Live-stream starts 6 seconds from edge not at oldest segment.

Remove 9 dead methods, 6 unused constants, and redundant
ReaderWriterLockSlim from MetadataCache. Consolidate repeated
patterns into HasChapters, IsPlayable, and ToLowerString helpers.
Extract shared API methods in SRFApiClient. Move variant manifest
rewriting from controller to StreamProxyService. Make Auto quality
distinct from HD. Update README architecture section.

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Tests/TestPlayV3Api.cs

@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Tests
                                     if (chapter.ResourceList != null && chapter.ResourceList.Any())
                                     {
                                         var hlsResource = chapter.ResourceList.FirstOrDefault(r =>
-                                            r.Protocol == "HLS" && (r.DrmList == null || r.DrmList.ToString() == "[]"));
+                                            r.Protocol == "HLS" && r.IsPlayable);
 
                                         if (hlsResource != null)
                                         {

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Api/Models/Chapter.cs

@@ -74,7 +74,9 @@ public class Chapter
     /// Gets or sets the list of available resources (streams).
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("resourceList")]
-    public IReadOnlyList<Resource> ResourceList { get; set; } = new List<Resource>();
+    [System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessage("Design", "CA1002:Do not expose generic lists", Justification = "Required for JSON deserialization")]
+    [System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis.SuppressMessage("Design", "CA2227:Collection properties should be read only", Justification = "Required for JSON deserialization")]
+    public List<Resource> ResourceList { get; set; } = new List<Resource>();
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets or sets the episode number.

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Api/Models/MediaComposition.cs

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Collections.ObjectModel;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
 
 namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Api.Models;
@@ -15,6 +14,12 @@ public class MediaComposition
     [JsonPropertyName("chapterList")]
     public IReadOnlyList<Chapter> ChapterList { get; set; } = new List<Chapter>();
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets a value indicating whether this composition has any chapters.
+    /// </summary>
+    [JsonIgnore]
+    public bool HasChapters => ChapterList != null && ChapterList.Count > 0;
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets or sets the episode information.
     /// </summary>

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Api/Models/Resource.cs

@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
 
 namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Api.Models;
 
+// NOTE: DrmList is typed as object? because the SRF API returns either null or a JSON array.
+// IsPlayable checks for both null and empty array ("[]") to determine if content is DRM-free.
+
 /// <summary>
 /// Represents a streaming resource (URL) in the SRF API response.
 /// </summary>
@@ -48,4 +51,10 @@ public class Resource
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("drmList")]
     public object? DrmList { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets a value indicating whether this resource is playable (not DRM-protected).
+    /// </summary>
+    [JsonIgnore]
+    public bool IsPlayable => DrmList == null || DrmList.ToString() == "[]";
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Api/SRFApiClient.cs

@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ public class SRFApiClient : IDisposable
 
             var result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<MediaComposition>(output, _jsonOptions);
 
-            if (result?.ChapterList != null && result.ChapterList.Count > 0)
+            if (result?.HasChapters == true)
             {
                 _logger.LogInformation("Successfully fetched media composition via curl - Chapters: {ChapterCount}", result.ChapterList.Count);
             }
@@ -248,38 +248,8 @@ public class SRFApiClient : IDisposable
     /// <param name="businessUnit">The business unit (e.g., srf, rts).</param>
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>The media composition containing latest videos.</returns>
-    public async Task<MediaComposition?> GetLatestVideosAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    public Task<MediaComposition?> GetLatestVideosAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
-    {
+        => GetMediaCompositionListAsync(businessUnit, "latest", cancellationToken);
-        try
-        {
-            var url = $"/video/{businessUnit}/latest.json";
-            _logger.LogInformation("Fetching latest videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit} from URL: {Url}", businessUnit, url);
-
-            var response = await _httpClient.GetAsync(url, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-
-            _logger.LogInformation("Latest videos API response: {StatusCode}", response.StatusCode);
-
-            if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
-            {
-                var errorContent = await ReadAsUtf8StringAsync(response.Content, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-                _logger.LogError("API returned error {StatusCode}: {Error}", response.StatusCode, errorContent);
-                return null;
-            }
-
-            var content = await ReadAsUtf8StringAsync(response.Content, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-            _logger.LogDebug("Latest videos response length: {Length}", content.Length);
-
-            var result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<MediaComposition>(content, _jsonOptions);
-
-            _logger.LogInformation("Successfully fetched latest videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", businessUnit);
-            return result;
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error fetching latest videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", businessUnit);
-            return null;
-        }
-    }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets the trending videos for a business unit.
@@ -287,16 +257,19 @@ public class SRFApiClient : IDisposable
     /// <param name="businessUnit">The business unit (e.g., srf, rts).</param>
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>The media composition containing trending videos.</returns>
-    public async Task<MediaComposition?> GetTrendingVideosAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    public Task<MediaComposition?> GetTrendingVideosAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+        => GetMediaCompositionListAsync(businessUnit, "trending", cancellationToken);
+
+    private async Task<MediaComposition?> GetMediaCompositionListAsync(string businessUnit, string endpoint, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
     {
         try
         {
-            var url = $"/video/{businessUnit}/trending.json";
+            var url = $"/video/{businessUnit}/{endpoint}.json";
-            _logger.LogInformation("Fetching trending videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit} from URL: {Url}", businessUnit, url);
+            _logger.LogInformation("Fetching {Endpoint} videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit} from URL: {Url}", endpoint, businessUnit, url);
 
             var response = await _httpClient.GetAsync(url, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-            _logger.LogInformation("Trending videos API response: {StatusCode}", response.StatusCode);
+            _logger.LogInformation("{Endpoint} videos API response: {StatusCode}", endpoint, response.StatusCode);
 
             if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
             {
@@ -306,41 +279,16 @@ public class SRFApiClient : IDisposable
             }
 
             var content = await ReadAsUtf8StringAsync(response.Content, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-            _logger.LogDebug("Trending videos response length: {Length}", content.Length);
+            _logger.LogDebug("{Endpoint} videos response length: {Length}", endpoint, content.Length);
 
             var result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<MediaComposition>(content, _jsonOptions);
 
-            _logger.LogInformation("Successfully fetched trending videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", businessUnit);
+            _logger.LogInformation("Successfully fetched {Endpoint} videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", endpoint, businessUnit);
             return result;
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
-            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error fetching trending videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", businessUnit);
+            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error fetching {Endpoint} videos for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", endpoint, businessUnit);
-            return null;
-        }
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets raw JSON response from a URL.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="url">The relative URL.</param>
-    /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
-    /// <returns>The JSON string.</returns>
-    public async Task<string?> GetJsonAsync(string url, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
-    {
-        try
-        {
-            _logger.LogDebug("Fetching JSON from URL: {Url}", url);
-
-            var response = await _httpClient.GetAsync(url, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-            response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
-
-            var content = await ReadAsUtf8StringAsync(response.Content, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-            return content;
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error fetching JSON from URL: {Url}", url);
             return null;
         }
     }
@@ -351,35 +299,8 @@ public class SRFApiClient : IDisposable
     /// <param name="businessUnit">The business unit (e.g., srf, rts).</param>
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>List of shows.</returns>
-    public async Task<System.Collections.Generic.List<PlayV3Show>?> GetAllShowsAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    public Task<System.Collections.Generic.List<PlayV3Show>?> GetAllShowsAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
-    {
+        => GetPlayV3DirectListAsync<PlayV3Show>(businessUnit, "shows", cancellationToken);
-        try
-        {
-            var baseUrl = string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, PlayV3UrlFormat, businessUnit);
-            var url = $"{baseUrl}shows";
-            _logger.LogInformation("Fetching all shows for business unit: {BusinessUnit} from URL: {Url}", businessUnit, url);
-
-            var response = await _playV3HttpClient.GetAsync(url, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-
-            if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
-            {
-                var errorContent = await ReadAsUtf8StringAsync(response.Content, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-                _logger.LogError("API returned error {StatusCode}: {Error}", response.StatusCode, errorContent);
-                return null;
-            }
-
-            var content = await ReadAsUtf8StringAsync(response.Content, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-            var result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<PlayV3DirectResponse<PlayV3Show>>(content, _jsonOptions);
-
-            _logger.LogInformation("Successfully fetched {Count} shows for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", result?.Data?.Count ?? 0, businessUnit);
-            return result?.Data;
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error fetching shows for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", businessUnit);
-            return null;
-        }
-    }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets all topics from the Play v3 API.
@@ -387,13 +308,16 @@ public class SRFApiClient : IDisposable
     /// <param name="businessUnit">The business unit (e.g., srf, rts).</param>
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>List of topics.</returns>
-    public async Task<System.Collections.Generic.List<PlayV3Topic>?> GetAllTopicsAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    public Task<System.Collections.Generic.List<PlayV3Topic>?> GetAllTopicsAsync(string businessUnit, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+        => GetPlayV3DirectListAsync<PlayV3Topic>(businessUnit, "topics", cancellationToken);
+
+    private async Task<System.Collections.Generic.List<T>?> GetPlayV3DirectListAsync<T>(string businessUnit, string endpoint, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
     {
         try
         {
             var baseUrl = string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, PlayV3UrlFormat, businessUnit);
-            var url = $"{baseUrl}topics";
+            var url = $"{baseUrl}{endpoint}";
-            _logger.LogInformation("Fetching all topics for business unit: {BusinessUnit} from URL: {Url}", businessUnit, url);
+            _logger.LogInformation("Fetching all {Endpoint} for business unit: {BusinessUnit} from URL: {Url}", endpoint, businessUnit, url);
 
             var response = await _playV3HttpClient.GetAsync(url, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
@@ -405,14 +329,14 @@ public class SRFApiClient : IDisposable
             }
 
             var content = await ReadAsUtf8StringAsync(response.Content, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-            var result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<PlayV3DirectResponse<PlayV3Topic>>(content, _jsonOptions);
+            var result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<PlayV3DirectResponse<T>>(content, _jsonOptions);
 
-            _logger.LogInformation("Successfully fetched {Count} topics for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", result?.Data?.Count ?? 0, businessUnit);
+            _logger.LogInformation("Successfully fetched {Count} {Endpoint} for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", result?.Data?.Count ?? 0, endpoint, businessUnit);
             return result?.Data;
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
-            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error fetching topics for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", businessUnit);
+            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error fetching {Endpoint} for business unit: {BusinessUnit}", endpoint, businessUnit);
             return null;
         }
     }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Channels/SRFPlayChannel.cs

@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ public class SRFPlayChannel : IChannel, IHasCacheKey
         {
             try
             {
-                var businessUnit = config.BusinessUnit.ToString().ToLowerInvariant();
+                var businessUnit = config.BusinessUnit.ToLowerString();
                 var topics = await _categoryService.GetTopicsAsync(businessUnit, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
                 foreach (var topic in topics.Where(t => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(t.Id)))
@@ -200,7 +200,9 @@ public class SRFPlayChannel : IChannel, IHasCacheKey
                         continue;
                     }
 
-                    items.Add(CreateFolder($"category_{topic.Id}", topic.Title ?? topic.Id!, topic.Lead));
+                    // Generate placeholder image for topic
+                    var placeholderUrl = CreatePlaceholderImageUrl(topic.Title ?? topic.Id!, _mediaSourceFactory.GetServerBaseUrl());
+                    items.Add(CreateFolder($"category_{topic.Id}", topic.Title ?? topic.Id!, topic.Lead, placeholderUrl));
                 }
 
                 _logger.LogInformation("Added {Count} category folders", topics.Count);
@@ -214,7 +216,7 @@ public class SRFPlayChannel : IChannel, IHasCacheKey
         return items;
     }
 
-    private static ChannelItemInfo CreateFolder(string id, string name, string? overview = null)
+    private static ChannelItemInfo CreateFolder(string id, string name, string? overview = null, string? imageUrl = null)
     {
         return new ChannelItemInfo
         {
@@ -222,7 +224,7 @@ public class SRFPlayChannel : IChannel, IHasCacheKey
             Name = name,
             Type = ChannelItemType.Folder,
             FolderType = ChannelFolderType.Container,
-            ImageUrl = null,
+            ImageUrl = imageUrl,
             Overview = overview
         };
     }
@@ -246,7 +248,7 @@ public class SRFPlayChannel : IChannel, IHasCacheKey
 
         try
         {
-            var businessUnit = config?.BusinessUnit.ToString().ToLowerInvariant() ?? "srf";
+            var businessUnit = config?.BusinessUnit.ToLowerString() ?? "srf";
 
             using var apiClient = _apiClientFactory.CreateClient();
             var scheduledLivestreams = await apiClient.GetScheduledLivestreamsAsync(businessUnit, "SPORT", cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -308,7 +310,7 @@ public class SRFPlayChannel : IChannel, IHasCacheKey
         {
             var config = Plugin.Instance?.Configuration;
             var topicId = folderId.Substring("category_".Length);
-            var businessUnit = config?.BusinessUnit.ToString().ToLowerInvariant() ?? "srf";
+            var businessUnit = config?.BusinessUnit.ToLowerString() ?? "srf";
 
             var shows = await _categoryService.GetShowsByTopicAsync(topicId, businessUnit, 20, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
             var urns = new List<string>();
@@ -438,7 +440,7 @@ public class SRFPlayChannel : IChannel, IHasCacheKey
                 _logger.LogDebug("Processing URN: {Urn}", urn);
                 var mediaComposition = await apiClient.GetMediaCompositionByUrnAsync(urn, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-                if (mediaComposition?.ChapterList == null || mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count == 0)
+                if (mediaComposition?.HasChapters != true)
                 {
                     _logger.LogWarning("URN {Urn}: No media composition or chapters found", urn);
                     failedCount++;

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Constants/ApiEndpoints.cs

@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@ public static class ApiEndpoints
     /// </summary>
     public const string SrfPlayHomepage = "https://www.srf.ch/play";
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Media composition endpoint template (relative to IntegrationLayerBaseUrl).
-    /// Format: {0} = URN.
-    /// </summary>
-    public const string MediaCompositionByUrnPath = "/mediaComposition/byUrn/{0}.json";
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Base proxy route for stream proxying (relative to server root).
     /// </summary>
@@ -44,30 +38,4 @@ public static class ApiEndpoints
     /// Format: {0} = item ID.
     /// </summary>
     public const string ProxyMasterManifestPath = "/Plugins/SRFPlay/Proxy/{0}/master.m3u8";
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Image proxy route template (relative to server root).
-    /// Format: {0} = base64-encoded original URL.
-    /// </summary>
-    public const string ImageProxyPath = "/Plugins/SRFPlay/Image/{0}";
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Play V3 shows endpoint (relative to PlayV3 base URL).
-    /// </summary>
-    public const string PlayV3ShowsPath = "shows";
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Play V3 topics endpoint (relative to PlayV3 base URL).
-    /// </summary>
-    public const string PlayV3TopicsPath = "topics";
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Play V3 livestreams endpoint (relative to PlayV3 base URL).
-    /// </summary>
-    public const string PlayV3LivestreamsPath = "livestreams";
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Play V3 scheduled livestreams endpoint (relative to PlayV3 base URL).
-    /// </summary>
-    public const string PlayV3ScheduledLivestreamsPath = "scheduled-livestreams";
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Controllers/StreamProxyController.cs

@@ -58,16 +58,28 @@ public class StreamProxyController : ControllerBase
     /// Livestreams need frequent manifest refresh, VOD can be cached longer.
     /// </summary>
     /// <param name="itemId">The item ID to check.</param>
-    private void AddManifestCacheHeaders(string itemId)
+    /// <param name="isVariantManifest">Whether this is a variant (sub) manifest with segment lists.</param>
+    private void AddManifestCacheHeaders(string itemId, bool isVariantManifest = false)
     {
         var metadata = _proxyService.GetStreamMetadata(itemId);
         var isLiveStream = metadata?.IsLiveStream ?? false;
 
         if (isLiveStream)
         {
-            // Livestreams need frequent manifest refresh (segments rotate every ~6-10s)
+            if (isVariantManifest)
-            Response.Headers["Cache-Control"] = "max-age=2, must-revalidate";
+            {
-            _logger.LogDebug("Setting livestream cache headers for {ItemId}", itemId);
+                // Variant manifests contain the segment list which changes every target duration.
+                // Use no-cache to ensure the player always gets the freshest segment list,
+                // preventing requests for segments that have been rotated out of the sliding window.
+                Response.Headers["Cache-Control"] = "no-cache, no-store";
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                // Master manifest is relatively stable (just lists quality variants)
+                Response.Headers["Cache-Control"] = "max-age=2, must-revalidate";
+            }
+
+            _logger.LogDebug("Setting livestream cache headers for {ItemId} (variant={IsVariant})", itemId, isVariantManifest);
         }
         else
         {
@@ -183,7 +195,8 @@ public class StreamProxyController : ControllerBase
         try
         {
             // Fetch the variant manifest as a segment
-            var manifestData = await _proxyService.GetSegmentAsync(actualItemId, fullPath, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            var queryString = Request.QueryString.HasValue ? Request.QueryString.Value : null;
+            var manifestData = await _proxyService.GetSegmentAsync(actualItemId, fullPath, queryString, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
             if (manifestData == null)
             {
@@ -195,10 +208,27 @@ public class StreamProxyController : ControllerBase
             var manifestContent = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetString(manifestData);
             var scheme = GetProxyScheme();
             var baseProxyUrl = $"{scheme}://{Request.Host}/Plugins/SRFPlay/Proxy/{itemId}";
-            var rewrittenContent = RewriteSegmentUrls(manifestContent, baseProxyUrl);
+
+            // Extract query parameters from the current request to propagate them
+            string queryParams;
+            if (Request.Query.TryGetValue("token", out var tokenVal) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(tokenVal))
+            {
+                queryParams = $"?token={tokenVal}";
+            }
+            else if (Request.Query.TryGetValue("itemId", out var itemIdVal) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(itemIdVal))
+            {
+                queryParams = $"?itemId={itemIdVal}";
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                queryParams = string.Empty;
+            }
+
+            var rewrittenContent = _proxyService.RewriteVariantManifestUrls(manifestContent, baseProxyUrl, queryParams);
 
             // Set cache headers based on stream type (live vs VOD)
-            AddManifestCacheHeaders(actualItemId);
+            // Variant manifests use stricter no-cache for live streams
+            AddManifestCacheHeaders(actualItemId, isVariantManifest: true);
 
             _logger.LogDebug("Returning variant manifest for item {ItemId} ({Length} bytes)", itemId, rewrittenContent.Length);
             return Content(rewrittenContent, "application/vnd.apple.mpegurl; charset=utf-8");
@@ -234,9 +264,14 @@ public class StreamProxyController : ControllerBase
 
         try
         {
-            var segmentData = await _proxyService.GetSegmentAsync(actualItemId, segmentPath, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            // Pass the original query string to preserve segment-specific parameters (e.g., ?m=timestamp)
+            var queryString = Request.QueryString.HasValue ? Request.QueryString.Value : null;
 
-            if (segmentData == null)
+            // Use streaming proxy: starts forwarding data to the client before the full segment
+            // is downloaded from the CDN, reducing time-to-first-byte for live streams
+            using var upstreamResponse = await _proxyService.GetSegmentStreamAsync(actualItemId, segmentPath, queryString, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            if (upstreamResponse == null)
             {
                 _logger.LogWarning("Segment not found - ItemId: {ItemId}, Path: {SegmentPath}", itemId, segmentPath);
                 return NotFound();
@@ -244,9 +279,18 @@ public class StreamProxyController : ControllerBase
 
             // Determine content type based on file extension
             var contentType = MimeTypeHelper.GetSegmentContentType(segmentPath);
+            Response.ContentType = contentType;
 
-            _logger.LogDebug("Returning segment {SegmentPath} ({Length} bytes, {ContentType})", segmentPath, segmentData.Length, contentType);
+            if (upstreamResponse.Content.Headers.ContentLength.HasValue)
-            return File(segmentData, contentType);
+            {
+                Response.ContentLength = upstreamResponse.Content.Headers.ContentLength.Value;
+            }
+
+            // Stream directly from CDN to client without buffering the entire segment in memory
+            await upstreamResponse.Content.CopyToAsync(Response.Body, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            _logger.LogDebug("Streamed segment {SegmentPath} ({ContentType})", segmentPath, contentType);
+            return new EmptyResult();
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
@@ -308,81 +352,6 @@ public class StreamProxyController : ControllerBase
         return pathItemId;
     }
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Rewrites segment URLs in a manifest to point to proxy.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="manifestContent">The manifest content.</param>
-    /// <param name="baseProxyUrl">The base proxy URL.</param>
-    /// <returns>The rewritten manifest.</returns>
-    private string RewriteSegmentUrls(string manifestContent, string baseProxyUrl)
-    {
-        // Extract query parameters from the current request to propagate them
-        string queryParams;
-        if (Request.Query.TryGetValue("token", out var token) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(token))
-        {
-            queryParams = $"?token={token}";
-        }
-        else if (Request.Query.TryGetValue("itemId", out var itemId) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(itemId))
-        {
-            queryParams = $"?itemId={itemId}";
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            queryParams = string.Empty;
-        }
-
-        // Helper function to rewrite a single URL
-        string RewriteUrl(string url)
-        {
-            if (url.Contains("://", StringComparison.Ordinal))
-            {
-                // Absolute URL - extract filename and rewrite
-                var uri = new Uri(url.Trim());
-                var segments = uri.AbsolutePath.Split('/');
-                var fileName = segments[^1];
-                return $"{baseProxyUrl}/{fileName}{queryParams}";
-            }
-
-            // Relative URL - rewrite to proxy
-            return $"{baseProxyUrl}/{url.Trim()}{queryParams}";
-        }
-
-        var lines = manifestContent.Split('\n');
-        var result = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
-
-        foreach (var line in lines)
-        {
-            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(line))
-            {
-                result.AppendLine(line);
-            }
-            else if (line.StartsWith('#'))
-            {
-                // HLS tag line - check for URI="..." attributes (e.g., #EXT-X-MAP:URI="init.mp4")
-                if (line.Contains("URI=\"", StringComparison.Ordinal))
-                {
-                    var rewrittenLine = System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Replace(
-                        line,
-                        @"URI=""([^""]+)""",
-                        match => $"URI=\"{RewriteUrl(match.Groups[1].Value)}\"");
-                    result.AppendLine(rewrittenLine);
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    // Keep other metadata lines as-is
-                    result.AppendLine(line);
-                }
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                // Non-tag line with URL - rewrite it
-                result.AppendLine(RewriteUrl(line));
-            }
-        }
-
-        return result.ToString();
-    }
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Proxies image requests from SRF CDN, fixing Content-Type headers.
     /// </summary>

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Providers/SRFEpisodeProvider.cs

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public class SRFEpisodeProvider : IRemoteMetadataProvider<Episode, EpisodeInfo>
 
                 var mediaComposition = await _compositionFetcher.GetMediaCompositionAsync(urn, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-                if (mediaComposition?.ChapterList != null && mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count > 0)
+                if (mediaComposition?.HasChapters == true)
                 {
                     var chapter = mediaComposition.ChapterList[0];
                     results.Add(new RemoteSearchResult
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public class SRFEpisodeProvider : IRemoteMetadataProvider<Episode, EpisodeInfo>
 
             var mediaComposition = await _compositionFetcher.GetMediaCompositionAsync(urn, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-            if (mediaComposition?.ChapterList == null || mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count == 0)
+            if (mediaComposition?.HasChapters != true)
             {
                 _logger.LogWarning("No chapter information found for URN: {Urn}", urn);
                 return result;

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Providers/SRFImageProvider.cs

@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public class SRFImageProvider : IRemoteImageProvider, IHasOrder
             }
 
             // Extract images from chapters
-            if (mediaComposition.ChapterList != null && mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count > 0)
+            if (mediaComposition.HasChapters)
             {
                 var chapter = mediaComposition.ChapterList[0];
                 if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(chapter.ImageUrl))

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Providers/SRFMediaProvider.cs

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ public class SRFMediaProvider : IMediaSourceProvider
 
             var mediaComposition = await _compositionFetcher.GetMediaCompositionAsync(urn, cancellationToken, cacheDuration).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-            if (mediaComposition?.ChapterList == null || mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count == 0)
+            if (mediaComposition?.HasChapters != true)
             {
                 _logger.LogWarning("No chapters found for URN: {Urn}", urn);
                 return sources;
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ public class SRFMediaProvider : IMediaSourceProvider
                 // Force fresh fetch with short cache duration
                 var freshMediaComposition = await _compositionFetcher.GetMediaCompositionAsync(urn, cancellationToken, 1).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-                if (freshMediaComposition?.ChapterList != null && freshMediaComposition.ChapterList.Count > 0)
+                if (freshMediaComposition?.HasChapters == true)
                 {
                     var freshChapter = freshMediaComposition.ChapterList[0];
                     mediaSource = await _mediaSourceFactory.CreateMediaSourceAsync(

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/ScheduledTasks/ExpirationCheckTask.cs

@@ -60,25 +60,8 @@ public class ExpirationCheckTask : IScheduledTask
                 return;
             }
 
-            // Get expiration statistics first
+            // Check and remove expired content
             progress?.Report(25);
-            var (total, expired, expiringSoon) = await _expirationService.GetExpirationStatisticsAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-
-            _logger.LogInformation(
-                "Expiration statistics - Total: {Total}, Expired: {Expired}, Expiring Soon: {ExpiringSoon}",
-                total,
-                expired,
-                expiringSoon);
-
-            if (expired == 0)
-            {
-                _logger.LogInformation("No expired content found");
-                progress?.Report(100);
-                return;
-            }
-
-            // Remove expired content
-            progress?.Report(50);
             var removedCount = await _expirationService.CheckAndRemoveExpiredContentAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
             // Clean up old stream proxy mappings

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/ContentExpirationService.cs

@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ public class ContentExpirationService : IContentExpirationService
 
         var mediaComposition = await _compositionFetcher.GetMediaCompositionAsync(urn, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-        if (mediaComposition?.ChapterList == null || mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count == 0)
+        if (mediaComposition?.HasChapters != true)
         {
             // If we can't fetch the content, consider it expired
             _logger.LogWarning("Could not fetch media composition for URN: {Urn}, treating as expired", urn);
@@ -135,72 +135,4 @@ public class ContentExpirationService : IContentExpirationService
 
         return isExpired;
     }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets statistics about content expiration.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
-    /// <returns>Tuple with total count, expired count, and items expiring soon.</returns>
-    public async Task<(int Total, int Expired, int ExpiringSoon)> GetExpirationStatisticsAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
-    {
-        var total = 0;
-        var expired = 0;
-        var expiringSoon = 0;
-        var soonThreshold = DateTime.UtcNow.AddDays(7); // Items expiring within 7 days
-
-        try
-        {
-            var query = new InternalItemsQuery
-            {
-                HasAnyProviderId = new Dictionary<string, string> { { "SRF", string.Empty } },
-                IsVirtualItem = false
-            };
-
-            var items = _libraryManager.GetItemList(query);
-            total = items.Count;
-
-            foreach (var item in items)
-            {
-                if (cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
-                {
-                    break;
-                }
-
-                try
-                {
-                    var urn = item.ProviderIds.GetValueOrDefault("SRF");
-                    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(urn))
-                    {
-                        continue;
-                    }
-
-                    var mediaComposition = await _compositionFetcher.GetMediaCompositionAsync(urn, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-
-                    if (mediaComposition?.ChapterList != null && mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count > 0)
-                    {
-                        var chapter = mediaComposition.ChapterList[0];
-
-                        if (_streamResolver.IsContentExpired(chapter))
-                        {
-                            expired++;
-                        }
-                        else if (chapter.ValidTo.HasValue && chapter.ValidTo.Value.ToUniversalTime() <= soonThreshold)
-                        {
-                            expiringSoon++;
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-                catch (Exception ex)
-                {
-                    _logger.LogError(ex, "Error checking expiration statistics for item: {Name}", item.Name);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            _logger.LogError(ex, "Error getting expiration statistics");
-        }
-
-        return (total, expired, expiringSoon);
-    }
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/ContentRefreshService.cs

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Api;
 using Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Services.Interfaces;
+using Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Utilities;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 
 namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Services;
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ public class ContentRefreshService : IContentRefreshService
         }
 
         return await FetchVideosFromShowsAsync(
-            config.BusinessUnit.ToString().ToLowerInvariant(),
+            config.BusinessUnit.ToLowerString(),
             minEpisodeCount: 0,
             maxShows: 20,
             videosPerShow: 1,
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ public class ContentRefreshService : IContentRefreshService
         }
 
         return await FetchVideosFromShowsAsync(
-            config.BusinessUnit.ToString().ToLowerInvariant(),
+            config.BusinessUnit.ToLowerString(),
             minEpisodeCount: 10,
             maxShows: 15,
             videosPerShow: 2,
@@ -167,48 +168,4 @@ public class ContentRefreshService : IContentRefreshService
 
         return urns;
     }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Refreshes all content (latest and trending).
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
-    /// <returns>Tuple with counts of latest and trending items.</returns>
-    public async Task<(int LatestCount, int TrendingCount)> RefreshAllContentAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
-    {
-        _logger.LogInformation("Starting full content refresh");
-
-        var latestUrns = await RefreshLatestContentAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-        var trendingUrns = await RefreshTrendingContentAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-
-        var latestCount = latestUrns.Count;
-        var trendingCount = trendingUrns.Count;
-
-        _logger.LogInformation(
-            "Content refresh completed. Latest: {LatestCount}, Trending: {TrendingCount}",
-            latestCount,
-            trendingCount);
-
-        return (latestCount, trendingCount);
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets content recommendations (combines latest and trending).
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
-    /// <returns>List of recommended URNs.</returns>
-    public async Task<List<string>> GetRecommendedContentAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
-    {
-        var recommendations = new HashSet<string>();
-
-        var latestUrns = await RefreshLatestContentAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-        var trendingUrns = await RefreshTrendingContentAsync(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
-
-        foreach (var urn in latestUrns.Concat(trendingUrns))
-        {
-            recommendations.Add(urn);
-        }
-
-        _logger.LogInformation("Generated {Count} content recommendations", recommendations.Count);
-        return recommendations.ToList();
-    }
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/Interfaces/IContentExpirationService.cs

@@ -14,11 +14,4 @@ public interface IContentExpirationService
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>The number of items removed.</returns>
     Task<int> CheckAndRemoveExpiredContentAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets statistics about content expiration.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
-    /// <returns>Tuple with total count, expired count, and items expiring soon.</returns>
-    Task<(int Total, int Expired, int ExpiringSoon)> GetExpirationStatisticsAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/Interfaces/IContentRefreshService.cs

@@ -22,18 +22,4 @@ public interface IContentRefreshService
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>List of URNs for trending content.</returns>
     Task<List<string>> RefreshTrendingContentAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Refreshes all content (latest and trending).
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
-    /// <returns>Tuple with counts of latest and trending items.</returns>
-    Task<(int LatestCount, int TrendingCount)> RefreshAllContentAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets content recommendations (combines latest and trending).
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="cancellationToken">The cancellation token.</param>
-    /// <returns>List of recommended URNs.</returns>
-    Task<List<string>> GetRecommendedContentAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken);
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/Interfaces/IMetadataCache.cs

@@ -22,20 +22,8 @@ public interface IMetadataCache
     /// <param name="mediaComposition">The media composition to cache.</param>
     void SetMediaComposition(string urn, MediaComposition mediaComposition);
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Removes media composition from cache.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="urn">The URN.</param>
-    void RemoveMediaComposition(string urn);
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Clears all cached data.
     /// </summary>
     void Clear();
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets the cache statistics.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <returns>A tuple with cache count and size estimate.</returns>
-    (int Count, long SizeEstimate) GetStatistics();
 }

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/Interfaces/IStreamProxyService.cs

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System.Net.Http;
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 
@@ -8,15 +9,6 @@ namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Services.Interfaces;
 /// </summary>
 public interface IStreamProxyService
 {
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Registers a stream for proxying with an already-authenticated URL.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="itemId">The item ID.</param>
-    /// <param name="authenticatedUrl">The authenticated stream URL.</param>
-    /// <param name="urn">The SRF URN for this content (used for re-fetching fresh URLs).</param>
-    /// <param name="isLiveStream">Whether this is a livestream (livestreams always fetch fresh URLs).</param>
-    void RegisterStream(string itemId, string authenticatedUrl, string? urn = null, bool isLiveStream = false);
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Registers a stream for deferred authentication (authenticates on first playback request).
     /// Use this when browsing to avoid wasting 30-second tokens before the user clicks play.
@@ -56,9 +48,31 @@ public interface IStreamProxyService
     /// </summary>
     /// <param name="itemId">The item ID.</param>
     /// <param name="segmentPath">The segment path.</param>
+    /// <param name="queryString">The original query string from the request (preserves segment-specific parameters like timestamps).</param>
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>The segment content as bytes.</returns>
-    Task<byte[]?> GetSegmentAsync(string itemId, string segmentPath, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
+    Task<byte[]?> GetSegmentAsync(string itemId, string segmentPath, string? queryString = null, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Fetches a segment from the original source as a streaming response.
+    /// Returns the HttpResponseMessage for streaming directly to the client, reducing TTFB.
+    /// The caller is responsible for disposing the response.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="itemId">The item ID.</param>
+    /// <param name="segmentPath">The segment path.</param>
+    /// <param name="queryString">The original query string from the request.</param>
+    /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
+    /// <returns>The HTTP response for streaming, or null if not found.</returns>
+    Task<HttpResponseMessage?> GetSegmentStreamAsync(string itemId, string segmentPath, string? queryString = null, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Rewrites URLs in a variant (sub) manifest to point to the proxy.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="manifestContent">The variant manifest content.</param>
+    /// <param name="baseProxyUrl">The base proxy URL (without query params).</param>
+    /// <param name="queryParams">Query parameters to append to rewritten URLs (e.g., "?token=abc").</param>
+    /// <returns>The rewritten manifest content.</returns>
+    string RewriteVariantManifestUrls(string manifestContent, string baseProxyUrl, string queryParams);
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Cleans up old and expired stream mappings.

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/MetadataCache.cs

@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Concurrent;
-using System.Threading;
 using Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Api.Models;
 using Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Services.Interfaces;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
@@ -10,12 +9,10 @@ namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Services;
 /// <summary>
 /// Service for caching metadata from SRF API.
 /// </summary>
-public sealed class MetadataCache : IMetadataCache, IDisposable
+public sealed class MetadataCache : IMetadataCache
 {
     private readonly ILogger<MetadataCache> _logger;
     private readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, CacheEntry<MediaComposition>> _mediaCompositionCache;
-    private readonly ReaderWriterLockSlim _lock;
-    private bool _disposed;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="MetadataCache"/> class.
@@ -25,19 +22,6 @@ public sealed class MetadataCache : IMetadataCache, IDisposable
     {
         _logger = logger;
         _mediaCompositionCache = new ConcurrentDictionary<string, CacheEntry<MediaComposition>>();
-        _lock = new ReaderWriterLockSlim();
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Disposes resources.
-    /// </summary>
-    public void Dispose()
-    {
-        if (!_disposed)
-        {
-            _lock?.Dispose();
-            _disposed = true;
-        }
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -53,30 +37,15 @@ public sealed class MetadataCache : IMetadataCache, IDisposable
             return null;
         }
 
-        try
+        if (_mediaCompositionCache.TryGetValue(urn, out var entry))
         {
-            _lock.EnterReadLock();
+            if (entry.IsValid(cacheDurationMinutes))
-            try
             {
-                if (_mediaCompositionCache.TryGetValue(urn, out var entry))
+                _logger.LogDebug("Cache hit for URN: {Urn}", urn);
-                {
+                return entry.Value;
-                    if (entry.IsValid(cacheDurationMinutes))
+            }
-                    {
-                        _logger.LogDebug("Cache hit for URN: {Urn}", urn);
-                        return entry.Value;
-                    }
 
-                    _logger.LogDebug("Cache entry expired for URN: {Urn}", urn);
+            _logger.LogDebug("Cache entry expired for URN: {Urn}", urn);
-                }
-            }
-            finally
-            {
-                _lock.ExitReadLock();
-            }
-        }
-        catch (ObjectDisposedException)
-        {
-            return null;
         }
 
         return null;
@@ -94,56 +63,9 @@ public sealed class MetadataCache : IMetadataCache, IDisposable
             return;
         }
 
-        try
+        var entry = new CacheEntry<MediaComposition>(mediaComposition);
-        {
+        _mediaCompositionCache.AddOrUpdate(urn, entry, (key, oldValue) => entry);
-            _lock.EnterWriteLock();
+        _logger.LogDebug("Cached media composition for URN: {Urn}", urn);
-            try
-            {
-                var entry = new CacheEntry<MediaComposition>(mediaComposition);
-                _mediaCompositionCache.AddOrUpdate(urn, entry, (key, oldValue) => entry);
-                _logger.LogDebug("Cached media composition for URN: {Urn}", urn);
-            }
-            finally
-            {
-                _lock.ExitWriteLock();
-            }
-        }
-        catch (ObjectDisposedException)
-        {
-            // Cache is disposed, ignore
-        }
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Removes media composition from cache.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="urn">The URN.</param>
-    public void RemoveMediaComposition(string urn)
-    {
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(urn))
-        {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        try
-        {
-            _lock.EnterWriteLock();
-            try
-            {
-                if (_mediaCompositionCache.TryRemove(urn, out _))
-                {
-                    _logger.LogDebug("Removed cached media composition for URN: {Urn}", urn);
-                }
-            }
-            finally
-            {
-                _lock.ExitWriteLock();
-            }
-        }
-        catch (ObjectDisposedException)
-        {
-            // Cache is disposed, ignore
-        }
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -151,50 +73,8 @@ public sealed class MetadataCache : IMetadataCache, IDisposable
     /// </summary>
     public void Clear()
     {
-        try
+        _mediaCompositionCache.Clear();
-        {
+        _logger.LogInformation("Cleared metadata cache");
-            _lock.EnterWriteLock();
-            try
-            {
-                _mediaCompositionCache.Clear();
-                _logger.LogInformation("Cleared metadata cache");
-            }
-            finally
-            {
-                _lock.ExitWriteLock();
-            }
-        }
-        catch (ObjectDisposedException)
-        {
-            // Cache is disposed, ignore
-        }
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets the cache statistics.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <returns>A tuple with cache count and size estimate.</returns>
-    public (int Count, long SizeEstimate) GetStatistics()
-    {
-        try
-        {
-            _lock.EnterReadLock();
-            try
-            {
-                var count = _mediaCompositionCache.Count;
-                // Rough estimate: average 50KB per entry
-                var sizeEstimate = count * 50L * 1024;
-                return (count, sizeEstimate);
-            }
-            finally
-            {
-                _lock.ExitReadLock();
-            }
-        }
-        catch (ObjectDisposedException)
-        {
-            return (0, 0);
-        }
     }
 
     /// <summary>

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/StreamProxyService.cs

@@ -46,45 +46,6 @@ public class StreamProxyService : IStreamProxyService
         _streamMappings = new ConcurrentDictionary<string, StreamInfo>();
     }
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Registers a stream for proxying.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="itemId">The item ID.</param>
-    /// <param name="authenticatedUrl">The authenticated stream URL.</param>
-    /// <param name="urn">The SRF URN for this content (used for re-fetching fresh URLs).</param>
-    /// <param name="isLiveStream">Whether this is a livestream (livestreams always fetch fresh URLs).</param>
-    public void RegisterStream(string itemId, string authenticatedUrl, string? urn = null, bool isLiveStream = false)
-    {
-        var tokenExpiry = ExtractTokenExpiry(authenticatedUrl);
-        var unauthenticatedUrl = StripAuthenticationFromUrl(authenticatedUrl);
-
-        var streamInfo = new StreamInfo
-        {
-            AuthenticatedUrl = authenticatedUrl,
-            UnauthenticatedUrl = unauthenticatedUrl,
-            RegisteredAt = DateTime.UtcNow,
-            TokenExpiresAt = tokenExpiry,
-            Urn = urn,
-            IsLiveStream = isLiveStream,
-            LastLivestreamFetchAt = isLiveStream ? DateTime.UtcNow : null
-        };
-
-        RegisterWithGuidFormats(itemId, streamInfo);
-
-        if (tokenExpiry.HasValue)
-        {
-            _logger.LogDebug(
-                "Registered stream for item {ItemId} (token expires at {ExpiresAt} UTC): {Url}",
-                itemId,
-                tokenExpiry.Value,
-                authenticatedUrl);
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            _logger.LogDebug("Registered stream for item {ItemId}: {Url}", itemId, authenticatedUrl);
-        }
-    }
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Registers a stream for deferred authentication (authenticates on first playback request).
     /// </summary>
@@ -442,7 +403,7 @@ public class StreamProxyService : IStreamProxyService
             // Use short cache duration (5 min) for livestreams
             var mediaComposition = await _compositionFetcher.GetMediaCompositionAsync(streamInfo.Urn, cancellationToken, 5).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-            if (mediaComposition?.ChapterList == null || mediaComposition.ChapterList.Count == 0)
+            if (mediaComposition?.HasChapters != true)
             {
                 _logger.LogWarning("No chapters found when refreshing livestream URL for URN: {Urn}", streamInfo.Urn);
                 return null;
@@ -686,6 +647,21 @@ public class StreamProxyService : IStreamProxyService
             // Rewrite the manifest to replace Akamai URLs with proxy URLs
             var rewrittenContent = RewriteManifestUrls(manifestContent, authenticatedUrl, baseProxyUrl);
 
+            // For live streams, inject #EXT-X-START to tell the player to start near the live edge
+            // Without this, players may start at the beginning of the sliding window and stutter
+            // as old segments get rotated out by the CDN
+            if (_streamMappings.TryGetValue(itemId, out var streamInfoForManifest) && streamInfoForManifest.IsLiveStream)
+            {
+                if (!rewrittenContent.Contains("#EXT-X-START", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+                {
+                    rewrittenContent = rewrittenContent.Replace(
+                        "#EXTM3U",
+                        "#EXTM3U\n#EXT-X-START:TIME-OFFSET=-6,PRECISE=NO",
+                        StringComparison.Ordinal);
+                    _logger.LogDebug("Injected #EXT-X-START tag for live stream {ItemId}", itemId);
+                }
+            }
+
             _logger.LogDebug("Rewritten manifest for item {ItemId} ({Length} bytes):\n{Content}", itemId, rewrittenContent.Length, rewrittenContent);
             return rewrittenContent;
         }
@@ -701,11 +677,13 @@ public class StreamProxyService : IStreamProxyService
     /// </summary>
     /// <param name="itemId">The item ID.</param>
     /// <param name="segmentPath">The segment path.</param>
+    /// <param name="queryString">The original query string from the request (preserves segment-specific parameters like timestamps).</param>
     /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
     /// <returns>The segment content as bytes.</returns>
     public async Task<byte[]?> GetSegmentAsync(
         string itemId,
         string segmentPath,
+        string? queryString = null,
         CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
     {
         var authenticatedUrl = await GetAuthenticatedUrlAsync(itemId, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -720,17 +698,29 @@ public class StreamProxyService : IStreamProxyService
             var baseUri = new Uri(authenticatedUrl);
             var baseUrl = $"{baseUri.Scheme}://{baseUri.Host}{string.Join('/', baseUri.AbsolutePath.Split('/')[..^1])}";
 
-            // Extract query parameters (auth tokens) from authenticated URL
+            // Use the original query string from the request (preserves segment-specific params like ?m=timestamp)
-            var queryParams = baseUri.Query;
+            // If no query string is provided, check if we need to add auth params from the master manifest
+            var queryParams = string.Empty;
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(queryString))
+            {
+                // Use the original query string from the segment request
+                queryParams = queryString.StartsWith('?') ? queryString : $"?{queryString}";
+            }
+            else if (!segmentPath.Contains("hdntl=", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                // Only append master manifest query params if segment doesn't have path-based auth
+                queryParams = baseUri.Query;
+            }
 
             // Build full segment URL
             var segmentUrl = $"{baseUrl}/{segmentPath}{queryParams}";
 
             _logger.LogDebug(
-                "Fetching segment - BaseUri: {BaseUri}, BaseUrl: {BaseUrl}, SegmentPath: {SegmentPath}, FullUrl: {FullUrl}",
+                "Fetching segment - BaseUri: {BaseUri}, BaseUrl: {BaseUrl}, SegmentPath: {SegmentPath}, QueryString: {QueryString}, FullUrl: {FullUrl}",
                 authenticatedUrl,
                 baseUrl,
                 segmentPath,
+                queryString ?? "(none)",
                 segmentUrl);
             using var httpClient = _httpClientFactory.CreateClient(NamedClient.Default);
             var segmentData = await httpClient.GetByteArrayAsync(segmentUrl, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -745,6 +735,67 @@ public class StreamProxyService : IStreamProxyService
         }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Fetches a segment as a streaming response for direct forwarding to the client.
+    /// Uses HttpCompletionOption.ResponseHeadersRead to start streaming before the full
+    /// segment is downloaded, reducing time-to-first-byte for live streams.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="itemId">The item ID.</param>
+    /// <param name="segmentPath">The segment path.</param>
+    /// <param name="queryString">The original query string from the request.</param>
+    /// <param name="cancellationToken">Cancellation token.</param>
+    /// <returns>The HTTP response for streaming, or null if not found.</returns>
+    public async Task<HttpResponseMessage?> GetSegmentStreamAsync(
+        string itemId,
+        string segmentPath,
+        string? queryString = null,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    {
+        var authenticatedUrl = await GetAuthenticatedUrlAsync(itemId, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        if (authenticatedUrl == null)
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            var baseUri = new Uri(authenticatedUrl);
+            var baseUrl = $"{baseUri.Scheme}://{baseUri.Host}{string.Join('/', baseUri.AbsolutePath.Split('/')[..^1])}";
+
+            var queryParams = string.Empty;
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(queryString))
+            {
+                queryParams = queryString.StartsWith('?') ? queryString : $"?{queryString}";
+            }
+            else if (!segmentPath.Contains("hdntl=", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            {
+                queryParams = baseUri.Query;
+            }
+
+            var segmentUrl = $"{baseUrl}/{segmentPath}{queryParams}";
+
+            _logger.LogDebug("Streaming segment - SegmentPath: {SegmentPath}, FullUrl: {FullUrl}", segmentPath, segmentUrl);
+
+            var httpClient = _httpClientFactory.CreateClient(NamedClient.Default);
+            var request = new HttpRequestMessage(HttpMethod.Get, segmentUrl);
+            var response = await httpClient.SendAsync(request, HttpCompletionOption.ResponseHeadersRead, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+            if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
+            {
+                _logger.LogWarning("Segment stream request failed with {StatusCode} for {SegmentPath}", response.StatusCode, segmentPath);
+                response.Dispose();
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            return response;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            _logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to stream segment {SegmentPath} for item {ItemId}", segmentPath, itemId);
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Rewrites URLs in HLS manifest to point to proxy.
     /// </summary>
@@ -849,6 +900,65 @@ public class StreamProxyService : IStreamProxyService
         }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Rewrites URLs in a variant (sub) manifest to point to the proxy.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="manifestContent">The variant manifest content.</param>
+    /// <param name="baseProxyUrl">The base proxy URL (without query params).</param>
+    /// <param name="queryParams">Query parameters to append to rewritten URLs (e.g., "?token=abc").</param>
+    /// <returns>The rewritten manifest content.</returns>
+    public string RewriteVariantManifestUrls(string manifestContent, string baseProxyUrl, string queryParams)
+    {
+        string RewriteUrl(string url)
+        {
+            if (url.Contains("://", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+            {
+                // Absolute URL - extract filename and rewrite
+                var uri = new Uri(url.Trim());
+                var segments = uri.AbsolutePath.Split('/');
+                var fileName = segments[^1];
+                return $"{baseProxyUrl}/{fileName}{queryParams}";
+            }
+
+            // Relative URL - rewrite to proxy
+            return $"{baseProxyUrl}/{url.Trim()}{queryParams}";
+        }
+
+        var lines = manifestContent.Split('\n');
+        var result = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
+
+        foreach (var line in lines)
+        {
+            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(line))
+            {
+                result.AppendLine(line);
+            }
+            else if (line.StartsWith('#'))
+            {
+                // HLS tag line - check for URI="..." attributes (e.g., #EXT-X-MAP:URI="init.mp4")
+                if (line.Contains("URI=\"", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+                {
+                    var rewrittenLine = Regex.Replace(
+                        line,
+                        @"URI=""([^""]+)""",
+                        match => $"URI=\"{RewriteUrl(match.Groups[1].Value)}\"");
+                    result.AppendLine(rewrittenLine);
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    result.AppendLine(line);
+                }
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                // Non-tag line with URL - rewrite it
+                result.AppendLine(RewriteUrl(line));
+            }
+        }
+
+        return result.ToString();
+    }
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Cleans up old and expired stream mappings.
     /// </summary>

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Services/StreamUrlResolver.cs

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public class StreamUrlResolver : IStreamUrlResolver
 
         // Filter out DRM-protected content
         var nonDrmResources = chapter.ResourceList
-            .Where(r => r.DrmList == null || r.DrmList.ToString() == "[]")
+            .Where(r => r.IsPlayable)
             .ToList();
 
         _logger.LogInformation(
@@ -136,8 +136,8 @@ public class StreamUrlResolver : IStreamUrlResolver
         {
             QualityPreference.HD => SelectHDResource(hlsResources) ?? SelectBestAvailableResource(hlsResources),
             QualityPreference.SD => SelectSDResource(hlsResources) ?? SelectBestAvailableResource(hlsResources),
-            QualityPreference.Auto => SelectBestAvailableResource(hlsResources),
+            QualityPreference.Auto => hlsResources.FirstOrDefault(),
-            _ => SelectBestAvailableResource(hlsResources)
+            _ => hlsResources.FirstOrDefault()
         };
 
         if (selectedResource != null)
@@ -164,10 +164,33 @@ public class StreamUrlResolver : IStreamUrlResolver
     {
         if (chapter?.ResourceList == null || chapter.ResourceList.Count == 0)
         {
+            _logger.LogWarning(
+                "Chapter {ChapterId}: ResourceList is null or empty. ResourceList count: {Count}, ResourceList type: {Type}",
+                chapter?.Id ?? "null",
+                chapter?.ResourceList?.Count ?? -1,
+                chapter?.ResourceList?.GetType().Name ?? "null");
             return false;
         }
 
-        return chapter.ResourceList.Any(r => r.DrmList == null || r.DrmList.ToString() == "[]");
+        _logger.LogInformation(
+            "Chapter {ChapterId}: Found {ResourceCount} resources",
+            chapter.Id,
+            chapter.ResourceList.Count);
+
+        foreach (var resource in chapter.ResourceList)
+        {
+            var urlPreview = resource.Url == null ? "null" : resource.Url.AsSpan(0, Math.Min(60, resource.Url.Length)).ToString() + "...";
+            _logger.LogDebug(
+                "Resource - URL: {Url}, Quality: {Quality}, DrmList: {DrmList}, DrmList type: {DrmListType}",
+                urlPreview,
+                resource.Quality,
+                resource.DrmList?.ToString() ?? "null",
+                resource.DrmList?.GetType().Name ?? "null");
+        }
+
+        var hasPlayable = chapter.ResourceList.Any(r => r.IsPlayable);
+        _logger.LogInformation("Chapter {ChapterId}: Has playable content: {HasPlayable}", chapter.Id, hasPlayable);
+        return hasPlayable;
     }
 
     /// <summary>

Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/Utilities/Extensions.cs

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 using Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Configuration;
-using MediaBrowser.Controller.Entities;
 
 namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Utilities;
 
@@ -8,18 +7,6 @@ namespace Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay.Utilities;
 /// </summary>
 public static class Extensions
 {
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets the SRF URN from the item's provider IDs.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="item">The base item.</param>
-    /// <returns>The SRF URN, or null if not found or empty.</returns>
-    public static string? GetSrfUrn(this BaseItem item)
-    {
-        return item.ProviderIds.TryGetValue("SRF", out var urn) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(urn)
-            ? urn
-            : null;
-    }
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Converts the BusinessUnit enum to its lowercase string representation.
     /// </summary>
@@ -29,13 +16,4 @@ public static class Extensions
     {
         return businessUnit.ToString().ToLowerInvariant();
     }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets the plugin configuration safely, returning null if not available.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <returns>The plugin configuration, or null if not available.</returns>
-    public static PluginConfiguration? GetPluginConfig()
-    {
-        return Plugin.Instance?.Configuration;
-    }
 }

README.md

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Then install "SRF Play" from the plugin catalog.
 - Support for all Swiss broadcasting units (SRF, RTS, RSI, RTR, SWI)
 - Automatic content expiration handling
 - Latest and trending content discovery
-- Quality selection (Auto, SD, HD)
+- Quality selection (Auto lets CDN decide, SD prefers 480p/360p, HD prefers 1080p/720p)
 - HLS streaming support with Akamai token authentication
 - Proxy support for routing traffic through alternate gateways
 - Smart caching with reduced TTL for upcoming livestreams
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ The compiled plugin will be in `bin/Debug/net8.0/`
 ## Configuration
 
 - **Business Unit**: Select the Swiss broadcasting unit (default: SRF)
-- **Quality Preference**: Choose video quality (Auto/SD/HD)
+- **Quality Preference**: Choose video quality — Auto (first available, CDN decides), SD, or HD
 - **Content Refresh Interval**: How often to check for new content (1-168 hours)
 - **Expiration Check Interval**: How often to check for expired content (1-168 hours)
 - **Cache Duration**: How long to cache metadata (5-1440 minutes)
@@ -154,49 +154,78 @@ If you encounter issues with the plugin:
 ```
 Jellyfin.Plugin.SRFPlay/
 ├── Api/
-│   ├── Models/          # API response models
+│   ├── Models/                    # API response models
-│   │   ├── MediaComposition.cs
+│   │   ├── MediaComposition.cs    #   Root composition (HasChapters helper)
-│   │   ├── Chapter.cs
+│   │   ├── Chapter.cs             #   Video/episode chapter with resources
-│   │   ├── Resource.cs
+│   │   ├── Resource.cs            #   Stream URL entry (IsPlayable helper)
 │   │   ├── Show.cs
 │   │   ├── Episode.cs
-│   │   └── PlayV3/      # Play v3 API models
+│   │   └── PlayV3/                # Play v3 API models
+│   │       ├── PlayV3Show.cs
+│   │       ├── PlayV3Topic.cs
+│   │       ├── PlayV3Video.cs
 │   │       ├── PlayV3TvProgram.cs
-│   │       └── PlayV3TvProgramGuideResponse.cs
+│   │       ├── PlayV3Response.cs
-│   └── SRFApiClient.cs  # HTTP client for SRF API
+│   │       ├── PlayV3DirectResponse.cs
+│   │       └── PlayV3DataContainer.cs
+│   ├── SRFApiClient.cs            # HTTP client for SRF APIs
+│   ├── ISRFApiClientFactory.cs    # Factory interface
+│   └── SRFApiClientFactory.cs     # Factory implementation
 ├── Channels/
-│   └── SRFPlayChannel.cs         # Channel implementation
+│   └── SRFPlayChannel.cs          # Channel implementation
 ├── Configuration/
 │   ├── PluginConfiguration.cs
 │   └── configPage.html
+├── Constants/
+│   └── ApiEndpoints.cs            # API base URLs and endpoint constants
+├── Controllers/
+│   └── StreamProxyController.cs   # HLS proxy endpoints (master/variant/segment)
 ├── Services/
-│   ├── StreamUrlResolver.cs       # HLS stream resolution & authentication
+│   ├── Interfaces/                # Service contracts
-│   ├── MetadataCache.cs          # Caching layer
+│   │   ├── IStreamProxyService.cs
-│   ├── ContentExpirationService.cs # Expiration management
+│   │   ├── IStreamUrlResolver.cs
-│   ├── ContentRefreshService.cs   # Content discovery
+│   │   ├── IMediaCompositionFetcher.cs
-│   └── CategoryService.cs        # Topic/category management
+│   │   ├── IMediaSourceFactory.cs
+│   │   ├── IMetadataCache.cs
+│   │   ├── IContentRefreshService.cs
+│   │   ├── IContentExpirationService.cs
+│   │   └── ICategoryService.cs
+│   ├── StreamProxyService.cs      # HLS proxy: auth, manifest rewriting, segments
+│   ├── StreamUrlResolver.cs       # Stream selection & Akamai authentication
+│   ├── MediaCompositionFetcher.cs # Cached API fetcher
+│   ├── MediaSourceFactory.cs      # Jellyfin MediaSourceInfo builder
+│   ├── MetadataCache.cs           # Thread-safe ConcurrentDictionary cache
+│   ├── ContentExpirationService.cs
+│   ├── ContentRefreshService.cs
+│   └── CategoryService.cs
 ├── Providers/
-│   ├── SRFSeriesProvider.cs      # Series metadata
+│   ├── SRFSeriesProvider.cs       # Series metadata
-│   ├── SRFEpisodeProvider.cs     # Episode metadata
+│   ├── SRFEpisodeProvider.cs      # Episode metadata
-│   ├── SRFImageProvider.cs       # Image fetching
+│   ├── SRFImageProvider.cs        # Image fetching
-│   └── SRFMediaProvider.cs       # Playback URLs
+│   └── SRFMediaProvider.cs        # Playback URLs
+├── Utilities/
+│   ├── Extensions.cs              # BusinessUnit.ToLowerString() extension
+│   ├── MimeTypeHelper.cs          # Content-type detection
+│   ├── PlaceholderImageGenerator.cs
+│   └── UrnHelper.cs               # URN parsing utilities
 ├── ScheduledTasks/
-│   ├── ContentRefreshTask.cs     # Periodic content refresh
+│   ├── ContentRefreshTask.cs      # Periodic content refresh
-│   └── ExpirationCheckTask.cs    # Periodic expiration check
+│   └── ExpirationCheckTask.cs     # Periodic expiration check
-├── ServiceRegistrator.cs         # DI registration
+├── ServiceRegistrator.cs          # DI registration
-└── Plugin.cs                     # Main plugin entry point
+└── Plugin.cs                      # Main plugin entry point
 ```
 
 ### Key Components
 
-1. **API Client**: Handles all HTTP requests to SRF Integration Layer and Play v3 API
+1. **API Client** (`SRFApiClient`): HTTP requests to SRF Integration Layer and Play v3 API, with proxy support
-2. **Channel**: SRF Play channel with Latest, Trending, and Live Sports folders
+2. **Channel** (`SRFPlayChannel`): SRF Play channel with Latest, Trending, and Live Sports folders
-3. **Stream Resolver**: Extracts and selects optimal HLS streams with Akamai authentication
+3. **Stream Proxy** (`StreamProxyService` + `StreamProxyController`): HLS proxy that handles Akamai token auth, manifest URL rewriting, deferred authentication, and token refresh for both VOD and livestreams
-4. **Configuration**: User-configurable settings via Jellyfin dashboard
+4. **Stream Resolver** (`StreamUrlResolver`): Selects optimal HLS stream by quality preference, filters DRM content
-5. **Metadata Cache**: Thread-safe caching with dynamic TTL for livestreams
+5. **Metadata Cache** (`MetadataCache`): Thread-safe `ConcurrentDictionary` cache with dynamic TTL for livestreams
-6. **Content Providers**: Jellyfin integration for series, episodes, images, and media sources
+6. **Media Composition Fetcher** (`MediaCompositionFetcher`): Cached wrapper around API client for media composition requests
-7. **Scheduled Tasks**: Automatic content refresh and expiration management
+7. **Content Providers** (`SRFSeriesProvider`, `SRFEpisodeProvider`, `SRFImageProvider`, `SRFMediaProvider`): Jellyfin integration for series, episodes, images, and media sources
-8. **Service Layer**: Content discovery, expiration handling, stream resolution, and category management
+8. **Scheduled Tasks**: Automatic content refresh and expiration management
+9. **Utilities**: Business unit extensions, MIME type helpers, URN parsing, placeholder image generation
 
 ## Important Notes
 
@@ -249,7 +278,9 @@ See LICENSE file for details.
 
 ## Acknowledgments
 
-This plugin was developed with inspiration from the excellent [Kodi SRG SSR addon](https://github.com/goggle/script.module.srgssr) by [@goggle](https://github.com/goggle). The Kodi addon served as a fantastic reference for understanding the SRG SSR API structure, authentication mechanisms, and handling of scheduled livestreams.
+This plugin was developed partly using [Claude Code](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code) by Anthropic.
+
+Inspired by the excellent [Kodi SRG SSR addon](https://github.com/goggle/script.module.srgssr) by [@goggle](https://github.com/goggle), which served as a fantastic reference for understanding the SRG SSR API structure, authentication mechanisms, and handling of scheduled livestreams.
 
 ## References
 

manifest.json

@@ -8,6 +8,30 @@
     "category": "Live TV",
     "imageUrl": "https://gitea.tourolle.paris/dtourolle/jellyfin-srfPlay/raw/branch/master/assests/main%20logo.png",
     "versions": [
+      {
+        "version": "1.0.16",
+        "changelog": "Release 1.0.16",
+        "targetAbi": "10.9.0.0",
+        "sourceUrl": "https://gitea.tourolle.paris/dtourolle/jellyfin-srfPlay/releases/download/v1.0.16/srfplay_1.0.16.0.zip",
+        "checksum": "0b3a142dd6cea1f00855bcb11bcd847c",
+        "timestamp": "2026-01-17T20:31:09Z"
+      },
+      {
+        "version": "1.0.15",
+        "changelog": "Release 1.0.15",
+        "targetAbi": "10.9.0.0",
+        "sourceUrl": "https://gitea.tourolle.paris/dtourolle/jellyfin-srfPlay/releases/download/v1.0.15/srfplay_1.0.15.0.zip",
+        "checksum": "3140ef53a7460d7ce52daf48bbb37e4d",
+        "timestamp": "2026-01-17T09:54:39Z"
+      },
+      {
+        "version": "1.0.14",
+        "changelog": "Release 1.0.14",
+        "targetAbi": "10.9.0.0",
+        "sourceUrl": "https://gitea.tourolle.paris/dtourolle/jellyfin-srfPlay/releases/download/v1.0.14/srfplay_1.0.14.0.zip",
+        "checksum": "49e6afe16f7abf95c099ecc1d016e725",
+        "timestamp": "2025-12-30T12:38:41Z"
+      },
       {
         "version": "1.0.13",
         "changelog": "Release 1.0.13",