LE 8.0.2 - Random freeze of KODI when using particular skin

shiro · August 19, 2017 at 3:21 PM

Hello,

for the start, I dont even know where exactly to ask for help with my issue. Because from my point of view and knowledge (I work as PC hardware and OS service technician) the problem might be in more than one thing - KODI itself , Libreelec linux OS or its drivers....

Hardware:

Asrock AM1H-ITX motherboard

Athon 5350 APU with Radeon R3 graphics

2GB RAM DDR3

SSD for OS, 1TB HDD for media

Problem:

When I use LibreELEC 8.0.2 with Bello 6 skin, it will start to randomly freeze when I stop video playback. It will freeze just in the moment when video stops playing and the picture may switch back into KODI's GUI, where you have list of videos to play. But this transition will not be done completely, I can see KODI's GUI, but that GUI is not displayed with full brightness, because it will freeze in its "fade in" transition.

Its regardless of what type of videos I play, it can randomly freeze when I stop playing simple 480p h264 / h265, or 1080p h264 / h265

When that freeze occurs, it freezes just KODI itself. I can still SSH into LE Linux system and restart KODI by "systemctl restart kodi" command.

But, when I switch to any other skin (Eminence, Aeon Nox, etc), I will not encounter any random freeze when stopping video playback.

Also, when I enable debug logging I will not encounter any freezes. I have used my HTPC with enabled debug logging (with those info about memory and CPU load on screen) in two-three weeks, and no freeze. Without debug log, it can freeze even three times a day.

Few times, I have also encountered some picture artifacts like this. That purple area flickers as I move up or down in the movie list.

...but it dissapeared when I go back in the main menu and then return into back Videos.

What I have tried so far:

- clean install of LE v 8.0 and 8.0.2

- clean install of LE v 7.95.2, where KODI 17 final was first implemented

...nothing works, in that Bello 6 skin, the problem persist in any LE version with KODI 17

So, I dont know, where the problem might be. KODI iself, The Skin? Its somewhat possible for particular skin to use some feature, with which KODI have some problems? Or can it be some non compatible driver in LE's Linux kernel / system, which can cause this when this particular skin is used? I think the GPU driver may be the culprit.

Have someone encounter such problems?

Sorry for my english, I am not native english speaker.

trogggy · August 19, 2017 at 3:47 PM

No idea but...

the debug thing is odd - maybe you're using it differently with a screen full of text?

You can run debug logging without the text on the screen if it helps.

Just make or edit an advancedsettings.xml file with the following and stick it in userdata:

Code

<advancedsettings>
        <loglevel>1</loglevel>
</advancedsettings>

**chewitt** · August 19, 2017 at 11:48 PM Official Post

If the problem is only seen with Bello Skin, it's either a bug in the skin or the skin is uncovering a bug in Kodi.

First thing to do is test with LE 8.1.0 and a Milhouse v18 build to see if the issue is already resolved. If nothing is fixed, I'd start with posting the issue to the Bello skin support thread in Kodi forums. The skin author is welcome to contact us for debug assistance if they want.

trogggy · August 20, 2017 at 12:01 AM

Bello - any krypton skin - won't work with v18.

shiro · August 20, 2017 at 3:13 PM

True, it will not work there yet. I have posted this to the Bello 6 support thread in KODI forums too, so we will see, if it can be solved somehow. I really dont know where can be the problem, like you said - it's either a bug in the skin or the skin is uncovering a bug in Kodi.