Support · verified on 2026-09-25
The channel stutters or keeps loading
Before blaming the playlist, there are three settings in the application that change the outcome — and the most effective of them is a single one, made for modest devices. The order below starts with what is cheapest to test: the connection speed, then low-end mode, and last the specific transmission of that channel.
What is usually happening
- It starts and stops within seconds — the connection cannot sustain that stream's bitrate
- It keeps loading and never opens — the stream address may be dead, even with a valid playlist
- It only stutters on an old device or TV box — not enough headroom to decode the video, not a lack of internet
- The picture disappears but the sound continues — hardware acceleration incompatible with the device
The likely causes
- A connection below what is needed — the project works with 200 KBps per stream, and a live stream uses between 200 KBps and 2 MBps
- A device at its limit — without low-end mode, animations, effects and several loaded guides compete for memory with the video
- That channel's transmission is poor — the same channel usually has more than one source, at different qualities
- A full cache — the default cache is 1 GB; when it fills up, disk reads get in the way of playback
- Incompatible hardware acceleration — typical symptom: a black screen with normal audio
How to fix it
- Measure your connection — with a stream open, look at the system's task manager to see how much network the application is using. If the device is at its limit, the problem is the available bandwidth.
- Switch on low-end device mode — in the performance options. It turns off animations and effects, lowers quality when needed and loads fewer playlists and guides at once.
- Try another transmission of the same channel — with the channel open, use the circular-arrows icon: the application looks for another source of the same channel.
- Adjust the buffer — a larger buffer starts slower and holds up better; a smaller one starts fast and stutters more. This is the setting worth experimenting with when the connection fluctuates.
- Clear the cache and restart — in the advanced options. It is also worth reducing how many playlists are loaded at the same time.
- If the screen goes black with normal sound — turn hardware acceleration off in the advanced options and test again.
Causes and settings checked on 2026-09-25 in the project's documentation (Performance and Troubleshooting).
How to know it worked
The reference for “fixed” here is objective: one open channel playing for half an hour without stopping, with the application using the network steadily. If it always stops at the same minute, on the same channel and the same device, it is the transmission or the device — switch transmission and watch. If it stops on any channel, at the same time, the path is the connection.
When the channel does not open in any of the tests, and the playlist lists the channels normally, see the M3U playlist does not load — the difference between the two cases is precisely where the symptom appears.
Frequently asked questions
How much internet does Megacubo need?
The project works with 200 KBps as a minimum per stream, and recommends a 5 Mbps connection for comfortable watching. A live stream usually uses between 200 KBps and 2 MBps, so two screens on the same connection add up — and that is where the budget usually runs out.
What is low-end device mode?
It is a setting in the performance options that turns off animations and effects, lowers the stream quality when needed and reduces how many playlists and guides are loaded at the same time. On older devices and TV boxes it is the setting that changes the outcome the most.
The screen goes black but the sound continues. Now what?
That is the classic symptom of hardware acceleration that is incompatible with the device's decoder. Turning hardware acceleration off in the advanced options usually fixes it — video is then decoded by the processor, with more CPU use and less image stuttering.