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VFW_E_INVALID_RECT
Meaning and numerical form
VFW_E_INVALID_RECT is HRESULT 2147746345 (0x80040229; signed -2147220951). AllStat records its meaning as “The supplied rectangle is invalid”. In practical terms, it is returned when a DirectShow video-window, overlay or renderer operation receives an invalid source or destination rectangle.
The severity bit in 0x80040229 is set, so this result is a failure result rather than a success or informational status. Its facility is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low 16-bit code is 553 (0x0229). Those fields classify the value but do not identify the component instance, call, object or input that produced it.
Where the failure belongs
This result belongs to DirectShow filter-graph processing. DirectShow is a legacy, component-based media pipeline. Graph state, pin transport, negotiated media types, allocators, clocks, samples, renderers and source filters contribute separate contracts to the operation. The decisive condition is this: a DirectShow video-window, overlay or renderer operation receives an invalid source or destination rectangle. Record the first native producer instead of relying only on a framework exception translated several layers later.
Do not infer from this result alone that reinstalling, rebooting or repeating the whole workflow is appropriate. Because it can cross process and language boundaries, its correction depends on the object identity, lifecycle generation, input and state at the first failing call.
Evidence to collect
A useful diagnostic record for this result includes the native API or interface method, component or CLSID, process and thread IDs, architecture, apartment where relevant, operation correlation ID, elapsed time, input identity, and the first state-changing event before failure. When diagnosing it, preserve IErrorInfo, an inner HRESULT, Win32 status, device event or provider message when available.
- Capture 1 for this HRESULT: source and destination rectangles.
- Capture 2 for this HRESULT: native video size, client area and DPI.
- Capture 3 for this HRESULT: aspect-ratio and letterboxing calculations.
Telemetry for this HRESULT should retain types, lengths, hashes, stable opaque identifiers and lifecycle generations while redacting content and credentials. This makes repeated incidents comparable without exposing media content, file paths, device identifiers or credentials.
Likely causes
- Possible cause 1 for this HRESULT: coordinates produce negative width or height.
- Possible cause 2 for this HRESULT: the rectangle lies outside required surface or video bounds.
- Possible cause 3 for this HRESULT: DPI or aspect-ratio conversion produces overflow or stale coordinates.
Diagnostic sequence
- Capture it at the first native return and identify the exact object and method.
- Confirm that the observed path matches this condition: a DirectShow video-window, overlay or renderer operation receives an invalid source or destination rectangle.
- compare the live state with the method contract before changing configuration.
- collect the code-specific evidence listed above and preserve any more specific preceding error.
- change one evidence-backed cause at a time, then repeat the smallest operation that can prove the correction.
- Add a regression check that distinguishes it from the related outcomes described below.
Practical scenario
A window resize leaves a cached destination rectangle larger than the new client area; recalculation prevents it. The result scenario narrows the result to a reproducible contract boundary and supplies a concrete before-and-after test.
Correction and retry boundary
- Corrective action 1 for this HRESULT: normalize and clamp rectangles according to the specific interface contract.
- Corrective action 2 for this HRESULT: recompute layout after resize or display change.
- Corrective action 3 for this HRESULT: use checked coordinate arithmetic.
Retry guidance for this HRESULT. Retry after supplying valid geometry; repeated calls with the same rectangle fail deterministically. A retry must avoid this hazard: replay obsolete samples, duplicate graph changes or reuse interfaces from an earlier topology generation. It must also preserve the evidence needed to locate the original producer of it.
Difference from nearby HRESULTs
TPC_E_INVALID_INPUT_RECT applies to Tablet PC input geometry, while it applies to DirectShow video or overlay geometry. Keep these outcomes separate in logs, exception mappings, user messages, dashboards and automated retry policy.
Developer and operational guidance
Code handling it should log the failed stage before cleanup, keep ownership and lifecycle transitions explicit, and avoid converting every failure into a generic message. Tests for this HRESULT should cover the primary cause, one adjacent HRESULT and the retry boundary so a future change cannot turn a deterministic contract failure into an uncontrolled loop.
Operational repair for this HRESULT should use supported filter installation, device, graph-building and renderer configuration paths. Avoid unsupported configuration edits or component replacement unless evidence identifies that layer. Retain the original trace and a post-fix trace so the result can be attributed and the change reversed.
Official Microsoft references
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