is dead. The screen goes black for a moment, then silently returns to the channel list with no explanation. Nothing says what happened or what to do — precisely the "self-healing, plain language" behaviour the app is supposed to have (issue #13 of the original set). ## Suggested fix - Keep the player visible while `errorMessage != null` and show a plain-language message with one action ("Erneut versuchen") - Or route the failure into the existing `AppError` fullscreen state, which already has the right tone and a retry path - Clear the error and re-`prepare()` when the user retries, since the player does not recover on its own Found by multi-agent code review; verified against current `PlayerController.kt` and `AppState.kt`.

benjamin referenced this issue

2026-08-26 02:00:39 +02:00

Reconnect strategy: back off instead of retrying instantly after a stream drops #12

benjamin referenced this issue from a commit

2026-08-26 02:14:49 +02:00

Resolve the full review backlog (issues #1-#13)

benjamin commented

2026-08-26 02:17:03 +02:00

Fixed in dd612fc, shipped in v0.9.0.

AppState.syncFromPlayer() only hides the player when there is neither an error nor a pending reconnect, so a failure no longer drops the viewer back to the list.
The overlay is forced visible in that state and says "Sender gerade nicht erreichbar" (or "Verbindung wird wiederhergestellt…" while retries are running).
The transport row swaps its buttons for a focused Erneut versuchen next to Beenden. retryNow() clears the error, resets the backoff and re-prepare()s — the player does not recover on its own, so this is the path back.

Together with the spaced retries from #12 the sequence is now: drop → three quiet attempts with a visible hint → a plain-language message with one action.

Fixed in dd612fc, shipped in v0.9.0. - `AppState.syncFromPlayer()` only hides the player when there is neither an error nor a pending reconnect, so a failure no longer drops the viewer back to the list. - The overlay is forced visible in that state and says "Sender gerade nicht erreichbar" (or "Verbindung wird wiederhergestellt…" while retries are running). - The transport row swaps its buttons for a focused **Erneut versuchen** next to Beenden. `retryNow()` clears the error, resets the backoff and re-`prepare()`s — the player does not recover on its own, so this is the path back. Together with the spaced retries from #12 the sequence is now: drop → three quiet attempts with a visible hint → a plain-language message with one action.

benjamin closed this issue

2026-08-26 02:17:05 +02:00

benjamin referenced this issue

2026-08-26 02:19:01 +02:00

Reconnect strategy: back off instead of retrying instantly after a stream drops #12

benjamin referenced this issue from a commit

2026-08-26 02:35:25 +02:00

Compose for TV UI, generic + Dispatcharr sources, device-flow login, favorites, stream profiles, richer remote

benjamin referenced this issue from a commit

2026-08-26 02:35:26 +02:00

Resolve the full review backlog (issues #1-#13)

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