What's with RAF and leg shaving?!

Well now (10:23pm PDT) I'm seeing a good variety of ads, but the "Disney Activate" ad crashes RAF and therefore kills my game. :?

Disney ad:

adserver: http://a.brightline.tv/?id=VAST_114010851&v=383828892
duration:  30 
companionads: <Component: roArray>
streamformat: mp4
adid: 1560521
streams: <Component: roArray>
creativeid: video_1560521
adtitle: Disney Activate
tracking: <Component: roArray>

provider: brightline
width:  1280
bitrate:  2336
height:  720
url: http://cdn-media.brightline.tv/videos/ads/2015-q4-disney-activate-225866/diqf4748000h_wdw_resort_stay_h264_30fps_avcmain41_720p.mp4
mimetype: video/mp4

Debugger output for the Disney ad:

RAF 1.7; rendering preroll pod of 1 ads

BrightScript Micro Debugger.
Enter any BrightScript statement, debug commands, or HELP.


Current Function:
5698:  ??
5699:  ??
5700:  ??
5701:* ??
5702:  ??
5703:  ??
5704:  ??
5705:  ??
Member function not found in BrightScript Component or interface. (runtime error &hf4) in roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads_BrightLine.brs(5701)
5701: ??
Backtrace:
#9  Function $anon_8111() As Void
   file/line: roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads_BrightLine.brs(5701)
#8  Function $anon_8110() As Void
   file/line: roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads_BrightLine.brs(5695)
#7  Function $anon_810f(params_ As Object) As Object
   file/line: roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads_BrightLine.brs(5746)
#6  Function $anon_7f8f(ad_ As Object, isexitkey_ As Dynamic, global_ As Object) As Object
   file/line: roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads_BrightLine.brs(330)
#5  Function $anon_7fca(ad_ As Object, isexitkey_ As Dynamic) As Object
   file/line: roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads_BrightLine.brs(1272)
#4  Function $anon_83cb() As Void
   file/line: roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads.brs(2518)
#3  Function roku_ads_showads(adstructure_ As Object) As Dynamic
   file/line: roku_ads_lib:/Roku_Ads.brs(3338)

-JT

Hi Jim, do you have some output from the crash? Is the crash occurring within your code or do you believe it is occurring within the RAF library?

- Joel

"renojim" wrote:
Well now (10:23pm PDT) I'm seeing a good variety of ads, but the "Disney Activate" ad crashes RAF and therefore kills my game. :?

This should only be an issue if the device is running firmware version older than 7.1.
Do you have information about the firmware version and/or region for the crashing device?

Sorry guys, I just noticed your posts. Joel, I posted the debugger output. It's clearly crashing in the RAF library code. I was surprised to catch it my side-loaded app. I had to comment out the showAds to go on with my developing. 🙂

KC, I wish my memory was better on which devices the crash was happening. As you can see from the debugger output, it was definitely happening on RAF v1.7, so maybe that gives you some idea of what the firmware version was. I think I captured that on my SE which has fw v7.0. I have three devices that I use regularly and I know it happened on at least two of them. I'm fairly certain it occurred on my Roku 3 with fw v7.2 and my SE with fw v7.0. I also have a TCL TV with fw 7.1. I know I was seeing the crash on two of the devices and quite possibly all three, so at least one of the devices where the crash was occurring had fw > 7.0.

I haven't seen the crash today and I know I've seen a Disney ad, I'm just not sure it was the problem ad and I'm not sure which device I was using. I'll keep watching ads and see if it's still happening.

-JT

Seems that RAF fails a Bright-Line rule, hmm?
"Thou shalt not crash"

It looks like the crash may be of my own doing by not allowing my SE to update its firmware. I could have sworn I saw the crash on multiple devices, but it was getting late and my frustration level was on the rise, so perhaps my memory was faulty. Since my last report I've only seen the crash on the SE with fw 7.0 and the same ads don't crash my Roku 3 or TV. I am seeing a few users that look like they're still on v7.0 as of 7/6, so this is still a little bit of a problem.

-JT

So no ads coming through again today. Anyone have any suggestions for a service that works with RAF and actually has a good supply of ads?

-JT

"renojim" wrote:
So no ads coming through again today. Anyone have any suggestions for a service that works with RAF and actually has a good supply of ads?

Confirming - during the last 4 hours over 50% of RokuCo-served requests for ads have been unfilled.

I blame it on channels that show multiple ads per session 🙂 and thus drain a shallow pool.
But seriously - i too am all ears about "serious" video ad suppliers.

"belltown" wrote:
I think this is normal. Every time I play Pathogen 2, it tries to convince me to shave my legs. If I complied every time, I'd be shaving down to the bone marrow by now.

sorry. :oops:

"RokuKC" wrote:
This should only be an issue if the device is running firmware version older than 7.1.
Do you have information about the firmware version and/or region for the crashing device?

I am seeing traces of RAF play failing on 7.2 devices, to ballpark it about 5% of the fulfilled^ ad requests seem to end up that way.

I experienced it yesterday with public-ed app, unfortunately am unable to reproduce it on cue in side-loaded channel. However, i can peruse the server logs! ^^

Looking at the last dozen bombed traces from yesterday, these are Roku 3 and Roku 4 devices, reporting agents "Roku/DVP-7.20 (047.20E04100A)" and "Roku/DVP-7.20 (177.20E04100A)" respectively. By geo ip, it's a fair mix of US states (CA, NJ, KS, IL, TX, MN, GA, AZ, IN, IL, CO, WI), plus one from Mexico. Half of the players have been served ads successfully during different sessions (before or after). I might be able to provide more info if there is interest from the Co (i.e. issue is not known).

(^) Note this is separate from the low fill rate RokuCo is having right now. I calc'd % share vs filled slots.
(^^) Q: How can you tell that an elephant has been in your refrigerator?
A: By the footprints in the butter.