What does HRESULT 0x8004022C (VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED_EOS) mean?

Status / error code:

Category:

Constant name:

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Facility:

Operating System:

Description:

Evidence and retry guidance for this sample cannot be rendered because the end of the stream.

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VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED	VFW_E_DUPLICATE_NAME

VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED_EOS

Meaning and numerical form

VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED_EOS is HRESULT 2147746348 (0x8004022C; signed -2147220948). AllStat records its meaning as “This sample cannot be rendered because the end of the stream has been reached”. In practical terms, it is returned when a DirectShow component rejects a media sample because end-of-stream has already been reached for that stream segment.

The severity bit in 0x8004022C 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 556 (0x022C). 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 component rejects a media sample because end-of-stream has already been reached for that stream segment. 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 component rejects a media sample because end-of-stream has already been reached for that stream segment.
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.

Likely causes

Possible cause 1 for this HRESULT: upstream sends a late sample after EndOfStream.
Possible cause 2 for this HRESULT: asynchronous queues reorder EOS ahead of buffered samples.
Possible cause 3 for this HRESULT: a seek starts a new generation but an old sample arrives afterward.

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: EOS timestamp, sample timestamp and queue order.
Capture 2 for this HRESULT: stream-generation or segment identifier.
Capture 3 for this HRESULT: flush, seek and worker-thread completion events.

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: drain queued samples before signaling EOS.
Corrective action 2 for this HRESULT: tag asynchronous work with stream generations.
Corrective action 3 for this HRESULT: discard stale samples after seek or flush.

Retry guidance for this HRESULT. Do not retry the stale sample in the completed segment; deliver it only if it can be proven to belong to a new active segment. 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.

Practical scenario

A worker thread emits EOS before another worker finishes its last frame; ordering the queue prevents 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.

Difference from nearby HRESULTs

VFW_E_SAMPLE_REJECTED may be caused by sample content or state; this HRESULT specifically says EOS made the sample too late. Keep these outcomes separate in logs, exception mappings, user messages, dashboards and automated retry policy.

Official Microsoft references

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