Why does JavaFX video crash the JVM?

[Qu0ll]

I posted a similar message in the JavaFX forums but I received no replies.

The problem is that whenever I try to run a JavaFX application on the
desktop or applet in the browser that renders video on my Vista machine, the
JVM crashes with the uninformative stock Vista message "The Java Runtime
Binary has stopped working". All non-video JavaFX applications and applets
work fine.

I have tried the following:

* Reinstalling JavaFX SDK
* Reinstalling Java
* Versions 6u10, 6u11, 6u12 and 6u14 EA of Java
* Upgrading the nVidia graphics driver

but the problem persists.

It seems obvious that it's not related to my local JavaFX environment
because I don't believe it would be utilised when running an applet over the
internet so it must be either the JRE, the graphics driver or the OS.
However, as I said, I have tried different versions of all of those except
the OS.

Any ideas on what might be causing this? Is there any way to get more
information about the JVM crash?

--
And loving it,

-Qu0ll (Rare, not extinct)
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[blue indigo]

I posted a similar message in the JavaFX forums but I received no replies.

The problem is that whenever I try to run a JavaFX application on the
desktop or applet in the browser that renders video on my Vista machine, the
JVM crashes with the uninformative stock Vista message "The Java Runtime
Binary has stopped working". All non-video JavaFX applications and applets
work fine.

It's possible this is a feature, not a bug --- at least, as viewed by the
MPAA. Vista contains a bunch of DRM and "secure media path" nonsense,
designed to make it difficult to play video on it that doesn't have the
MPAA Seal of Approval. To fight piracy, of course. That it impairs
playback of perfectly legitimate non-pirated amateur-made video if it's of
high enough resolution and quality is, I am sure, just a happy side effect
for the MPAA, which would rather there not be any real competition from
non-MPAA-member-made movies in the top tiers of the market.

Does your JavaFX video stuff work fine on Windows XP machines, and
non-Windows machines, and only crash on Vista?

It could also be a garden-variety video driver, OS, antivirus, or JVM bug.
You didn't say exactly what nVidia hardware, or whether the system is
32-bit or 64.

Does Vista's crash dialog not provide a way to get at the stack dump and
other data? I seem to recall XP's having had a "more details" or similar
button, though I can't be sure, since I ditched it for Fedora Core ages
ago and my memory is more than a little fuzzy on these things. (I know as
much as I do about Vista from hearing all the horror stories, some from
close friends that drank the Kool-Aid, and many more from the blogs I
track to keep abreast of what's happening in computerland.)

A stack dump would be useful in narrowing things down. For example, if it
pointed into nv4disp.dll or similar, it would indicate a video driver
issue.

 

[Qu0ll]

Could be access rights.

Activate the java console in the Java control panel is one way to get
the stack trace, the other is to run the application in your IDE, if
it's your own.

There is no stack trace - it's not a Java or JavaFX exception. The Java
process just dies, collapses, falls over. I have tried running things in
NetBeans and Eclipse and I have the Java Console open for applets. There is
no stack trace.

--
And loving it,

-Qu0ll (Rare, not extinct)
_________________________________________________
(e-mail address removed)
[Replace the "SixFour" with numbers to email me]

 

[Qu0ll]

"blue indigo" <[email protected]>
wrote in message

It's possible this is a feature, not a bug --- at least, as viewed by the
MPAA. Vista contains a bunch of DRM and "secure media path" nonsense,
designed to make it difficult to play video on it that doesn't have the
MPAA Seal of Approval. To fight piracy, of course. That it impairs
playback of perfectly legitimate non-pirated amateur-made video if it's of
high enough resolution and quality is, I am sure, just a happy side effect
for the MPAA, which would rather there not be any real competition from
non-MPAA-member-made movies in the top tiers of the market.

Does your JavaFX video stuff work fine on Windows XP machines, and
non-Windows machines, and only crash on Vista?

Yes, in fact it *used* to work on Vista (I realise I should have mentioned
that). I have no idea what has changed. And it happens when I run the "Big
Buck Bunny" demo on JavaFX.com which shouldn't have any DRM issues.

It could also be a garden-variety video driver, OS, antivirus, or JVM bug.
You didn't say exactly what nVidia hardware, or whether the system is
32-bit or 64.

Good point. It's a Dell Precision M6300 laptop with an nVidia FX-1600M
graphics card running 32-bit Vista Ultimate.

Does Vista's crash dialog not provide a way to get at the stack dump and
other data? I seem to recall XP's having had a "more details" or similar
button, though I can't be sure, since I ditched it for Fedora Core ages
ago and my memory is more than a little fuzzy on these things. (I know as
much as I do about Vista from hearing all the horror stories, some from
close friends that drank the Kool-Aid, and many more from the blogs I
track to keep abreast of what's happening in computerland.)

No, there is no such button. As I said, the error message is totally
uninformative.

A stack dump would be useful in narrowing things down. For example, if it
pointed into nv4disp.dll or similar, it would indicate a video driver
issue.

I agree but I don't know how to get a stack dump.

--
And loving it,

-Qu0ll (Rare, not extinct)
_________________________________________________
(e-mail address removed)
[Replace the "SixFour" with numbers to email me]

 

[Wojtek]

Qu0ll wrote :

Yes, in fact it *used* to work on Vista (I realise I should have mentioned
that). I have no idea what has changed. And it happens when I run the "Big
Buck Bunny" demo on JavaFX.com which shouldn't have any DRM issues.

Auto Update installed something? Maybe a signature file?