diff --git a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ExoPlayerCore.kt b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ExoPlayerCore.kt
index 71854514..b0c690f1 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ExoPlayerCore.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ExoPlayerCore.kt
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ import androidx.media3.exoplayer.audio.AudioCapabilities
 import androidx.media3.exoplayer.audio.AudioSink
 import androidx.media3.exoplayer.mediacodec.MediaCodecSelector
 import androidx.media3.exoplayer.source.DefaultMediaSourceFactory
-import androidx.media3.exoplayer.source.ProgressiveMediaSource
 import androidx.media3.exoplayer.trackselection.DefaultTrackSelector
 import androidx.media3.extractor.DefaultExtractorsFactory
 import androidx.media3.extractor.mkv.MatroskaExtractor
@@ -94,6 +93,8 @@ interface ExoPlayerDelegate : com.edde746.plezy.shared.PlayerDelegate {
   ): Boolean = false
 }
 
+internal fun playbackMimeType(isLive: Boolean): String? = if (isLive) MimeTypes.APPLICATION_M3U8 else null
+
 @OptIn(UnstableApi::class)
 class ExoPlayerCore(private val activity: Activity) : Player.Listener {
 
@@ -902,7 +903,7 @@ class ExoPlayerCore(private val activity: Activity) : Player.Listener {
     lastDuration = 0L
     lastBufferedPosition = 0L
     // Dart already seeds the visible timeline before open. Emitting native
-    // zeroes here races server-offset Plex transcode restarts back to 0:00.
+    // zeroes here races HLS resume/restart state back to 0:00.
     delegate?.onPropertyChange("eof-reached", false)
   }
 
@@ -1203,7 +1204,7 @@ class ExoPlayerCore(private val activity: Activity) : Player.Listener {
         "lastOutput=${describeAudioTrackConfig(previousAudioTrackConfig)}, actions=$lastAudioRecoveryAction"
     )
 
-    if (!setCurrentMediaForRetry(player, uri, savedPosition)) return false
+    player.setMediaItem(buildMediaItem(uri), savedPosition)
     player.prepare()
     player.playWhenReady = savedPlayWhenReady
     return true
@@ -1219,21 +1220,6 @@ class ExoPlayerCore(private val activity: Activity) : Player.Listener {
 
   private fun isEncodedAudioMimeType(mimeType: String): Boolean = mimeType.startsWith("audio/") && mimeType != MimeTypes.AUDIO_RAW
 
-  private fun setCurrentMediaForRetry(player: ExoPlayer, uri: String, positionMs: Long): Boolean {
-    if (currentMediaIsLive) {
-      val factory = dataSourceFactory ?: return false
-      val extractorsFactory = androidx.media3.extractor.ExtractorsFactory {
-        arrayOf(LatmMatroskaExtractor(MatroskaExtractor.FLAG_DISABLE_SEEK_FOR_CUES))
-      }
-      val mediaSource = ProgressiveMediaSource.Factory(factory, extractorsFactory)
-        .createMediaSource(MediaItem.fromUri(uri))
-      player.setMediaSource(mediaSource, positionMs)
-    } else {
-      player.setMediaItem(buildMediaItem(uri), positionMs)
-    }
-    return true
-  }
-
   private fun activeDoviTrackOutput(): DoviConvertingTrackOutput? = activeDoviMkvWrapper?.doviTrackOutput ?: activeDoviMp4Wrapper?.doviTrackOutput
 
   private fun dolbyVisionProfile(format: Format?): Int? {
@@ -2325,6 +2311,11 @@ class ExoPlayerCore(private val activity: Activity) : Player.Listener {
     val mediaItemBuilder = MediaItem.Builder()
       .setUri(uri)
 
+    // Every Live TV backend negotiates HLS before opening the native player.
+    // Pin the MIME type so tokenized manifests never fall back to progressive
+    // extension sniffing, and so initial opens and recovery use one source path.
+    playbackMimeType(currentMediaIsLive)?.let(mediaItemBuilder::setMimeType)
+
     if (externalSubtitles.isNotEmpty()) {
       mediaItemBuilder.setSubtitleConfigurations(externalSubtitles.toList())
     }
@@ -2843,28 +2834,6 @@ class ExoPlayerCore(private val activity: Activity) : Player.Listener {
     )
     emitSeekable(false, force = true)
 
-    if (isLive) {
-      // Live MKV streams lack Cues (seek index). FLAG_DISABLE_SEEK_FOR_CUES tells
-      // MatroskaExtractor to not seek for them, treating the stream as unseekable
-      // so data flows immediately without hanging.
-      // Headers already applied to httpDataSourceFactory above.
-      val extractorsFactory = androidx.media3.extractor.ExtractorsFactory {
-        arrayOf(LatmMatroskaExtractor(MatroskaExtractor.FLAG_DISABLE_SEEK_FOR_CUES))
-      }
-
-      val mediaSource = ProgressiveMediaSource.Factory(dataSourceFactory!!, extractorsFactory)
-        .createMediaSource(MediaItem.fromUri(uri))
-
-      exoPlayer?.apply {
-        setMediaSource(mediaSource, startPositionMs)
-        prepare()
-        playWhenReady = autoPlay
-      }
-
-      emitLog("info", "media", "Opened live: ${redactUri(uri)}, startPosition: ${startPositionMs}ms, autoPlay: $autoPlay, sessionTunneling=$currentTunneledPlayback")
-      return
-    }
-
     val mediaItem = buildMediaItem(uri)
 
     exoPlayer?.apply {
@@ -2873,7 +2842,8 @@ class ExoPlayerCore(private val activity: Activity) : Player.Listener {
       playWhenReady = autoPlay
     }
 
-    emitLog("info", "media", "Opened: ${redactUri(uri)}, startPosition: ${startPositionMs}ms, autoPlay: $autoPlay, sessionTunneling=$currentTunneledPlayback, userTunneling=$tunnelingUserEnabled")
+    val sourceLabel = if (isLive) "live HLS" else "media"
+    emitLog("info", "media", "Opened $sourceLabel: ${redactUri(uri)}, startPosition: ${startPositionMs}ms, autoPlay: $autoPlay, sessionTunneling=$currentTunneledPlayback, userTunneling=$tunnelingUserEnabled")
   }
 
   fun setAudioDelay(seconds: Double) {
diff --git a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/LatmMatroskaExtractor.kt b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/MatroskaLatmSupport.kt
similarity index 54%
rename from android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/LatmMatroskaExtractor.kt
rename to android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/MatroskaLatmSupport.kt
index 1de2a8a0..01976aad 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/LatmMatroskaExtractor.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/MatroskaLatmSupport.kt
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 package com.edde746.plezy.exoplayer
 
-import android.util.Log
 import androidx.media3.extractor.ExtractorOutput
 import androidx.media3.extractor.SeekMap
 import androidx.media3.extractor.TrackOutput
@@ -24,10 +23,9 @@ internal val matroskaExtractorOutputField by lazy {
 private const val WAVE_FORMAT_MPEG_LOAS = 0x1602
 
 /**
- * Returns whether a track is LOAS/LATM AAC muxed as A_MS/ACM — ffmpeg's (and
- * therefore Plex's) fallback mapping for aac_latm, which Matroska has no native
- * codec ID for. The WAVEFORMATEX wFormatTag is the first 2 bytes (LE) of
- * CodecPrivate.
+ * Returns whether a track is LOAS/LATM AAC muxed as A_MS/ACM — ffmpeg's
+ * fallback mapping for aac_latm, which Matroska has no native codec ID for.
+ * The WAVEFORMATEX wFormatTag is the first 2 bytes (LE) of CodecPrivate.
  */
 fun isLoasAcmTrack(codecId: String?, codecPrivate: ByteArray?): Boolean = codecId == CODEC_ID_ACM &&
   codecPrivate != null &&
@@ -65,48 +63,3 @@ class LatmExtractorOutputWrapper(
   override fun endTracks() = delegate.endTracks()
   override fun seekMap(seekMap: SeekMap) = delegate.seekMap(seekMap)
 }
-
-/**
- * MatroskaExtractor with LOAS/LATM AAC support, used for Plex Live TV MKV
- * streams (which bypass the ASS/DV extractor chain). VOD playback gets the
- * same LATM handling via ZlibMatroskaExtractor.
- */
-class LatmMatroskaExtractor(flags: Int) : MatroskaExtractor(flags) {
-
-  companion object {
-    private const val TAG = "LatmMkvExtractor"
-    private const val ID_SEGMENT = 0x18538067
-    private const val ID_TRACK_ENTRY = 0xAE
-  }
-
-  private var latmWrapper: LatmExtractorOutputWrapper? = null
-
-  override fun startMasterElement(id: Int, contentPosition: Long, contentSize: Long) {
-    super.startMasterElement(id, contentPosition, contentSize)
-
-    // init() is final, so install the wrapping output when the Segment starts —
-    // before any TrackEntry can create a track through it.
-    if (id == ID_SEGMENT && latmWrapper == null) {
-      val currentOutput = matroskaExtractorOutputField.get(this) as ExtractorOutput
-      val wrapper = LatmExtractorOutputWrapper(currentOutput)
-      latmWrapper = wrapper
-      matroskaExtractorOutputField.set(this, wrapper)
-    }
-  }
-
-  override fun endMasterElement(id: Int) {
-    if (id == ID_TRACK_ENTRY) {
-      val track = getCurrentTrack(id)
-      if (isLoasAcmTrack(track.codecId, track.codecPrivate)) {
-        Log.i(TAG, "Track ${track.number} is LOAS/LATM AAC, unwrapping to raw AAC")
-        latmWrapper?.markNextTrackLatm()
-      }
-    }
-    super.endMasterElement(id)
-  }
-
-  override fun seek(position: Long, timeUs: Long) {
-    latmWrapper?.resetTracks()
-    super.seek(position, timeUs)
-  }
-}
diff --git a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ZlibMatroskaExtractor.kt b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ZlibMatroskaExtractor.kt
index 670202ef..0bbec6f3 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ZlibMatroskaExtractor.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/ZlibMatroskaExtractor.kt
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@ import com.edde746.plezy.libass.media.extractor.AssMatroskaExtractor
  *
  * LOAS/LATM AAC as A_MS/ACM — media3 sets audio/x-unknown for non-PCM ACM
  * tracks (silent playback). Detected tracks are wrapped with LatmTrackOutput,
- * which unwraps LOAS frames to raw AAC (see LatmMatroskaExtractor for the
- * Live TV counterpart).
+ * which unwraps LOAS frames to raw AAC for direct-playing Matroska files.
  */
 class ZlibMatroskaExtractor(
   subtitleParserFactory: SubtitleParser.Factory,
diff --git a/android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/LatmMatroskaExtractorTest.kt b/android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/MatroskaLatmSupportTest.kt
similarity index 95%
rename from android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/LatmMatroskaExtractorTest.kt
rename to android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/MatroskaLatmSupportTest.kt
index a2f55d6f..d918227e 100644
--- a/android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/LatmMatroskaExtractorTest.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/MatroskaLatmSupportTest.kt
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import androidx.media3.extractor.ExtractorOutput
 import androidx.media3.extractor.PositionHolder
 import androidx.media3.extractor.SeekMap
 import androidx.media3.extractor.TrackOutput
-import androidx.media3.extractor.mkv.MatroskaExtractor
+import com.edde746.plezy.libass.media.AssHandler
+import com.edde746.plezy.libass.media.parser.AssSubtitleParserFactory
 import java.io.EOFException
 import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
 import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
@@ -24,16 +25,15 @@ import org.robolectric.annotation.Config
 
 /**
  * Extracts the committed fixture (1s 440Hz sine, AAC-LC 48kHz stereo, LATM/LOAS
- * muxed into MKV as A_MS/ACM tag 0x1602 — the layout Plex produces when
- * Direct-Streaming HDHomeRun aac_latm audio) and verifies LOAS frames are
- * unwrapped to raw AAC with a synthesized AudioSpecificConfig.
+ * muxed into MKV as A_MS/ACM tag 0x1602) and verifies direct Matroska playback
+ * unwraps LOAS frames to raw AAC with a synthesized AudioSpecificConfig.
  *
  * Robolectric provides real android.util.* implementations — MatroskaExtractor
  * stores tracks in a SparseArray, which is a no-op stub on plain JVM.
  */
 @RunWith(RobolectricTestRunner::class)
 @Config(sdk = [34])
-class LatmMatroskaExtractorTest {
+class MatroskaLatmSupportTest {
 
   private class CapturedSample(val timeUs: Long, val flags: Int, val data: ByteArray)
 
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ class LatmMatroskaExtractorTest {
   private fun extractFixture(): FakeExtractorOutput {
     val data = fixtureData()
 
-    val extractor = LatmMatroskaExtractor(MatroskaExtractor.FLAG_DISABLE_SEEK_FOR_CUES)
+    val assHandler = AssHandler()
+    val extractor = ZlibMatroskaExtractor(AssSubtitleParserFactory(assHandler), assHandler)
     val output = FakeExtractorOutput()
     extractor.init(output)
 
diff --git a/android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/PlaybackMimeTypeTest.kt b/android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/PlaybackMimeTypeTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f6e5796
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/app/src/test/kotlin/com/edde746/plezy/exoplayer/PlaybackMimeTypeTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package com.edde746.plezy.exoplayer
+
+import androidx.media3.common.MimeTypes
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNull
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class PlaybackMimeTypeTest {
+
+  @Test
+  fun livePlaybackIsAlwaysHls() {
+    assertEquals(MimeTypes.APPLICATION_M3U8, playbackMimeType(isLive = true))
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  fun nonLivePlaybackUsesNormalSourceInference() {
+    assertNull(playbackMimeType(isLive = false))
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/media/live_tv_support.dart b/lib/media/live_tv_support.dart
index 20c0e176..c6cfec90 100644
--- a/lib/media/live_tv_support.dart
+++ b/lib/media/live_tv_support.dart
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class LiveProgramInfo {
 ///   the server has seekable history) and rebuilds its stream URL for
 ///   time-shift; heartbeats go to `/:/timeline` and return capture-buffer
 ///   updates.
-/// - **Jellyfin** negotiates one direct stream URL up front; no time-shift,
+/// - **Jellyfin** negotiates one HLS transcode URL up front; no time-shift,
 ///   heartbeats go through `/Sessions/Playing*`, and [recover] re-uses the
 ///   same URL.
 ///
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ abstract class LiveTvPlaybackSession {
 
   /// Re-establish playback after stream death. Plex re-tunes (the previous
   /// capture session expires while the player exhausts its reconnect
-  /// attempts) applying the degradation flags; Jellyfin returns itself —
-  /// the session-less URL is simply re-opened. Returns `null` on failure.
+  /// attempts) applying the degradation flags; Jellyfin returns itself so
+  /// its negotiated HLS URL is re-opened. Returns `null` on failure.
   Future<LiveTvPlaybackSession?> recover({required bool directStream, required bool directStreamAudio});
 }
 
@@ -110,8 +110,15 @@ class LiveTvStreamResolution {
   final String? playSessionId;
   final String? mediaSourceId;
   final String? liveStreamId;
+  final String? playMethod;
 
-  const LiveTvStreamResolution({required this.url, this.playSessionId, this.mediaSourceId, this.liveStreamId});
+  const LiveTvStreamResolution({
+    required this.url,
+    this.playSessionId,
+    this.mediaSourceId,
+    this.liveStreamId,
+    this.playMethod,
+  });
 }
 
 /// Backend-neutral live-TV operations. Implementations are obtained via
@@ -126,8 +133,8 @@ class LiveTvStreamResolution {
 /// the optional [lineup] (Plex provider identifier) to [fetchChannels].
 ///
 /// Stream URL resolution differs sharply by backend: Plex's DVR allocates a
-/// transcode session and returns a session-scoped path; Jellyfin negotiates
-/// a direct-play URL. [startPlayback] owns that difference behind
+/// transcode session and returns a session-scoped HLS path; Jellyfin negotiates
+/// an HLS transcode URL. [startPlayback] owns that difference behind
 /// [LiveTvPlaybackSession] — it is the only entry playback callers use.
 abstract class LiveTvSupport {
   /// Recording and DVR administration, when implemented by this backend.
@@ -151,15 +158,15 @@ abstract class LiveTvSupport {
 
   /// Resolve a playable stream URL for [channelKey].
   ///
-  /// Jellyfin returns a negotiated stream URL plus the play session id. Plex
+  /// Jellyfin returns a negotiated HLS stream URL plus the play session id. Plex
   /// returns `null` because its stream URL is only valid after a tune;
   /// playback callers use [startPlayback], which owns that difference.
   Future<LiveTvStreamResolution?> resolveStreamUrl(String channelKey, {String? dvrKey});
 
   /// Start a playback session for [channelKey] — the single entry the player
   /// uses for initial launch and channel switching. Plex requires [dvrKey]
-  /// (tune + transcode-session setup); Jellyfin ignores it and negotiates a
-  /// direct stream URL. Returns `null` when the channel can't be started.
+  /// (tune + transcode-session setup); Jellyfin ignores it and negotiates an
+  /// HLS transcode URL. Returns `null` when the channel can't be started.
   Future<LiveTvPlaybackSession?> startPlayback(String channelKey, {String? dvrKey});
 
   /// Source URI to stamp into [FavoriteChannel] entries. Plex uses
diff --git a/lib/mpv/player/platform/player_android.dart b/lib/mpv/player/platform/player_android.dart
index c7e9ef63..de9d71a2 100644
--- a/lib/mpv/player/platform/player_android.dart
+++ b/lib/mpv/player/platform/player_android.dart
@@ -138,17 +138,13 @@ class PlayerAndroid extends PlayerBase {
     bool play = true,
     bool isLive = false,
     List<SubtitleTrack>? externalSubtitles,
-    Duration timelineOffset = Duration.zero,
     Duration? timelineDuration,
   }) async {
     if (disposed) return;
     await _ensureInitialized();
     final startPosition = media.start ?? Duration.zero;
     final hasStartPosition = media.start != null && startPosition > Duration.zero;
-    // ExoPlayer reports Plex copyts transcodes in source-time coordinates,
-    // unlike mpv which rebases them to zero. Do not add the timeline offset
-    // again on Android ExoPlayer or seeks/progress jump to roughly 2x (#1221).
-    configureTimeline(offset: Duration.zero, duration: timelineDuration);
+    configureTimeline(duration: timelineDuration);
     clearTracks();
     setExternalSubtitleMetadata(externalSubtitles);
     setSeekable(false);
@@ -178,7 +174,7 @@ class PlayerAndroid extends PlayerBase {
             )
             .toList(),
     });
-    resetPlaybackProgress(media.start ?? timelineOffset);
+    resetPlaybackProgress(media.start ?? Duration.zero);
   }
 
   @override
@@ -200,8 +196,7 @@ class PlayerAndroid extends PlayerBase {
 
   @override
   Future<void> seek(Duration position) async {
-    final sourcePosition = sourceSeekPosition(position);
-    await runSeek(position, () => invoke('seek', {'positionMs': sourcePosition.inMilliseconds}));
+    await runSeek(position, () => invoke('seek', {'positionMs': position.inMilliseconds}));
   }
 
   @override
diff --git a/lib/mpv/player/player.dart b/lib/mpv/player/player.dart
index 23ad5cd5..877ecda7 100644
--- a/lib/mpv/player/player.dart
+++ b/lib/mpv/player/player.dart
@@ -77,7 +77,6 @@ abstract class Player {
     bool play = true,
     bool isLive = false,
     List<SubtitleTrack>? externalSubtitles,
-    Duration timelineOffset = Duration.zero,
     Duration? timelineDuration,
   });
 
diff --git a/lib/mpv/player/player_base.dart b/lib/mpv/player/player_base.dart
index ffbd9878..40e859f1 100644
--- a/lib/mpv/player/player_base.dart
+++ b/lib/mpv/player/player_base.dart
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@ abstract class PlayerBase with PlayerStreamControllersMixin implements Player {
   int _lastEmitMs = 0;
   int _lastCacheStateMs = 0;
   int _positionMs = 0;
-  Duration _timelineOffset = Duration.zero;
   Duration? _timelineDuration;
   int _nextPropId = 0;
   final Map<int, String> _propIdToName = {};
@@ -198,7 +197,7 @@ abstract class PlayerBase with PlayerStreamControllersMixin implements Player {
 
       case 'time-pos':
         if (value is num) {
-          final pos = _toTimelinePosition(Duration(milliseconds: (value * 1000).round()));
+          final pos = Duration(milliseconds: (value * 1000).round());
           _positionMs = pos.inMilliseconds;
           // Only allocate Duration + copyWith + emit at ~4Hz (250ms).
           // Raw int is stored every tick so synchronous reads via _positionMs stay current.
@@ -213,7 +212,7 @@ abstract class PlayerBase with PlayerStreamControllersMixin implements Player {
 
       case 'duration':
         if (value is num) {
-          final duration = _timelineDuration ?? _toTimelinePosition(Duration(milliseconds: (value * 1000).toInt()));
+          final duration = _timelineDuration ?? Duration(milliseconds: (value * 1000).toInt());
           _state = _state.copyWith(duration: duration);
           durationController.add(duration);
         }
@@ -230,7 +229,7 @@ abstract class PlayerBase with PlayerStreamControllersMixin implements Player {
           final nowMs = _throttleSw.elapsedMilliseconds;
           if (nowMs - _lastCacheStateMs < 250) break;
           _lastCacheStateMs = nowMs;
-          final buffer = _toTimelinePosition(Duration(milliseconds: (value * 1000).toInt()));
+          final buffer = Duration(milliseconds: (value * 1000).toInt());
           _state = _state.copyWith(buffer: buffer);
           bufferController.add(buffer);
           // Synthesize a single range for players without demuxer-cache-state (ExoPlayer).
@@ -329,7 +328,7 @@ abstract class PlayerBase with PlayerStreamControllersMixin implements Player {
     // Extract cache-end for the single buffer duration (replaces demuxer-cache-time)
     final cacheEnd = cacheState['cache-end'] as num?;
     if (cacheEnd != null) {
-      final buffer = _toTimelinePosition(Duration(milliseconds: (cacheEnd * 1000).toInt()));
+      final buffer = Duration(milliseconds: (cacheEnd * 1000).toInt());
       _state = _state.copyWith(buffer: buffer);
       bufferController.add(buffer);
     }
@@ -345,8 +344,8 @@ abstract class PlayerBase with PlayerStreamControllersMixin implements Player {
           if (start != null && end != null) {
             ranges.add(
               BufferRange(
-                start: _toTimelinePosition(Duration(milliseconds: (start * 1000).toInt())),
-                end: _toTimelinePosition(Duration(milliseconds: (end * 1000).toInt())),
+                start: Duration(milliseconds: (start * 1000).toInt()),
+                end: Duration(milliseconds: (end * 1000).toInt()),
               ),
             );
           }
@@ -561,24 +560,13 @@ abstract class PlayerBase with PlayerStreamControllersMixin implements Player {
   }
 
   @protected
-  void configureTimeline({Duration offset = Duration.zero, Duration? duration}) {
-    _timelineOffset = offset;
+  void configureTimeline({Duration? duration}) {
     _timelineDuration = duration;
   }
 
-  @protected
-  Duration sourceSeekPosition(Duration timelinePosition) {
-    final sourcePosition = timelinePosition - _timelineOffset;
-    return sourcePosition.isNegative ? Duration.zero : sourcePosition;
-  }
-
-  Duration _toTimelinePosition(Duration sourcePosition) {
-    return sourcePosition + _timelineOffset;
-  }
-
   @protected
   void resetPlaybackProgress(Duration sourcePosition) {
-    final position = _toTimelinePosition(sourcePosition);
+    final position = sourcePosition;
     _positionMs = position.inMilliseconds;
     _state = _state.copyWith(
       completed: false,
diff --git a/lib/mpv/player/player_native.dart b/lib/mpv/player/player_native.dart
index 74ae4a00..7963163d 100644
--- a/lib/mpv/player/player_native.dart
+++ b/lib/mpv/player/player_native.dart
@@ -267,7 +267,6 @@ class PlayerNative extends PlayerBase {
     bool play = true,
     bool isLive = false,
     List<SubtitleTrack>? externalSubtitles,
-    Duration timelineOffset = Duration.zero,
     Duration? timelineDuration,
   }) async {
     if (disposed) return;
@@ -277,7 +276,7 @@ class PlayerNative extends PlayerBase {
     // No transition is surfaced: the caller is replacing playback anyway.
     await _clearArmedNext(adoptIfRolledIn: false);
     final startPosition = media.start ?? Duration.zero;
-    configureTimeline(offset: timelineOffset, duration: timelineDuration);
+    configureTimeline(duration: timelineDuration);
     clearTracks();
     setExternalSubtitleMetadata(externalSubtitles);
     resetPlaybackProgress(startPosition);
@@ -359,8 +358,7 @@ class PlayerNative extends PlayerBase {
 
   @override
   Future<void> seek(Duration position) async {
-    final sourcePosition = sourceSeekPosition(position);
-    await runSeek(position, () => command(['seek', (sourcePosition.inMilliseconds / 1000.0).toString(), 'absolute']));
+    await runSeek(position, () => command(['seek', (position.inMilliseconds / 1000.0).toString(), 'absolute']));
   }
 
   @override
diff --git a/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_open.dart b/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_open.dart
index d96b766b..0b6cd2bf 100644
--- a/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_open.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_open.dart
@@ -607,7 +607,6 @@ extension _VideoPlayerOpenMethods on VideoPlayerScreenState {
         media,
         play: shouldPlay,
         externalSubtitles: externalSubtitles,
-        timelineOffset: timing.timelineOffset,
         timelineDuration: timing.timelineDuration,
       );
     }
diff --git a/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_prompts.dart b/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_prompts.dart
index e252d23d..aa7a4505 100644
--- a/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_prompts.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/video_player/parts/playback_prompts.dart
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ part of '../../video_player_screen.dart';
 
 extension _VideoPlayerPlaybackPromptMethods on VideoPlayerScreenState {
   void _onVideoCompleted(bool completed, {bool skipAutoPlayCountdown = false}) async {
-    // Live TV streams are continuous — ignore spurious EOF events caused by
-    // inter-segment gaps in the chunked MKV transcode stream.
+    // Live TV streams are continuous — ignore transient EOF events while an
+    // HLS playlist refreshes or crosses a discontinuity.
     if (widget.isLive) return;
     if (!completed) return;
     // Ignore spurious EOF from the old file during an in-place media-source
diff --git a/lib/screens/video_player_screen.dart b/lib/screens/video_player_screen.dart
index 4a59eac0..592ee1f4 100644
--- a/lib/screens/video_player_screen.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/video_player_screen.dart
@@ -192,10 +192,9 @@ class _PlaybackAttempt {
 
 class _PlaybackOpenTiming {
   final Duration? mediaStart;
-  final Duration timelineOffset;
   final Duration? timelineDuration;
 
-  const _PlaybackOpenTiming({this.mediaStart, required this.timelineOffset, this.timelineDuration});
+  const _PlaybackOpenTiming({this.mediaStart, this.timelineDuration});
 }
 
 _PlaybackOpenTiming _playbackOpenTiming({
@@ -205,7 +204,6 @@ _PlaybackOpenTiming _playbackOpenTiming({
 }) {
   return _PlaybackOpenTiming(
     mediaStart: resumePosition,
-    timelineOffset: Duration.zero,
     timelineDuration: isTranscoding && durationMs != null ? Duration(milliseconds: durationMs) : null,
   );
 }
diff --git a/lib/services/jellyfin_client/parts/live_tv.dart b/lib/services/jellyfin_client/parts/live_tv.dart
index 044129d9..3128e9fc 100644
--- a/lib/services/jellyfin_client/parts/live_tv.dart
+++ b/lib/services/jellyfin_client/parts/live_tv.dart
@@ -165,9 +165,9 @@ class _JellyfinLiveTvSupport implements LiveTvSupport {
     final info = await _client.getPlaybackInfo(
       channelKey,
       autoOpenLiveStream: true,
-      enableDirectPlay: true,
-      enableDirectStream: true,
-      enableTranscoding: false,
+      enableDirectPlay: false,
+      enableDirectStream: false,
+      enableTranscoding: true,
       allowVideoStreamCopy: true,
       allowAudioStreamCopy: true,
     );
@@ -182,16 +182,17 @@ class _JellyfinLiveTvSupport implements LiveTvSupport {
     var playSessionId = nonEmptyString(info?['PlaySessionId']);
     var mediaSourceId = nonEmptyString(source['Id']);
     var liveStreamId = nonEmptyString(source['LiveStreamId']);
-    final rawUrl = nonEmptyString(source['DirectStreamUrl']);
-    final url = rawUrl != null
-        ? _client._withApiKey(rawUrl)
-        : _client.buildDirectStreamUrl(
-            channelKey,
-            container: nonEmptyString(source['Container']),
-            mediaSourceId: mediaSourceId,
-            playSessionId: playSessionId,
-            liveStreamId: liveStreamId,
-          );
+    final rawUrl = nonEmptyString(source['TranscodingUrl']);
+    if (rawUrl == null) {
+      appLogger.w('Jellyfin Live TV negotiation returned no HLS transcode URL');
+      return null;
+    }
+    final rawUri = Uri.tryParse(rawUrl);
+    if (rawUri == null || !rawUri.path.toLowerCase().endsWith('.m3u8')) {
+      appLogger.w('Jellyfin Live TV negotiation returned no HLS transcode URL');
+      return null;
+    }
+    final url = _client._withApiKey(rawUrl);
     final query = Uri.tryParse(url)?.queryParameters;
     playSessionId ??= query?['PlaySessionId'];
     mediaSourceId ??= query?['MediaSourceId'];
@@ -201,6 +202,7 @@ class _JellyfinLiveTvSupport implements LiveTvSupport {
       playSessionId: playSessionId,
       mediaSourceId: mediaSourceId,
       liveStreamId: liveStreamId,
+      playMethod: 'Transcode',
     );
   }
 
@@ -269,10 +271,10 @@ class _JellyfinLiveTvSupport implements LiveTvSupport {
   }
 }
 
-/// A Jellyfin live playback session: one negotiated direct-stream URL plus
+/// A Jellyfin live playback session: one negotiated HLS transcode URL plus
 /// `/Sessions/Playing*` heartbeats via [JellyfinLiveSessionTracker]. No
 /// program-scoped session and no time-shift — [recover] re-opens the same
-/// session-less URL.
+/// negotiated URL.
 class _JellyfinLiveTvPlaybackSession implements LiveTvPlaybackSession {
   final JellyfinClient _client;
   final String _channelKey;
@@ -285,6 +287,7 @@ class _JellyfinLiveTvPlaybackSession implements LiveTvPlaybackSession {
         playSessionId: resolution.playSessionId,
         mediaSourceId: resolution.mediaSourceId,
         liveStreamId: resolution.liveStreamId,
+        playMethod: resolution.playMethod,
       );
 
   @override
diff --git a/lib/services/live_seek_accumulator.dart b/lib/services/live_seek_accumulator.dart
index c207ad68..75be49b1 100644
--- a/lib/services/live_seek_accumulator.dart
+++ b/lib/services/live_seek_accumulator.dart
@@ -82,7 +82,12 @@ class LiveSeekAccumulator {
     if (window == null) return;
 
     final base = _pendingEpoch ?? currentEpoch();
+    final clampedBase = base.clamp(window.start, window.end);
     final target = (base + deltaSeconds).clamp(window.start, window.end);
+    // Do not rebuild the stream when a relative skip is clamped back to the
+    // position it already occupies (most commonly fast-forward at live edge).
+    // Once a burst has a pending target, keep its normal debounce semantics.
+    if (_pendingEpoch == null && target == clampedBase) return;
     if (target != _pendingEpoch) {
       _pendingEpoch = target;
       onChanged?.call();
diff --git a/lib/services/live_session_tracker.dart b/lib/services/live_session_tracker.dart
index 54542b6a..9a1d682c 100644
--- a/lib/services/live_session_tracker.dart
+++ b/lib/services/live_session_tracker.dart
@@ -10,12 +10,13 @@ import 'playback_report_session.dart';
 /// Plex live path keeps its bespoke capture-buffer flow inline at the call
 /// site; this tracker only covers Jellyfin's `/Sessions/Playing*` flow.
 class JellyfinLiveSessionTracker {
-  JellyfinLiveSessionTracker({String? playSessionId, this.mediaSourceId, this.liveStreamId})
+  JellyfinLiveSessionTracker({String? playSessionId, this.mediaSourceId, this.liveStreamId, this.playMethod})
     : _playSessionId = playSessionId ?? generateSessionIdentifier();
 
   final String _playSessionId;
   final String? mediaSourceId;
   final String? liveStreamId;
+  final String? playMethod;
   PlaybackReportSession? _session;
 
   /// Session id reused across all heartbeats for this playback. Exposed
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ class JellyfinLiveSessionTracker {
         client: client,
         itemId: itemId,
         playSessionId: _playSessionId,
+        playMethod: playMethod,
         liveStreamId: liveStreamId,
       );
       await session.report(
diff --git a/lib/services/plex_client.dart b/lib/services/plex_client.dart
index aa7abca4..6acb8a69 100644
--- a/lib/services/plex_client.dart
+++ b/lib/services/plex_client.dart
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ part 'plex_client/parts/collections.dart';
 part 'plex_client/parts/play_queues.dart';
 part 'plex_client/parts/metadata_edit.dart';
 
+const _plexVideoTranscodeBaseEndpoint = '/video/:/transcode/universal';
+const _plexVideoHlsStartEndpoint = '$_plexVideoTranscodeBaseEndpoint/start.m3u8';
+const _plexVideoHlsProtocol = 'hls';
 const _plexHlsVideoTranscodeTarget =
     'add-transcode-target(type=videoProfile&context=streaming'
     '&protocol=hls&container=mpegts&videoCodec=h264%2Chevc%2Cmpeg2video'
@@ -2380,7 +2383,7 @@ class PlexClient
         selectedSubtitleTrack: selectedSubtitleTrack,
       );
       return await _runTranscodeDecision(
-        startEndpoint: _videoTranscodeStartEndpoint,
+        startEndpoint: _plexVideoHlsStartEndpoint,
         allParams: allParams,
         isOriginal: preset.isOriginal,
       );
@@ -2423,7 +2426,6 @@ class PlexClient
     }
   }
 
-  static const String _videoTranscodeStartEndpoint = '/video/:/transcode/universal/start.m3u8';
   static const String _musicTranscodeStartEndpoint = '/music/:/transcode/universal/start.mp3';
 
   /// Shared decision plumbing for the video and music transcode flows: GET
@@ -2472,7 +2474,7 @@ class PlexClient
 
   String _buildTranscodeStartPathFromParams(
     Map<String, String> params, {
-    String endpoint = _videoTranscodeStartEndpoint,
+    String endpoint = _plexVideoHlsStartEndpoint,
   }) {
     final startParams = Map<String, String>.from(params)..remove('X-Plex-Token');
     final startQuery = startParams.entries.map((e) => '${_plexEncode(e.key)}=${_plexEncode(e.value)}').join('&');
@@ -2482,7 +2484,7 @@ class PlexClient
   @visibleForTesting
   String buildTranscodeStartPathFromParamsForTesting(
     Map<String, String> params, {
-    String endpoint = _videoTranscodeStartEndpoint,
+    String endpoint = _plexVideoHlsStartEndpoint,
   }) {
     return _buildTranscodeStartPathFromParams(params, endpoint: endpoint);
   }
@@ -2511,7 +2513,7 @@ class PlexClient
       'path': '/library/metadata/$ratingKey',
       'mediaIndex': mediaIndex.toString(),
       'partIndex': partIndex.toString(),
-      'protocol': 'hls',
+      'protocol': _plexVideoHlsProtocol,
       'fastSeek': '1',
       'directPlay': isOriginal ? '1' : '0',
       'directStream': isOriginal ? '1' : '0',
diff --git a/lib/services/plex_client/parts/live_tv.dart b/lib/services/plex_client/parts/live_tv.dart
index 1fd38a7a..e18d3360 100644
--- a/lib/services/plex_client/parts/live_tv.dart
+++ b/lib/services/plex_client/parts/live_tv.dart
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@ mixin _PlexLiveTvClientMethods on MediaServerCacheMixin implements LiveTvSupport
         'path': sessionPath,
         'mediaIndex': '0',
         'partIndex': '0',
-        'protocol': 'hls',
+        'protocol': _plexVideoHlsProtocol,
         'fastSeek': '1',
         'directPlay': '0',
         'directStream': directStream ? '1' : '0',
@@ -1066,7 +1066,7 @@ mixin _PlexLiveTvClientMethods on MediaServerCacheMixin implements LiveTvSupport
         receiveTimeout: MediaServerTimeouts.receive,
         defaultHeaders: {'Accept-Language': 'en'},
       );
-      final decisionUrl = '${config.baseUrl}/video/:/transcode/universal/decision?$queryString';
+      final decisionUrl = '${config.baseUrl}$_plexVideoTranscodeBaseEndpoint/decision?$queryString';
       final decisionResponse = await decisionClient.get(decisionUrl);
 
       if (decisionResponse.statusCode != 200) {
@@ -1089,7 +1089,7 @@ mixin _PlexLiveTvClientMethods on MediaServerCacheMixin implements LiveTvSupport
           .map((e) => '${Uri.encodeComponent(e.key)}=${Uri.encodeComponent(e.value)}')
           .join('&');
 
-      return '/video/:/transcode/universal/start.m3u8?$startQuery';
+      return '$_plexVideoHlsStartEndpoint?$startQuery';
     } catch (e, st) {
       appLogger.e('Failed to build live stream path', error: e, stackTrace: st);
       return null;
diff --git a/lib/widgets/video_controls/parts/key_events.dart b/lib/widgets/video_controls/parts/key_events.dart
index ef2c2690..288bc200 100644
--- a/lib/widgets/video_controls/parts/key_events.dart
+++ b/lib/widgets/video_controls/parts/key_events.dart
@@ -237,7 +237,10 @@ extension _PlexVideoControlsKeyEventMethods on _PlexVideoControlsState {
         final isHorizontal = key == LogicalKeyboardKey.arrowLeft || key == LogicalKeyboardKey.arrowRight;
         if (isHorizontal) {
           _showControlsWithTimelineFocus();
-          if (widget.canControl) {
+          // A repeat may arrive before the post-frame focus handoff reaches
+          // the timeline. Consume it here without adding another seek step;
+          // once focused, the timeline owns intentional held-key repeats.
+          if (shouldStartHiddenDirectionalSeek(event) && widget.canControl) {
             final forward = key == LogicalKeyboardKey.arrowRight;
             unawaited(_seekByTime(forward: forward));
           }
diff --git a/lib/widgets/video_controls/video_controls.dart b/lib/widgets/video_controls/video_controls.dart
index 80052c91..6cde7d0d 100644
--- a/lib/widgets/video_controls/video_controls.dart
+++ b/lib/widgets/video_controls/video_controls.dart
@@ -388,6 +388,9 @@ bool shouldSkipDuplicateTimelineSeek({required Duration? lastDispatchedSeek, req
   return lastDispatchedSeek == finalSeek;
 }
 
+@visibleForTesting
+bool shouldStartHiddenDirectionalSeek(KeyEvent event) => event is KeyDownEvent;
+
 typedef PlaybackSourceChangeCallback =
     Future<PlaybackSourceChangeOutcome> Function({
       int? newMediaIndex,
diff --git a/test/mpv/player_open_test.dart b/test/mpv/player_open_test.dart
index 66a5f1f8..baf4ce0f 100644
--- a/test/mpv/player_open_test.dart
+++ b/test/mpv/player_open_test.dart
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ void main() {
       );
     });
 
-    test('ExoPlayer maps copyts transcode streams as absolute timeline positions', () async {
+    test('ExoPlayer opens HLS transcodes at native timeline positions', () async {
       final calls = <MethodCall>[];
 
       await withMockPlayerChannels(
@@ -202,8 +202,7 @@ void main() {
             const timelineStart = Duration(seconds: 2058); // 34:18
             const timelineDuration = Duration(seconds: 2903); // 48:23
             await player.open(
-              Media('https://example.test/transcode.mkv'),
-              timelineOffset: timelineStart,
+              Media('https://example.test/start.m3u8', start: timelineStart),
               timelineDuration: timelineDuration,
             );
 
@@ -212,8 +211,8 @@ void main() {
 
             final openCall = calls.singleWhere((call) => call.method == 'open');
             final openArgs = Map<Object?, Object?>.from(openCall.arguments as Map);
-            expect(openArgs['startPositionMs'], 0);
-            expect(openArgs['hasStartPosition'], isFalse);
+            expect(openArgs['startPositionMs'], timelineStart.inMilliseconds);
+            expect(openArgs['hasStartPosition'], isTrue);
 
             await Future<void>.delayed(const Duration(milliseconds: 260));
             player.handlePropertyChange('time-pos', 2058.0);
@@ -232,7 +231,7 @@ void main() {
       );
     });
 
-    test('ExoPlayer source-offset open keeps timeline offset after stale native zero position', () async {
+    test('ExoPlayer HLS open keeps the requested position after stale native zero position', () async {
       final calls = <MethodCall>[];
       late PlayerAndroid player;
 
@@ -259,8 +258,7 @@ void main() {
             const timelineStart = Duration(seconds: 2058);
             const timelineDuration = Duration(seconds: 2903);
             await player.open(
-              Media('https://example.test/transcode.mkv'),
-              timelineOffset: timelineStart,
+              Media('https://example.test/start.m3u8', start: timelineStart),
               timelineDuration: timelineDuration,
             );
 
@@ -269,8 +267,8 @@ void main() {
 
             final openCall = calls.singleWhere((call) => call.method == 'open');
             final openArgs = Map<Object?, Object?>.from(openCall.arguments as Map);
-            expect(openArgs['startPositionMs'], 0);
-            expect(openArgs['hasStartPosition'], isFalse);
+            expect(openArgs['startPositionMs'], timelineStart.inMilliseconds);
+            expect(openArgs['hasStartPosition'], isTrue);
           } finally {
             await player.dispose();
           }
@@ -610,7 +608,7 @@ void main() {
       );
     });
 
-    test('MPV maps server-offset streams to absolute timeline positions', () async {
+    test('MPV opens HLS transcodes at native timeline positions', () async {
       final calls = <MethodCall>[];
 
       await withMockPlayerChannels(
@@ -629,8 +627,7 @@ void main() {
           final player = PlayerNative();
           try {
             await player.open(
-              Media('https://example.test/transcode.mkv'),
-              timelineOffset: const Duration(seconds: 10),
+              Media('https://example.test/start.m3u8', start: const Duration(seconds: 10)),
               timelineDuration: const Duration(seconds: 100),
             );
 
@@ -644,7 +641,7 @@ void main() {
 
             final seekCall = calls.lastWhere((call) => call.method == 'command');
             final args = Map<Object?, Object?>.from(seekCall.arguments as Map)['args'] as List;
-            expect(args, ['seek', '15.0', 'absolute']);
+            expect(args, ['seek', '25.0', 'absolute']);
             expect(player.state.position, const Duration(seconds: 25));
           } finally {
             await player.dispose();
@@ -653,7 +650,7 @@ void main() {
       );
     });
 
-    test('MPV refresh seek preserves timeline offset position', () async {
+    test('MPV HLS refresh seek preserves the requested position', () async {
       final calls = <MethodCall>[];
 
       await withMockPlayerChannels(
@@ -673,8 +670,7 @@ void main() {
           try {
             const timelineStart = Duration(milliseconds: 143894);
             await player.open(
-              Media('https://example.test/transcode.mkv'),
-              timelineOffset: timelineStart,
+              Media('https://example.test/start.m3u8', start: timelineStart),
               timelineDuration: const Duration(seconds: 1502),
             );
 
@@ -684,7 +680,7 @@ void main() {
 
             final seekCall = calls.lastWhere((call) => call.method == 'command');
             final args = Map<Object?, Object?>.from(seekCall.arguments as Map)['args'] as List;
-            expect(args, ['seek', '0.0', 'absolute']);
+            expect(args, ['seek', '143.894', 'absolute']);
             expect(player.state.position, timelineStart);
           } finally {
             await player.dispose();
diff --git a/test/services/jellyfin_client_urls_test.dart b/test/services/jellyfin_client_urls_test.dart
index 413a9376..dad313d3 100644
--- a/test/services/jellyfin_client_urls_test.dart
+++ b/test/services/jellyfin_client_urls_test.dart
@@ -1464,7 +1464,7 @@ void main() {
       expect(uri.queryParameters['api_key'], 'tok-abc');
     });
 
-    test('live TV stream resolution opens a direct stream instead of HLS transcode', () async {
+    test('live TV stream resolution requires an HLS transcode', () async {
       final requests = <Uri>[];
       String? capturedBody;
       final scoped = JellyfinClient.forTesting(
@@ -1498,30 +1498,28 @@ void main() {
 
       expect(requests.single.path, '/Items/channel-1/PlaybackInfo');
       expect(requests.single.queryParameters['AutoOpenLiveStream'], 'true');
-      expect(requests.single.queryParameters['EnableTranscoding'], 'false');
-      expect(requests.single.queryParameters['EnableDirectPlay'], 'true');
-      expect(requests.single.queryParameters['EnableDirectStream'], 'true');
+      expect(requests.single.queryParameters['EnableTranscoding'], 'true');
+      expect(requests.single.queryParameters['EnableDirectPlay'], 'false');
+      expect(requests.single.queryParameters['EnableDirectStream'], 'false');
       expect(requests.single.queryParameters['AllowVideoStreamCopy'], 'true');
       expect(requests.single.queryParameters['AllowAudioStreamCopy'], 'true');
       final body = jsonDecode(capturedBody!) as Map<String, dynamic>;
       expect(body['AutoOpenLiveStream'], isTrue);
-      expect(body['EnableTranscoding'], isFalse);
+      expect(body['EnableTranscoding'], isTrue);
+      expect(body['EnableDirectPlay'], isFalse);
+      expect(body['EnableDirectStream'], isFalse);
       expect(resolution, isNotNull);
       expect(resolution!.playSessionId, 'live-session-1');
       expect(resolution.mediaSourceId, 'source-1');
       expect(resolution.liveStreamId, 'open-stream-1');
+      expect(resolution.playMethod, 'Transcode');
       final uri = Uri.parse(resolution.url);
-      expect(uri.path, '/Videos/channel-1/stream');
-      expect(uri.queryParameters['Static'], 'true');
-      expect(uri.queryParameters['Container'], 'ts');
-      expect(uri.queryParameters['MediaSourceId'], 'source-1');
-      expect(uri.queryParameters['LiveStreamId'], 'open-stream-1');
+      expect(uri.path, '/Videos/channel-1/live.m3u8');
       expect(uri.queryParameters['PlaySessionId'], 'live-session-1');
-      expect(uri.queryParameters['DeviceId'], 'dev-xyz');
       expect(uri.queryParameters['api_key'], 'tok-abc');
     });
 
-    test('live TV stream resolution recovers identity from a negotiated direct URL', () async {
+    test('live TV stream resolution recovers identity from a negotiated HLS URL', () async {
       final scoped = JellyfinClient.forTesting(
         connection: _conn(),
         httpClient: MockClient((request) async {
@@ -1531,8 +1529,8 @@ void main() {
                 'MediaSources': [
                   {
                     'Container': 'ts',
-                    'DirectStreamUrl':
-                        '/Videos/channel-1/stream?MediaSourceId=source-url&LiveStreamId=live-url&PlaySessionId=play-url',
+                    'TranscodingUrl':
+                        '/Videos/channel-1/live.m3u8?MediaSourceId=source-url&LiveStreamId=live-url&PlaySessionId=play-url',
                   },
                 ],
               }),
@@ -1551,6 +1549,30 @@ void main() {
       expect(resolution!.playSessionId, 'play-url');
       expect(resolution.mediaSourceId, 'source-url');
       expect(resolution.liveStreamId, 'live-url');
+      expect(resolution.playMethod, 'Transcode');
+    });
+
+    test('live TV stream resolution rejects a non-HLS fallback URL', () async {
+      final scoped = JellyfinClient.forTesting(
+        connection: _conn(),
+        httpClient: MockClient((request) async {
+          if (request.url.path == '/Items/channel-1/PlaybackInfo') {
+            return http.Response(
+              jsonEncode({
+                'MediaSources': [
+                  {'DirectStreamUrl': '/Videos/channel-1/stream.ts'},
+                ],
+              }),
+              200,
+              headers: {'content-type': 'application/json'},
+            );
+          }
+          return http.Response('{}', 404);
+        }),
+      );
+      addTearDown(scoped.close);
+
+      expect(await scoped.liveTv.resolveStreamUrl('channel-1'), isNull);
     });
 
     test('buildTrickplayTileUrl wires width, sheet index, api_key, and DeviceId', () {
diff --git a/test/services/live_seek_accumulator_test.dart b/test/services/live_seek_accumulator_test.dart
index 012e9ad5..de656974 100644
--- a/test/services/live_seek_accumulator_test.dart
+++ b/test/services/live_seek_accumulator_test.dart
@@ -98,6 +98,41 @@ void main() {
       });
     });
 
+    test('does not reopen when a skip is clamped to the current boundary', () {
+      fakeAsync((async) {
+        window = (start: 950, end: 1050);
+        final acc = build();
+
+        currentEpoch = 1050;
+        acc.seekBy(15);
+        expect(acc.pendingEpoch, isNull);
+
+        currentEpoch = 950;
+        acc.seekBy(-15);
+        expect(acc.pendingEpoch, isNull);
+
+        async.elapse(const Duration(milliseconds: 300));
+        expect(seeks, isEmpty);
+        expect(changes, 0);
+        acc.dispose();
+      });
+    });
+
+    test('still seeks away from a capture-buffer boundary', () {
+      fakeAsync((async) {
+        window = (start: 950, end: 1050);
+        currentEpoch = 1050;
+        final acc = build();
+
+        acc.seekBy(-15);
+        expect(acc.pendingEpoch, 1035);
+
+        async.elapse(const Duration(milliseconds: 300));
+        expect(seeks, [1035]);
+        acc.dispose();
+      });
+    });
+
     test('flushes the newer target when a press lands during the seek', () {
       fakeAsync((async) {
         gate = Completer<void>();
diff --git a/test/services/live_session_tracker_test.dart b/test/services/live_session_tracker_test.dart
index 561f35dd..8c8a18f5 100644
--- a/test/services/live_session_tracker_test.dart
+++ b/test/services/live_session_tracker_test.dart
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class _FakeJellyfinClient implements JellyfinClient {
     int? subtitleStreamIndex,
   }) async {
     await startGate.future;
-    calls.add('started:$itemId:$playSessionId:$mediaSourceId:$liveStreamId');
+    calls.add('started:$itemId:$playSessionId:$mediaSourceId:$liveStreamId:$playMethod');
   }
 
   @override
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ void main() {
       playSessionId: 'live-session-1',
       mediaSourceId: 'source-1',
       liveStreamId: 'live-stream-1',
+      playMethod: 'Transcode',
     );
 
     final first = tracker.report(
@@ -97,7 +98,7 @@ void main() {
     await Future.wait([first, second, stopped]);
 
     expect(client.calls, [
-      'started:channel-1:live-session-1:source-1:live-stream-1',
+      'started:channel-1:live-session-1:source-1:live-stream-1:Transcode',
       'stopped:channel-1:live-session-1:source-1:live-stream-1',
     ]);
   });
diff --git a/test/services/live_tv_playback_session_test.dart b/test/services/live_tv_playback_session_test.dart
index 03cd3f4e..b2ada7eb 100644
--- a/test/services/live_tv_playback_session_test.dart
+++ b/test/services/live_tv_playback_session_test.dart
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ void main() {
       createdAt: DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(0),
     );
 
-    test('startPlayback negotiates one direct URL; no time-shift; recover reuses it', () async {
+    test('startPlayback negotiates one HLS URL; no time-shift; recover reuses it', () async {
       final client = JellyfinClient.forTesting(
         connection: conn(),
         httpClient: MockClient((request) async {
@@ -247,7 +247,12 @@ void main() {
             return jsonResponse({
               'PlaySessionId': 'play-1',
               'MediaSources': [
-                {'Id': 'source-1', 'Container': 'ts', 'LiveStreamId': 'live-1'},
+                {
+                  'Id': 'source-1',
+                  'Container': 'ts',
+                  'LiveStreamId': 'live-1',
+                  'TranscodingUrl': '/Videos/channel-1/live.m3u8?PlaySessionId=play-1',
+                },
               ],
             });
           }
@@ -266,13 +271,13 @@ void main() {
 
       final url = await session.streamUrlAt();
       expect(url, isNotNull);
-      expect(Uri.parse(url!).path, contains('/Videos/channel-1'));
+      expect(Uri.parse(url!).path, '/Videos/channel-1/live.m3u8');
       expect(Uri.parse(url).queryParameters['PlaySessionId'], 'play-1');
 
       // Time-shift unsupported — an offset request must not silently play live.
       expect(await session.streamUrlAt(offsetSeconds: 60), isNull);
 
-      // Session-less URL: recovery is just re-opening it.
+      // Recovery re-opens the negotiated HLS URL.
       expect(await session.recover(directStream: false, directStreamAudio: false), same(session));
     });
   });
diff --git a/test/services/music/music_playback_service_test.dart b/test/services/music/music_playback_service_test.dart
index 86138df1..c48674c8 100644
--- a/test/services/music/music_playback_service_test.dart
+++ b/test/services/music/music_playback_service_test.dart
@@ -169,7 +169,6 @@ class FakePlayer implements Player {
     bool play = true,
     bool isLive = false,
     List<SubtitleTrack>? externalSubtitles,
-    Duration timelineOffset = Duration.zero,
     Duration? timelineDuration,
   }) async {
     openedUris.add(media.uri);
diff --git a/test/widgets/video_controls_test.dart b/test/widgets/video_controls_test.dart
index e58e3252..62789b3f 100644
--- a/test/widgets/video_controls_test.dart
+++ b/test/widgets/video_controls_test.dart
@@ -1342,6 +1342,23 @@ void main() {
     });
   });
 
+  group('shouldStartHiddenDirectionalSeek', () {
+    test('accepts only the initial key-down event', () {
+      expect(shouldStartHiddenDirectionalSeek(_keyDown(LogicalKeyboardKey.arrowRight)), isTrue);
+      expect(
+        shouldStartHiddenDirectionalSeek(
+          const KeyRepeatEvent(
+            physicalKey: PhysicalKeyboardKey.arrowRight,
+            logicalKey: LogicalKeyboardKey.arrowRight,
+            timeStamp: Duration.zero,
+          ),
+        ),
+        isFalse,
+      );
+      expect(shouldStartHiddenDirectionalSeek(_keyUp(LogicalKeyboardKey.arrowRight)), isFalse);
+    });
+  });
+
   group('SyncOffsetControl', () {
     testWidgets('uses 100ms slider steps without rendering tick marks', (tester) async {
       LocaleSettings.setLocaleSync(AppLocale.en);