HRESULT 0xC00D36C5 (MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME

Status / error code:

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Constant name:

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Operating System:

Description:

The given time format is unsupported.%0

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MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_BYTESTREAM_TYPE	MF_E_NO_SAMPLE_TIMESTAMP

MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT

Interpret the result in the pipeline

MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT (0xC00D36C5) is a failure result from Windows Media Foundation. The generated section above already contains the platform message; the useful extra information is that this result isolates the requested start position or duration uses a time-format GUID the component does not implement.

The producer is the media source, session, or seek-capable object interpreting the position PROPVARIANT, so diagnosis should begin with that object and its state rather than with a broad reinstall or an unrelated codec change. A representative occurrence is an application passes a frame-number time format to a source that only accepts presentation time.

Read the call sequence as a timeline. First, the application reaches the media source, session, or seek-capable object interpreting the position PROPVARIANT. Next, the component evaluates the requested start position or duration uses a time-format GUID the component does not implement. Only after the MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT checkpoint can a wrapper, user interface, or fallback path emit a less specific message.

Decisive observations

Exact request: method name, all identifiers, units, flags, stream number, requested action, and MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT.
Object state: the time-format GUID, PROPVARIANT type and value, source characteristics, seek capability, and current presentation descriptor.
Correlation for MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT: callback cookie, object generation, URL or file identity, device identity, and timestamps from the same attempt.
Underlying cause: the first Win32, COM, network, driver, policy, or component error reported before 0xC00D36C5.

Minimal experiment

Use one controlled experiment: query supported time formats or use GUID_NULL with 100-nanosecond presentation time where documented. A useful MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT comparison changes exactly that variable; changing content, account, proxy, device, components, and version together makes attribution impossible.

Outcome	Interpretation
The same checkpoint now succeeds	The changed condition belongs to the producing boundary for `MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT`.
A more specific earlier HRESULT appears	Preserve it; `MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT` was probably a wrapper or terminal state.
The operation advances and fails later	The `MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT` condition is fixed even though the complete workflow still has another defect.
No behavior changes	Restore the `MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT` baseline and test another documented prerequisite instead of stacking workarounds.

Similar messages, different checkpoints

Related code	Why it is not interchangeable
`MF_E_INVALIDINDEX`	Invalid index; compare this boundary specifically with `MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT`.
`MF_E_INVALIDTYPE`	Invalid type; compare this boundary specifically with `MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT`.
`MF_E_INVALIDNAME`	Invalid name; compare this boundary specifically with `MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT`.

The important distinction is this: MF_E_INVALID_POSITION accepts the time format but rejects the requested offset or current cursor operation. For MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT, searching only for the visible English message collapses different states; the constant and 0xC00D36C5 retain the boundary.

Targeted recovery

Apply the narrow remedy: convert the position to a supported time domain instead of changing unrelated codec settings. Then discard stale media objects, pending callbacks, cached provider sessions, or installer state as appropriate and rerun the exact request that originally returned MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT.

A confirmed MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT repair produces the requested stream, attribute, state transition, license decision, store callback, or setup result. Suppressing MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT, broadly enabling legacy controls, or falling back to unrelated content is not proof of repair.

References

Media Foundation architecture — reference used for the MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT checkpoint.
Media Foundation error codes — reference used for the MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT checkpoint.
Media sources — reference used for the MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT checkpoint.
Media Foundation events — reference used for the MF_E_UNSUPPORTED_TIME_FORMAT checkpoint.

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