Re: Pandora quits

OK, it finally died - looks indeed like it ran out of memory. It was actually very stable, then suddenly took a dive.

It appears to have been getting "fail" responses to certain requests - note that the I3 and I8 use different Pandora API keys and different server-side scripts than the Chumby-branded devices, which *might* explain the differences in behavior between the C1 and I3.

77 (edited by Steevo 2014-09-14 17:45:36)

Re: Pandora quits

Ran out of memory. 
What's that mean, and why is it worse on the I3 platform?

78 (edited by Steevo 2014-09-15 10:13:15)

Re: Pandora quits

Something has definitely changed recently, it used to play for 5 or 6 hours, it never quit before that. 
It just quit after 1 1/2 hour.   It had quit overnight, but I restarted it this morning. and it just quit on the I3.

Re: Pandora quits

Well, nothing's changing on the device or on the Chumby backend systems.  Something must be happening on Pandora's end that is exposing some existing issue on the devices.

These types of problems are the worst to debug, since they take so long to manifest.

80 (edited by Steevo 2014-09-15 12:38:07)

Re: Pandora quits

It's taking less time right now. Pandora has quit in a little over an hour twice today.  Getting quite flaky.

Make that three times since this morning.

Re: Pandora quits

I wonder if I change the channel if that helps it clear up the problem, I am going to be trying that since it seems to quit in about 90 minutes now.  I guess it might or might not free up memory.

82 (edited by Steevo 2014-09-21 07:13:57)

Re: Pandora quits

It's definitely down to quitting in about 90 minutes on the I3 as of now.  Very reliable.
It's possible that changing the channel on Pandora does prolong it, however. But that is an anecdotal observation.

Re: Pandora quits

The different server side scripts, those are on pandora.com's servers I presume?

That sounds fixable, if the chumby scripts do not exhibit the problem, and everything else is the same, I would think there would be *someone* in the world who would be able to fashion a script for the Insignia branded devices that would work from the script that is working OK on the Chumby branded devices.   By changing a few values.

That's if it's possible to get Pandora to let them be changed, that is.  I presume you have contact with them?

These failures are getting pretty serious.  Getting worse by the day. And I only have the one Chumby branded device, but I have a pile of Insignia branded ones.  So this affects me more than most I imagine.

Re: Pandora quits

I started another thread about iHeart dropping and no sound for other music sources until rebooted. But last night it didn't do it. Don't know if it is related.
http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?pid=51540#p51540

Owner of 3 Sony Dash, 2 Info 8.

Re: Pandora quits

Well, the chumby classic has quit playing pandora when left playing overnight, twice now.

A couple days ago I saw the "still listening" prompt, but not yesterday or today, it was back playing space clock, which is the only widget in the channel.

I think this is digressing. 

As I said before the Infocast 3.5 quits in about 90 minutes now.  When I started this thread it was much longer, but not anymore.  60-90 minutes.

86 (edited by Steevo 2014-10-10 19:24:37)

Re: Pandora quits

Heh.  The plot thickens.

I left the Insignia 3.5 playing pandora when I left today.  I returned 6 hours later, to the "still listening" prompt.
I pushed the button and it's now playing pandora again.

I had never seen that "still listening" on the I3 before today. 
Something has changed.

Re: Pandora quits

And I left the I3.5 playing pandora about 5 hours ago, I just returned and it was playing space clock.
So I dunno.

Re: Pandora quits

OK, the I3 was playing Pandora, I got the "Still Listening" popup, I clicked it, it started playing again.
Then an hour or two later, it quit to Space Clock.

Re: Pandora quits

Any progress on this? 
This is getting really annoying. 
Pandora played without issue for months before the relaunch.

Re: Pandora quits

Well, I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't see it with my own eyes. Pandora is playing on an I3, and a song was playing, the pandora quit to space clock, but the song was still playing.  The song was about over and it finished.

Gee whiz.  Spooled?

Re: Pandora quits

Sorry, no progress on this.

The weird thing is that you're saying it's getting worse, when nothing has changed, either on the server or the client.

The other weird thing is the difference between the behavior of I3 vs C1, which are pretty much identical devices - there's a minor revision of the main board, but the firmware is identical.

The Pandora player code, both on the server and the client, is the same code that was running before the relaunch.

Here's something to to try...

Create a new account on the server, and deregister your device from your current account and re-register it to the new account.  Since this new account will not be subscribed, so it should behave pretty much like the system did before the relaunch - a single clock.  See if that fails.

Re: Pandora quits

Well, getting worse, it seemed so but pandora played for about 6 or maybe 12 hours one time a couple days ago, so I don't think it's fair to say it's changed, though I had pandora play for 90 minutes and quit today, and play for 6 hours before that.

So I dunno.

Re: Pandora quits

I'm wondering if this could be a TCP port reset issue (NATting router dropping the connection?) and the app failing to reconnect properly...

94 (edited by Steevo 2014-11-11 08:11:51)

Re: Pandora quits

Duane wrote:

Sorry, no progress on this.
Here's something to to try...

Create a new account on the server, and deregister your device from your current account and re-register it to the new account.  Since this new account will not be subscribed, so it should behave pretty much like the system did before the relaunch - a single clock.  See if that fails.

I tried this today. Made a new account.
Went to the new acct and deactivated the same I3.5 I have been seeing Pandora quit on for months.
Just as if it were bought at a yard sale.

I then entered the ovals, never received the activation message from the site or the chumby 
"Awaiting activation"
I entered the ovals again. No difference.

I reloaded the website, and got a different pattern, entered that and it worked.
So activated on an unsubscribed acct as of now.

I clicked pandora, and it loaded with my Pandora account, which seems odd because this was deactivated like a newly acquired used chumby, but my Pandora account is still there. 

I am sure it would again prompt for a pw if I were to click log out in options.  But a newly activated chumby should not save those credentials through deactivation.

However to test, it's playing Pandora as of now, 8  AM PST.  We shall see.

95 (edited by Steevo 2014-11-11 08:39:45)

Re: Pandora quits

I have the same I3.5 in a new, unsubscribed account, to which I was just able to add a channel.

I should not have been able to do that, I thought.  The idea of being subscribed is so you can add channels.

I just checked, and I am indeed logged in to the unsubscribed channel.  Somehow, someway, I am logged in as subscribed.

A default channel is present in the account, as well as a test channel containing only space clock, and another Days Test channel that I just created with 4 widgets.

OK, I just rebooted the chumby and it now says unsubscribed. 
So even though I was able to add channels on chumby.com they are not on the device.  I get it now.

It's playing Pandora unsubscribed again.

Re: Pandora quits

Steevo wrote:

I clicked pandora, and it loaded with my Pandora account, which seems odd because this was deactivated like a newly acquired used chumby, but my Pandora account is still there.

pandora credentials are saved on the device, in the /psp directory.

if you didn't do a factory reset on the device, then all your old settings (like wifi, pandora, etc) are there.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

Re: Pandora quits

diamaunt wrote:
Steevo wrote:

I clicked pandora, and it loaded with my Pandora account, which seems odd because this was deactivated like a newly acquired used chumby, but my Pandora account is still there.

pandora credentials are saved on the device, in the /psp directory.

if you didn't do a factory reset on the device, then all your old settings (like wifi, pandora, etc) are there.

Maybe unsubscribing should delete those settings, which are actually personal information.

Re: Pandora quits

Steevo wrote:

Maybe unsubscribing should delete those settings, which are actually personal information.

and, just how would that work?  since you unsubscribe from the website... which has no connectoin to the chumby?

your smart phone doesn't wipe itself if you cancel your account, and it's got far more personal info in it.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

Re: Pandora quits

Widget subscription is completely optional and not required to use music, so unsubscription should not clear those settings.

The more reasonable thing would be deactivation, however, the device itself is not involved in the deactivation process, and once that's done, the server can no longer communicate with the device. We don't keep *any* music settings, including credentials, on the site, so there's nothing there to clear upon deactivation.

The only way to address this would be for the Control Panel to clear music credentials when it finds itself deactivated upon the next attempt to authenticate - however, since Pandora is actually a plugin module, the Control Panel theoretically has no knowledge of how and where Pandora stores the credentials.  In practice, however, since the music subsystem is pretty static at this point, it might make sense to hard code specific support for clearing of Pandora credentials under these circumstances.  The downside is that if you had a temporary network disruption that somehow caused the CP to think the device is not activated, then the credentials might get incorrectly deleted.

In general, though, someone planning on passing their device onto other people should do a factory reset, just as they should when disposing of a phone.

100 (edited by Steevo 2014-11-13 11:51:53)

Re: Pandora quits

OK, OK. 

BTW, Pandora has been playing here for 4 hours.
No problems.  Yet.   

It would sometimes play that long, but often less in recent times.

EDIT: OK, the unsubscribed unit played pandora and eventually quit to the unsubscribed clock, unfortunately I didn't see it quit, so it played for between 4 and about 20 hours.  I have restarted it, but it seems that this is not the problem.  Or it still quits, but I can't say after how long.

My impression is the unsubscribed unit plays pandora longer than the subscribed unit (the same unit really) did. But I have no control group to test this impression.