diff --git a/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.spec.ts b/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.spec.ts
index 9ffe560f6..5c96080fa 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.spec.ts
@@ -646,6 +646,22 @@ describe('VideoPlayerComponent', () => {
         expect(dataServiceMock.sendIpcEvent).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
+    it('routes catch-up playback that resolves to a DASH URL inline as well', () => {
+        syncStoreState(sampleChannel);
+        activePlaybackUrl.set('http://localhost/archive/replay.mpd');
+        player.set(VideoPlayer.MPV);
+
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+
+        const playerView = fixture.debugElement.query(
+            By.directive(StubWebPlayerViewComponent)
+        );
+        expect(playerView).not.toBeNull();
+        const stub =
+            playerView.componentInstance as StubWebPlayerViewComponent;
+        expect(stub.playerOverride()).toBe(VideoPlayer.Html5Player);
+    });
+
     it('keeps ArtPlayer for DASH channels and forwards the ClearKey DRM config', () => {
         const drm = {
             licenseType: 'clearkey',
diff --git a/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.ts b/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.ts
index 9d830c3a3..5de7d36c7 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/m3u/feature-player/src/lib/video-player/video-player.component.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import { ResizableDirective } from '@iptvnator/ui/components';
 import {
     applyChannelNameStrip,
     getM3uArchiveDays,
-    isDashChannel,
+    isDashStreamUrl,
     isM3uCatchupPlaybackSupported,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/m3u-utils';
 import { PlaylistContextFacade } from '@iptvnator/playlist/shared/util';
@@ -174,9 +174,16 @@ export class VideoPlayerComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
     readonly archivePlaybackAvailable = computed(() =>
         isM3uCatchupPlaybackSupported(this.activeChannel())
     );
-    /** DASH (.mpd) channels always play inline via the Shaka engine. */
+    /**
+     * DASH (.mpd) playback always runs inline via the Shaka engine. Uses the
+     * effective playback URL, so catch-up/archive replays that resolve to a
+     * DASH manifest route inline too — matching the external-player guard in
+     * the m3u-state effects, which also checks the resolved URL.
+     */
     readonly activeChannelIsDash = computed(() =>
-        isDashChannel(this.activeChannel())
+        isDashStreamUrl(
+            this.activePlaybackUrl() ?? this.activeChannel()?.url
+        )
     );
     /**
      * Player forced for DASH channels: ArtPlayer keeps ArtPlayer (it has a
@@ -1009,9 +1016,10 @@ export class VideoPlayerComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
             return false;
         }
 
-        // DASH channels bypass the external-player setting (radio precedent):
-        // MPV/VLC cannot receive the KODIPROP ClearKey configuration.
-        if (isDashChannel(channel)) {
+        // DASH playback bypasses the external-player setting (radio
+        // precedent): MPV/VLC cannot receive the KODIPROP ClearKey
+        // configuration. Checked on the effective (possibly catch-up) URL.
+        if (this.activeChannelIsDash()) {
             return true;
         }
 
diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/playback-diagnostics/playback-diagnostics.util.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/playback-diagnostics/playback-diagnostics.util.ts
index e114896f9..298f054bb 100644
--- a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/playback-diagnostics/playback-diagnostics.util.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/playback-diagnostics/playback-diagnostics.util.ts
@@ -237,6 +237,9 @@ export function createPlaybackDiagnostic(options: {
     readonly details?: string;
     readonly nativeErrorCode?: number;
     readonly nativeErrorMessage?: string;
+    /** Overrides the code-derived recommendation, e.g. when external players
+     * are known to be unable to handle the stream either. */
+    readonly externalFallbackRecommended?: boolean;
 }): PlaybackDiagnostic {
     const {
         code,
@@ -259,7 +262,9 @@ export function createPlaybackDiagnostic(options: {
         details: details || undefined,
         nativeErrorCode,
         nativeErrorMessage,
-        externalFallbackRecommended: isExternalFallbackRecommended(code),
+        externalFallbackRecommended:
+            options.externalFallbackRecommended ??
+            isExternalFallbackRecommended(code),
     };
 }
 
diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.spec.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.spec.ts
index f78f1dc83..9dbe76aca 100644
--- a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.spec.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ describe('classifyShakaPlaybackIssue', () => {
 });
 
 describe('createUnsupportedDrmDiagnostic', () => {
-    it('creates a DRM diagnostic carrying the license type', () => {
+    it('creates a DRM diagnostic without recommending unusable external fallbacks', () => {
         const issue = createUnsupportedDrmDiagnostic(
             'com.widevine.alpha',
             metadata
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ describe('createUnsupportedDrmDiagnostic', () => {
         expect(issue.code).toBe(PlaybackDiagnosticCode.DrmOrEncryption);
         expect(issue.source).toBe(PlaybackDiagnosticSource.Shaka);
         expect(issue.details).toContain('com.widevine.alpha');
-        expect(issue.externalFallbackRecommended).toBe(true);
+        // MPV/VLC cannot receive KODIPROP license config, so the diagnostic
+        // must not offer them as a fallback.
+        expect(issue.externalFallbackRecommended).toBe(false);
     });
 });
diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.ts
index b4cbec360..71b85b680 100644
--- a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/shaka-engine/shaka-error-classifier.ts
@@ -111,6 +111,9 @@ export function createUnsupportedDrmDiagnostic(
         details: licenseType
             ? `Unsupported DRM license configuration: ${licenseType}`
             : 'Unsupported DRM license configuration',
+        // External MPV/VLC cannot receive the KODIPROP license config either,
+        // so offering them as a fallback would just fail differently.
+        externalFallbackRecommended: false,
     });
 }