diff --git a/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.cpp b/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.cpp
index f5148c462..9de5d97f6 100644
--- a/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.cpp
+++ b/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.cpp
@@ -264,3 +264,17 @@ void hd_rum_decompress_append_port(void *state, void *recompress_state)
         s->frame_consumed_cv.wait(l, [s]{ return s->received_frame.size() == 0; });
 }
 
+int hd_rum_decompress_get_num_active_ports(void *state)
+{
+        struct state_transcoder_decompress *s = (struct state_transcoder_decompress *) state;
+
+        int ret = 0;
+        for (auto && port : s->output_ports) {
+                if (port.active) {
+                        ret += 1;
+                }
+        }
+
+        return ret;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.h b/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.h
index 37a10e8a9..2a092153f 100644
--- a/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.h
+++ b/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-decompress.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ void hd_rum_decompress_done(void *state);
 void hd_rum_decompress_set_active(void *decompress_state, void *recompress_state, bool active);
 void hd_rum_decompress_remove_port(void *decompress_state, int index);
 void hd_rum_decompress_append_port(void *decompress_state, void *recompress_state);
+int hd_rum_decompress_get_num_active_ports(void *decompress_state);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-translator.cpp b/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-translator.cpp
index 8de4a246a..25d2003b7 100644
--- a/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-translator.cpp
+++ b/src/hd-rum-translator/hd-rum-translator.cpp
@@ -326,9 +326,11 @@ static void *writer(void *arg)
                 }
             }
 
-            ssize_t ret = hd_rum_decompress_write(s->decompress, s->qhead->buf, s->qhead->size);
-            if (ret < 0) {
-                perror("hd_rum_decompress_write");
+            if (hd_rum_decompress_get_num_active_ports(s->decompress) > 0) {
+                ssize_t ret = hd_rum_decompress_write(s->decompress, s->qhead->buf, s->qhead->size);
+                if (ret < 0) {
+                    perror("hd_rum_decompress_write");
+                }
             }
 
             s->qhead = s->qhead->next;