Overlay Scheduler content stop with error Playback-Stream Stalled

[fred48fm]

Hi,

For several months, we have had an intermittent problem with long files played by the Overlay Scheduler.

Pre-recorded shows (1h to 3h, WAV files) scheduled as overlays sometimes stop playing after a random amount of time, between about 20 and 100 minutes. The playlist then resumes. It is not tied to a specific time (not on the hour or half hour), nor to a specific show. A slot can run fine for months and then get cut. If we restart the same file the same day, it plays completely.

After activating the debug logs, the only message logged at the moment the overlay stops playing is "Playback-Stream Stalled" with Pos1 and Pos2 having the same values.

Any idea?
I already checked NTFS logs and the files are not changed anytime around the time it's cut.

Best regards,

Fred

(PF v4.5.3.1)

[radio42]

Can you please send me your exact error message to confirm.

But it sounds like a temp. probably very short local network error. Ie. the file is inaccessible due to that and stalls as such.
It sounds like your files are kept on a NAS drive. Can you confirm this?

[fred48fm]

For example :
27-09-26 18:56:43: Overlay 'Kool Strings@2026-09-27T18:01:00' Playback-Stream Stalled (Pos1=3339,98933333333, Pos2=3339,98933333333).
27-09-26 18:56:43: Overlay 'Kool Strings@2026-09-27T18:01:00' Playback finished.
-> Here the file is 2h long. It stops after less than one hour.

The files are on a local drive (NVMe).
I already checked the NTFS journal and the files are not writen during the playback.

Did this error is only linked to file I/O ?

[radio42]

Yes. That error only happens, if the system can not deliver the data ‚fast‘ enough for playback.
If all is on a local disk (even a normally super fast NVMe) that really sounds like a strange issue.
Or it your machine maybe under such heavy load.

Since once a stream/audio stalls, it is assumed broken and playback stops for any next track, as you can not really ‚retry‘.

[fred48fm]

Thats weird...
Thank you for the details.

To reduce the charge/make it more stable, I've just tryed :
- changing the value of the Lookahead Cache to 256kb (was 64kb)
- removing BPM on load and live BPM calcuations
- excluding PF, music and shows folders from AV.

Will see.
If you think of other settings that may be interresting to check ?

[radio42]

Are you running any DSPs or VST plugins?
That might use IO load, but I guess not any specific.

[fred48fm]

Just Stereotools with very few modules. Whole system CPU usage is around 10%.

[radio42]

It’s mostly file IO load which causes a stall if a stream/file.
But you can test without ST, to see, if that solves the issue?!

[fred48fm]

In the logs I found another Stream stalled error happening in this situation :

- An overlay is playing from 18:00 to 20:00.
- A live show in studio is started manualy a little earlyer 19:54:29.

The current overlay is then stopped with the error "Playback-Stream Stalled".
Is there any possibility that an audio output issue could block the playing and trigger this error ?

here the partial log :
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand: MIXER_OUTPUT_VOLUME_SLIDE PLAY|0.0|1500 [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand: MAIN_ONAIR_ON [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand: EXEC_COMMAND2 1|Equals(1)|EXEC_SHELL_COMMAND _______|hidden [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand: EXEC_COMMAND2 1|Equals(2)|EXEC_SHELL_COMMAND __________|hidden [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:20: DispatchCommand: SLEEP 1500 [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand: PLS_CURRENT_AUTOPLAY_OFF [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand: MIXER_OUTPUT_ON_OFF PLAY [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand: PLS_CURRENT_EJECT_CURRENT 500 [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand Reply: OK
28-09-26 19:59:22: DispatchCommand: SLEEP 5000 [from: ]
28-09-26 19:59:24: Overlay 'New Wave@2026-09-28T18:00:00' Playback-Stream Stalled (Pos1=6940,07466666667, Pos2=6940,07466666667).
28-09-26 19:59:24: Overlay 'New Wave@2026-09-28T18:00:00' Playback finished.

[radio42]

You mean, that an output device error causes such stall issue?
That is theoretically also possible, as the output drives the input. Ie. the output pulls the data from the input stream as needed. If an output device gets broken, it wouldn’t pull data from the stream anymore.

But do you experience output device issues?

What are the shell commands doing? Could they course heavy IO load (not CPU)!?