remotion-dev/remotion · error

Unknown video source type

Error message

Unknown video source type

What it means

getCameraStram only handles camera-type video sources; it is a guard at the top of the function. If the selected video source is not of type 'camera', the function has no way to build MediaStream constraints and throws 'Unknown video source type'. Callers (getVideoStream) should dispatch screen/other source types elsewhere.

Solutions

1. Route non-camera sources (e.g. type 'screen') to their dedicated stream acquisition function instead of getVideoStream
2. Ensure the recorder state stores the correct SelectedSource type before requesting the stream
3. Add a discriminant check on selectedVideoSource.type in the caller and branch accordingly

Example fix

// before
const stream = await getVideoStream({selectedVideoSource: screenSource, ...})
// after
if (screenSource.type === 'screen') {
  stream = await getScreenStream(screenSource);
} else {
  stream = await getVideoStream({selectedVideoSource: screenSource, ...});
}

if (selectedVideoSource.type !== 'camera') {
  // route to the appropriate stream getter before calling getVideoStream
}

const isCameraSource = (s: SelectedSource): s is SelectedSource & {type: 'camera'} =>
  s.type === 'camera';

try {
  const stream = await getVideoStream(opts);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message === 'Unknown video source type') {
    // dispatch to getScreenStream or the matching handler
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling getVideoStream/getCameraStram with a SelectedSource whose type is 'screen' or any non-camera variant — e.g. the recorder was configured for screen sharing but routed through the camera path.

Common situations: A recorder UI state mismatch where the selected source type changed but the stream-acquisition path did not; passing a stale or default source object; mixing up the screen-recording and camera-recording code paths.

Understand the failure class

Background: Invalid enum value errors: "Unknown type", "Invalid scope", "must be one of" — when a string is not on the library's allowed list — this error's family across 23 libraries.

Related errors

• Cannot update effect prop: computed
• Component style must be an object to add a position
• Expected an image, video, or canvas element
• Expected an in-memory output target
• model must be a string.

AI-assisted analysis of remotion-dev/remotion@46a3a6bf13 (2026-09-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5aa7d1866ed2db7e. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/template-recorder/src/helpers/get-video-stream.ts:82

  // A string constraint is only an "ideal" preference. Use an exact
  // constraint so Chrome cannot silently substitute the default microphone.
  return { deviceId: { exact: selectedAudioSource } };
};

const getCameraStram = ({
  selectedVideoSource,
  preferPortrait,
  recordAudio,
  selectedAudioSource,
}: {
  selectedVideoSource: SelectedSource;
  preferPortrait: boolean;
  recordAudio: boolean;
  selectedAudioSource: string | null;
}): Promise<MediaStream> => {
  if (selectedVideoSource.type !== "camera") {
    throw new Error("Unknown video source type");
  }
  const video = getCameraStreamConstraints(selectedVideoSource, preferPortrait);

  const mediaStreamConstraints: MediaStreamConstraints = {
    video: video ?? undefined,
    audio: getAudioStreamConstraints({ recordAudio, selectedAudioSource }),
  };

  return window.navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia(mediaStreamConstraints);
};

export const getVideoStream = async ({
  selectedVideoSource,
  preferPortrait,
  recordAudio,
  selectedAudioSource,
}: {
  selectedVideoSource: SelectedSource;

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