What does HRESULT 0x80040310 (VFW_E_CODECAPI_LINEAR_RANGE) mean?

Status / error code:

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Constant name:

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Description:

Parameter has linear range. How to identify the failing DirectShow stage.

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VFW_E_DVD_RESOLUTION_ERROR	VFW_E_CODECAPI_ENUMERATED

VFW_E_CODECAPI_LINEAR_RANGE

Exact result and bit fields

VFW_E_CODECAPI_LINEAR_RANGE has the unsigned HRESULT value 2147746576 (0x80040310) and the signed 32-bit representation -2147220720. AllStat describes it as “Parameter has linear range”. In the operation that produces this result, ICodecAPI reports that a codec property uses a continuous or stepped linear range rather than an enumerated value list.

The high bit is set, so this value is a failure HRESULT. Its facility field is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low code is 784 (0x0310). These fields classify this result, but they do not identify which filter, thread, device, file or graph generation returned it.

Contract boundary

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.

The practical owner to locate for this HRESULT is the source filter, decoder or codec property provider and downstream connection. 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: ICodecAPI reports that a codec property uses a continuous or stepped linear range rather than an enumerated value list.
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.

Conditions that can produce it

Cause 1 for this HRESULT: the caller asks for enumeration semantics on a ranged property.
Cause 2 for this HRESULT: UI code assumes every property has discrete choices.
Cause 3 for this HRESULT: range metadata was ignored when constructing validation.

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, codec configuration, property values and stream metadata.

Evidence 1 for this HRESULT: property GUID.
Evidence 2 for this HRESULT: minimum, maximum, step and default query results.
Evidence 3 for this HRESULT: codec CLSID and active media type.

Correction strategy

Action 1 for this HRESULT: build numeric controls from the reported range.
Action 2 for this HRESULT: clamp and align values to the advertised step.
Action 3 for this HRESULT: treat this HRESULT as property-shape information rather than a codec failure.

Retry and recovery

Retry rule for this HRESULT: Do not retry the same enumeration request; switch to linear-range handling for this property. 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_CODECAPI_ENUMERATED means a property has discrete values and no numeric range, while it means it is described by range metadata. Keep those cases separate in telemetry, UI messages and retry policy because their next actions are different.

Example incident

An encoder settings panel requests an enum list for bitrate and receives it; using min, max and step produces the correct numeric control. This example keeps the diagnosis at the specific the boundary instead of treating every DirectShow failure as a codec reinstall problem.

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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