Windows Store App Submission Trailer Upload Error

RobDev 396

Hi All,

I'm trying to upload a trailer MP4 file so I can complete my app submission and I get the following error:

"We couldn’t import <file name>.mp4. Please make sure it’s a valid trailer file and try again."

The first time I tried it I thought, from what I'd read, that the trailer might be too long as it was about a minute and a half (the recommendation is for 60 seconds). So I recreated the trailer to be 59 seconds long and tried again. The file uploaded and then was analysed resulting in the same error message.

Considering that the analysis must have identified exactly what was wrong with my MP4 file, how am I supposed to fix it when all I get from from the analysis is that error message?

How am I supposed to fix whatever is wrong with the trailer if the analysis won't tell me?

What am I supposed to do now?

Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2020-12-09T01:56:50.76+00:00

Please open a free support ticket here: Contact Us. Then you could talk to the team directly. Only the backend team knows about what is the reason for this error.
RobDev 396 Reputation points

2020-12-18T14:35:14.45+00:00

Hi RoyLi,

many thanks for your reply. I took your advice and opened a support ticket with Windows Developer Support from the link you gave me. However, it seems to have been a complete waste of time. They don't provide any support for the issue I raised and would only suggest that I open a 'paid-for' support incident. Which is of no help to me at all.

Can you or anyone else provide any help with this problem?

Kind regards,

Robert
Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2020-12-21T02:58:41.93+00:00

I have to say that only the backend team could check this issue since only the backend team knows the reason why your trailer failed.
RobDev 396 Reputation points

2020-12-21T14:09:28.01+00:00

Hi RoyLi,

when I opened the support ticket I didn't have a choice about who would handle the problem. There was no mention to me of a backend team in their subsequent emails and certainly no option for directing my support incident to them.

I assumed that whoever took on the case would be qualified to help or would be able to pass the case on to some else qualified. It seems I was wrong. As I mentioned in my last reply they don't (or can't) provide any support for the issue I raised and would only suggest a 'paid-for' support incident. So raising a support ticket was a complete waste of time.

Kind regards,

Robert
Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2020-12-22T02:16:40.677+00:00

When you open a support ticket, you need to choose Dashboard for Topic, and select App submissions and management for issue type.
RobDev 396 Reputation points

2020-12-22T15:08:41.383+00:00

Hi RoyLi,

when I opened my support ticket I did exactly what you stated but, as you can see, it made no difference at all. I was just dumped without any help at all.

Kind regards,

Robert
Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2020-12-23T02:10:26.85+00:00

I have to say that I could not offer more help with your issue as the problem needs more detailed information that only the team knows. If you do not want to open a paid support ticket about this, my suggestion is that you might need to make a new trailer and try again.
RobDev 396 Reputation points

2020-12-23T14:33:39.257+00:00

Hi RoyLi,

thanks for your suggestion I may well try again but I can well imagine the same thing happening.

What I don't understand is; why does Microsoft have a "Windows Developer Support" website that doesn't offer any support to Windows developers?

If there is a backend team that knows all about MP4 file validation, why couldn't my problem be passed to one of them?

It doesn't make any sense.

Kind regards,

Robert
Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2020-12-24T06:17:08.447+00:00

I fully understand your feelings and I really appreciated you sharing your thoughts here. But your issue need more professional support so it maybe in the scope of a 'paid-for' support incident
RobDev 396 Reputation points

2021-01-07T15:31:06.633+00:00

Hi @Roy Li - MSFT ,

I've written you a request but had to do it as an 'answer' as this reply doesn't give me enough space. I'd be grateful if you would take a look at it.

Kind regards,

Robert

1 answer

RobDev 396 Reputation points

2021-01-07T15:27:55.543+00:00

Hi @Roy Li - MSFT ,

I've found/installed a Video analysis tool from the Microsoft Store called MediaInfo. I've run this against my trailer video. However, from the analysis results (see below), I cannot see why my trailer was rejected by the partner center dashboard as it seems to conform to the trailer requirements as specified in the documentation (link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/publish/app-screenshots-and-images#trailers).

The results of the MP4 file analysis are as follows:

General
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media
File size : 16.8 MiB
Duration : 59 s 784 ms
Overall bit rate : 2 360 kb/s

Performer : Microsoft Game DVR
Writing application : Lavf58.62.100

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High
Format level : 4.2
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Duration : 59 s 784 ms
Bit rate : 2 355 kb/s
Maximum bit rate : 7 522 kb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 60.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.019
Stream size : 16.8 MiB (100%)
Writing library : x264 core 161 r3018 db0d417
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=1 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 /
me=hex / subme=2 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 /
chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 /
chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=6 / lookahead_threads=2 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 /
decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 /
b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=1 /
keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=10 / rc=crf /
mbtree=1 / crf=23.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.40 /
aq=1:1.00
Codec configuration box : avcC

I'd be very grateful if you, or perhaps one the 'backend' team, take a look at the results and see where the problem is. I may have missed something obvious but I just can't see it.

Kind regards,

Robert
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Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-01-08T06:47:48.55+00:00

I‘m trying to contact the Store team to check this information. There might be some time delay.

RobDev 396 Reputation points

2021-01-08T13:58:43.753+00:00

Hi @Roy Li - MSFT ,

many thanks for that. I look forward to hearing from you/them.

Kind regards,

Robert
,

Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-01-11T02:14:21.307+00:00

The store team asked you to open a ticket with the support team and they will review it. They may go engineering to check if you have met all the requirements for the trailer.

RobDev 396 Reputation points

2021-01-11T14:50:33.013+00:00

Hi @Roy Li - MSFT ,

there seems to be something wrong with the Windows Developer Support website. When I attempt to create a support request the 'Submit' button remains disabled. I have filled in all of the requested information but it doesn't let me submit the request.

What do I do now?

Kind regards,

Robert

RobDev 396 Reputation points

2021-01-11T15:08:08.423+00:00

Hi @Roy Li - MSFT ,

further to my last reply, it seems that the 'new support request' page doesn't like me pasting all of my MediaInfo results in the 'description box in one go. I've had to paste them in a bit at a time but have finally got the support request submitted. That web page doesn't seem very resilient to me.

For your reference my support request number is SR1516240784.

I hope I have a bit more success with this support request than I did with the last one I submitted.

Kind regards,

Robert

Roy Li - MSFT 32,646 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2021-01-12T00:51:13.45+00:00

Please keep in contact with the store team to make sure they are aware of your issue.

RobDev 396 Reputation points

2021-01-12T15:21:48.03+00:00

Hi @Roy Li - MSFT ,

well, I got a reply from my support request. Oddly enough from the same person who handled my last support request; some called "Felipe F". Stranger still, it contained exactly the same advice that I received that my initial reply received from my last support request as well (i.e. a link to the 'trailer' documentation).

I replied, as I did before, that I had read the 'trailer' documentation before creating the trailer but explained what had happened regarding the MediaInfo app and included the results. I also included a link to this Microsoft Q&A entry.

I don't know how this will progress but I live in hope.

Kind regards,

Robert

RobDev 396 Reputation points

2021-02-02T14:39:11.86+00:00

Hi @Roy Li - MSFT ,

I just thought I'd bring you up to date with the latest developments in my Trailer Saga. After a fair amount of correspondence, including uploading my Trailer MP4 file, the 'backend' team discovered that the MP4 file had no audio channel. This is apparently mandatory, even if the audio channel is silent. The MS documentation, as far as I'm concerned, does not state explicitly that an audio channel is a mandatory requirement for an MP4 file although it does contain specific requirements for an audio channel, if present.

Anyway, the upshot of all this is I had to add an audio channel to my trailer, which I did using Ffmpeg. The link on exactly how to do it is as follows:

https://support.learnyst.com/en/articles/2793974-how-to-add-silent-audio-track-to-videos

All this could have been avoided if the trailer analysis gave out proper error messages.

Kind regards,

Robert
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Windows Store App Submission Trailer Upload Error

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