name: ▶️ Playback problem
description: A channel, movie or episode doesn't start, stops, stutters, or has no picture or sound.
title: '[Playback]: '
labels: ['bug :bug:']
body:
    - type: markdown
      attributes:
          value: |
              Thanks for reporting a playback problem!

              **Quick check first:** the built-in HTML5, Video.js and ArtPlayer players can't decode some codecs, for example HEVC/4K, AC3 or MPEG-2 video.
              - **Desktop app:** such streams usually play with **Embedded MPV** or an external **MPV** or **VLC** (**Settings → Playback → Video player**). Whether the stream plays there tells us a lot, so please mention it below.
              - **Self-hosted web app:** only the browser players are available. HLS, DASH and MPEG-TS streams may fail when the provider doesn't send CORS headers, and the browser may block `http://` streams on an `https://` page. Trying the same stream in the desktop app or in VLC helps us narrow it down.
    - type: checkboxes
      id: checks
      attributes:
          label: Before you submit
          options:
              - label: I'm on the latest release (or a nightly build) and the problem still happens there.
                required: true
              - label: I searched the [existing issues](https://github.com/4gray/iptvnator/issues?q=is%3Aissue) and this hasn't been reported yet.
                required: true
              - label: I removed usernames, passwords, MAC addresses, tokens and private URLs from everything I paste below.
                required: true
    - type: input
      id: version
      attributes:
          label: IPTVnator version
          description: Shown in **Settings → About**. For a nightly build, add the commit shown there too.
          placeholder: 0.24.0
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: dropdown
      id: install
      attributes:
          label: How do you run IPTVnator?
          options:
              - Windows installer (.exe)
              - macOS app (.dmg or .zip)
              - macOS via Homebrew
              - Linux AppImage
              - Linux .deb, .rpm or pacman package
              - Linux Snap
              - Linux Flatpak
              - Arch Linux AUR (iptvnator-bin)
              - Self-hosted web app (Docker)
              - Built from source
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: input
      id: os
      attributes:
          label: Operating system and version
          description: For the self-hosted web app, add the browser you use as well.
          placeholder: Windows 11 24H2 · macOS 26.6 on Apple Silicon · Ubuntu 24.04 · Docker on Unraid + Firefox
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: dropdown
      id: source
      attributes:
          label: Source type
          options:
              - M3U playlist
              - Xtream Codes
              - Stalker portal
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: dropdown
      id: content
      attributes:
          label: What were you playing?
          options:
              - Live TV channel
              - Catch-up / archive programme
              - Movie
              - Series episode
              - Radio station
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: dropdown
      id: player
      attributes:
          label: Video player
          description: The player selected in **Settings → Playback → Video player**.
          options:
              - HTML5 video player
              - Video.js player
              - ArtPlayer
              - Embedded MPV (Experimental)
              - Embedded MPV with the frame-copy engine
              - MPV player (external)
              - VLC (external)
              - Audio player (radio station)
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: dropdown
      id: symptoms
      attributes:
          label: What goes wrong?
          multiple: true
          options:
              - It doesn't start or keeps loading
              - An error message appears
              - It stops after a while
              - It stutters or keeps buffering
              - No picture, only sound
              - No sound, or the wrong audio track
              - Subtitles are missing or wrong
              - Seeking or resuming goes to the wrong position
              - Something else
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: dropdown
      id: elsewhere
      attributes:
          label: Does the same stream play elsewhere?
          options:
              - Yes, with another player in IPTVnator
              - Yes, in VLC or another app outside IPTVnator
              - No, it fails everywhere I tried
              - I haven't tried
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: dropdown
      id: regression
      attributes:
          label: Did this work in an earlier version?
          description: If it did, please name the last version that worked under **What happened?**.
          options:
              - Yes, it worked in an earlier version
              - No, it never worked for me
              - I don't know
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: textarea
      id: what-happened
      attributes:
          label: What happened?
          description: |
              Describe what you see and when. If it stops, roughly after how long? If it worked before, which version was the last one that worked?
              Mention the stream format if you know it (HLS .m3u8, MPEG-TS .ts, DASH .mpd, MKV…). Please don't paste full stream URLs that contain credentials or tokens.
      validations:
          required: true
    - type: textarea
      id: diagnostics
      attributes:
          label: Diagnostics, logs and screenshots
          description: |
              If an error screen appears, click **Copy diagnostics** and paste the report here; it contains no stream URLs or credentials.
              If playback starts, the values from **Stream info** in the player overlay help too. Screenshots and short recordings are welcome.