Roku Developer Program

[renojim]

I haven't checked in the last couple of hours, but what I was seeing was only the two Lowe's ads or nothing at all. Unfortunately I throw away duplicate ads at the next ad break, so when I see the same ad(s) at the next break I keep calling getAds up to 10 times trying to get something different. If I only get duplicates with additional empty pods, I display nothing. It's not unusual to get two Lowe's ads and eight pods with no ads or, worse, 10 pods with no ads. 😞 I'm trying to keep my users from seeing the same ad(s) over and over again, but I'm going to have change that so that if Roku only wants to give me one or two ads I just go ahead and show them ad nauseam (pun intended).

-JT

[renojim]

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

[RokuJoel]

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

[RokuKC]

"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?

[renojim]

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

[EnTerr]

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

[renojim]

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

[EnTerr]

Don't think can give a free-pass-to-crash-on-7.0 to RAF though.

I just had quick look at my server logs and in the second half of June i have been seeing Roku/DVP-7.0 agents almost daily. That's a Roku3/Roku4 app only. The latest entry is 7/3 by a 4200X at "Roku/DVP-7.0 (047.00E09021A)". Multiply mine by a thousand... twirl fingers... let's say there are 50,000 players 4200/4400 at 7.0, hence BrightLine-crashable. I think on RokuTV situation is worse - i saw people complaining^ some of Roku TV are still on 7.0.

Boy, am i glad i had the foresight to sandbox the RAF calls in my app, so it continues undeterred!
I felt like a bloody genius for a short while. But then i tried looking in the logs for traces of the error happening... and there were none. You see, it was supposed log the error code if RAF shat itself. So either that never happened or... yikes, 'tis true - i am part-time idiot too :oops:. On reviewing my code I discover i have bungled the addition of the error code to the event. So while indeed i correctly log that say 25% of my calls did not complete an ad - i cannot tell how many of these might be due to RAF shootings


(^) https://blog.roku.com/developer/2016/06 ... 2751815021
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=95486#p534128
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=95486&start=15#p534228

[renojim]

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

[EnTerr]

"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.