What does HRESULT 0x80040248 (VFW_E_INVALID_MEDIA_TYPE) mean?

Status / error code:

Category:

Constant name:

Source:

Facility:

Operating System:

Description:

This file is corrupt: it contains an invalid media type. Causes, checks and safe retry.

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VFW_E_INVALID_CLSID	VFW_E_SAMPLE_TIME_NOT_SET

VFW_E_INVALID_MEDIA_TYPE

Exact result and bit fields

VFW_E_INVALID_MEDIA_TYPE has the unsigned HRESULT value 2147746376 (0x80040248) and the signed 32-bit representation -2147220920. AllStat describes it as “This file is corrupt: it contains an invalid media type”. In the operation that produces this result, DirectShow reconstructs a graph or connection from persisted data and finds a media-type record that is structurally invalid.

The high bit is set, so this value is a failure HRESULT. Its facility field is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low code is 584 (0x0248). These fields classify this result, but they do not identify which filter, thread, device, file or graph generation returned it.

Conditions that can produce it

Cause 1 for this HRESULT: the format block length does not match the serialized payload.
Cause 2 for this HRESULT: major type, subtype and format type are inconsistent.
Cause 3 for this HRESULT: pointer-sized or alignment-dependent data was persisted incorrectly.

Contract boundary

This result is a DirectShow contract failure whose owner must be identified from the exact interface, filter instance, graph generation and operation stage.

The practical owner to locate for this HRESULT is the filter graph, device or persisted configuration that first returned the result. When handling this result, capture the native result before a wrapper replaces it with a generic exception, and keep the graph generation or object identity with the record.

Step-by-step diagnosis

Capture it at the first native return, not only at the top-level playback failure.
identify the exact graph stage described here: DirectShow reconstructs a graph or connection from persisted data and finds a media-type record that is structurally invalid.
compare the live object state, topology and input with the documented interface preconditions.
Before changing filters, drivers, registry data or media for this HRESULT, collect the code-specific evidence below.
Test one evidence-backed the correction on the smallest reproducible graph.
Verify that the corrected run no longer returns it and does not merely replace it with a nearby HRESULT.

Evidence worth preserving

Log the interface and method, filter CLSID and friendly name, process and thread, graph state, connected pin names, media-type summary, renderer or device identity where relevant, and the first preceding HRESULT. Record lengths and hashes instead of raw content when the incident includes media paths, device identifiers, registry values and stream metadata.

Evidence 1 for this HRESULT: AM_MEDIA_TYPE fields and format-block length.
Evidence 2 for this HRESULT: pin pair and connection being restored.
Evidence 3 for this HRESULT: file offset, writer architecture and serializer version.

Correction strategy

Action 1 for this HRESULT: regenerate the media type from a live pin negotiation.
Action 2 for this HRESULT: validate cbFormat and format structure before use.
Action 3 for this HRESULT: serialize portable values rather than raw in-process pointers.

Example incident

A 32-bit application persists an AM_MEDIA_TYPE blob that a 64-bit loader interprets as raw structure memory; portable field serialization prevents it. This example keeps the diagnosis at the specific the boundary instead of treating every DirectShow failure as a codec reinstall problem.

Retry and recovery

Retry rule for this HRESULT: Retry after correcting the media-type record or allowing fresh negotiation instead of replaying the corrupt record. A safe it retry must use a changed capability, state, object generation or input. While recovering from it, preserve cancellation and avoid replaying side effects when the original operation may have partially completed.

How it differs from nearby results

VFW_E_INVALID_FILE_FORMAT describes an invalid container, while it identifies a malformed DirectShow media-type description within a graph or connection. Keep those cases separate in telemetry, UI messages and retry policy because their next actions are different.

Implementation notes

Code that handles it should preserve the original HRESULT, the failed stage and an opaque correlation identifier. After it, do not infer success from partial graph construction, and do not continue using interfaces retained from a graph or device generation that has already changed.

Operational remediation for this HRESULT should favor supported component installation, device configuration and documented DirectShow calls. Manual registry or driver changes are appropriate only when the collected evidence for this HRESULT points to that layer and a rollback is available.

Official Microsoft references

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