What does HRESULT 0x8004022B (VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED) mean?

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How to diagnose this sample cannot be rendered.

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VFW_E_TYPE_NOT_ACCEPTED	VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED_EOS

VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED

Meaning and numerical form

VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED is HRESULT 2147746347 (0x8004022B; signed -2147220949). AllStat records its meaning as “This sample cannot be rendered”. In practical terms, it is returned when a DirectShow downstream component rejects a media sample and cannot render or process it.

The severity bit in 0x8004022B 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 555 (0x022B). Those fields classify the value but do not identify the component instance, call, object or input that produced it.

Likely causes

Possible cause 1 for this HRESULT: sample flags or media type conflict with current decoder state.
Possible cause 2 for this HRESULT: timestamp, buffer length or format-specific payload is invalid.
Possible cause 3 for this HRESULT: renderer is flushing or otherwise cannot accept the sample.

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 downstream component rejects a media sample and cannot render or process it. 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.

Diagnostic sequence

Capture this result at the first native return and identify the exact object and method.
Confirm that the observed path matches this condition: a DirectShow downstream component rejects a media sample and cannot render or process it.
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.

Evidence to collect

A useful it record 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: sample actual length, buffer capacity and flags.
Capture 2 for this HRESULT: timestamps, attached media type and discontinuity markers.
Capture 3 for this HRESULT: downstream filter state and first component returning the HRESULT.

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.

Correction and retry boundary

Corrective action 1 for this HRESULT: validate sample metadata and payload at the producer boundary.
Corrective action 2 for this HRESULT: respect flush and state transitions.
Corrective action 3 for this HRESULT: send required discontinuity or format-change information explicitly.

Retry guidance for this HRESULT. Retry only when rejection was caused by transient state and the sample still belongs to the current stream generation. 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

This result_EOS specifically attributes rejection to end-of-stream, while it has another sample or state cause. Keep these outcomes separate in logs, exception mappings, user messages, dashboards and automated retry policy.

Practical scenario

A decoder delivers a sample with an attached format change but omits the discontinuity marker expected by the renderer; correcting sample metadata removes it. The result scenario narrows the result to a reproducible contract boundary and supplies a concrete before-and-after test.

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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