Bug 505142 - Spectacle sometimes freezes when trying to record video, once I click "Finish Recording"
Summary: Spectacle sometimes freezes when trying to record video, once I click "Finish...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: Spectacle
Classification: Applications
Component: General (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.3.5
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Noah Davis
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-06-03 00:09 UTC by Ellie
Modified: 2025-06-04 16:45 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In: 6.4
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Photo of frozen Spectacle window (538.91 KB, image/jpeg)
2025-06-03 00:09 UTC, Ellie
Details

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description Ellie 2025-06-03 00:09:56 UTC
Created attachment 181980 [details]
Photo of frozen Spectacle window

SUMMARY

Spectacle freezes when trying to record video, once I click "Finish Recording". This is happening on a Raspberry Pi 5, in case the GPU is somehow relevant for this. See attached photo how it looks like when frozen (I couldn't screenshot anymore since apparently a single frozen Spectacle instance will make screenshots impossible).

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

1. Record screencast video with spectacle
2. Click "Finish Recording"
3. The spectacle window freezes

OBSERVED RESULT

The spectacle window freezes, and even after multiple minutes of waiting doesn't unfreeze.

EXPECTED RESULT

The spectacle window doesn't freeze.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS

Windows: 
macOS: 
(available in the Info Center app, or by running `kinfo` in a terminal window)
Linux/KDE Plasma: postmarketOS edge
KDE Plasma Version: 6.3.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.13.0
Qt Version: 6.8.2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This happened on a Raspberry Pi 5.
Comment 1 David Edmundson 2025-06-03 07:22:54 UTC
It's not frozen per-se, it's finishing up writing what it's buffered. 

This is improved in 6.4. As a workaround you may find choosing an alternative codec improves performance.
Comment 2 Ellie 2025-06-03 07:45:42 UTC
I don't think it's just writing what's buffered, you can see it's only a 45 second video and I waited 2-3 minutes. The Raspberry Pi 5 is pretty fast CPU-wise, only the GPU is slow. Or is there any reason to believe it would really need that long to render?
Comment 3 Ellie 2025-06-03 07:48:43 UTC
I just tested again with a 45 seconds video, and it finished after merely around 5 seconds after clicking the "Finish Recording" button. So it seems like Spectacle just hangs forever sometimes and gets stuck on something, and it's not just decoding time.

Based on that, I hope it's okay if I reopen.
Comment 4 Nate Graham 2025-06-04 16:45:17 UTC
I'd request a re-test in Plasma 6.4, as a bunch of things have changed around this specific issue.

If you're using a Raspberry Pi, that's definitely relevant too since it's very underpowered hardware compared to typical desktop and laptop stuff. Probably a good stress test.

If you can still reproduce the issue in 6.4, feel free to re-open.