Memory leak in the browser app causing either the tab or PC to crash

[conman]

Hi all - I am noticing that there looks to be a memory leak when watching Now TV online in a web browser. I have reproduced this in multiple web browsers, and manifests itself after about 20 minutes in either the PC running slow or the tab crashing completely. Has anyone else noticed this, or has a fix so as to resolve this?

[RoyB]

Hi @conman 

What makes you think it’s a memory leak, exactly, rather than anything else, such as handles being acquired but not relinquished? Have you got stats showing your resources running out?

But I can run Now for two hours straight on my Dell XPS 15, with no sign that it wouldn’t run for longer if I let it.

The other common factor for you though, is that PC; is it fine in all other respects? Software fully up to date?

It might be worth running a Health Check in the free version of CCleaner, both after a clean restart of the PC, and when it gets to be running slow, and seeing what that reports.

Also useful would be a snapshot from Task Manager (the option for this comes up if you Ctrl-Alt-Del) at the same two times, which will certainly tell you if resources are being consumed without limit,

(There are more thorough-going technical analyses, which for all I know you may be familiar with and already have tried, but I’m starting here with the simpler ones),

[conman]

I've observed my memory usage continuously ramp up on Task Manager whilst streaming on both Firefox and Chrome. Firefox is my default browser that I have installed some addons on to, so I retested without addons in case there's a memory leak there. But I still see the same issue.

Can you recommend more in-depth checks beyond the likes of CCleaner scans etc? I don't believe it is a handles issue from a quick eyeball online, though I'm happy to go a bit more in depth to resolve the issue.

[RoyB]

@conman 

As promised, I tried running Now in a browser, Firefox as it happens, and could see the memory ramping up in Task Manager as I let Succession play. My 16GB laptop went from 48% of memory used to 54% of memory used over the two-hour run I gave it, all the extra memory being consumed in the Firefox app, practically.

I also ran Resource Monitor, but that didn’t show me anything more illuminating.

It stayed there for another hour when I just let Firefox sit with Now open but no longer streaming, and went back down to 48% immediately when I closed Firefox.

So it would take me a long time to run my laptop out of memory, 16 hours at 3% an hour, which is probably why I don’t see any symptoms.

Is the memory usage dropping when I close Firefox consistent with a memory leak? I though you had to reboot Windows to clear such a leak, but maybe it’s better compartmentalised these days?

I found this:-

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/determining-whether-a-leak-exist...

Which may be useful if it can be applied to more than just drivers, but I haven’t tried it yet,

[UltraGC]

I have this issue too, I can see my memory going up and up within my task manager. No fix to resolve as of yet apart from just refreshing my browser/cancelling it in task manager and starting again, if I don't do that it eventually crashes on it's own.

[RoyB]

@UltraGC 

Interesting.

What browser, what version of Windows?

[UltraGC]

I'm using Brave Browser and Windows 10 version 10.0.19045 Build 19045

[Nitro]

Is Hardware Acceleration and Widevine DRM turned off?

[UltraGC]

Hardware is on, I believe Widevine is off by default and dont think I've changed it - not sure how

[Tim047]

I too am having this problem. Windows 11 & Firefox. Within 3-4 hours the Now Tv tab in Firefox freezes and Task manager is showing it is using up almost all the RAM on my PC, no mean feat as I have 32Gb Ram. Ending task on that one tab frees up the RAM to usual usage. Hopefully there will be a fix at some (near) point.