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VFW_E_NO_DECOMPRESSOR
Meaning
Windows documents VFW_E_NO_DECOMPRESSOR as “Cannot play back the video stream: no suitable decompressor could be found”. Here, graph building finds an encoded video stream but cannot locate a decoder that accepts its subtype and produces a renderable output.
Conditions that can produce it
- Cause 1: the required decoder is not installed.
- Cause 2: registered decoders reject the stream profile or format block.
- Cause 3: merit or architecture rules hide the only compatible decoder.
Relevant contract
This result describes a capability or format boundary in a component graph. Container recognition, elementary-stream parsing, decoder selection, property metadata and renderer acceptance are different stages and need separate evidence.
Start with the source filter, decoder or codec property provider and downstream connection.
Evidence worth preserving
- Evidence 1: input major type, subtype and format block.
- Evidence 2: Filter Mapper candidates and rejection HRESULTs.
- Evidence 3: process architecture and installed decoder versions.
Correction strategy
- Action 1: install or register a compatible decoder through supported deployment.
- Action 2: use explicit decoder insertion when policy requires a known component.
- Action 3: validate stream profile before playback and report the missing capability.
Example incident
An H.264 file is parsed successfully on a minimal server image, but no decoder accepts the video pin; installing the approved decoder resolves it.
Retry and recovery
Retry rule: Retry after decoder availability or stream selection changes; rebuilding an identical graph with the same filter inventory is not a useful retry.
How it differs from nearby results
VFW_E_UNSUPPORTED_VIDEO can indicate that the video format is unsupported at a broader playback level; it specifically points to absent suitable decoding.
Official Microsoft references
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