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Stream Playback

Stream playback flow

Open live or network media from File > Open Stream.

Open Stream

Use the Open Stream dialog to connect to a live video stream, such as a UDP multicast or unicast stream, and play it in the viewer.

Source Tab​

The Source tab defines the stream source and network parameters.

  1. Open the Open Stream dialog.
  2. Select the Source tab.
  3. In the Protocol field, select the required stream protocol, for example UDP.
  4. In the Address / Path field, enter the stream URI.
  5. Select the required Network Interface.
  6. Configure the Timeout and Buffer size, if needed.
  7. Enable Low latency if reduced delay is more important than maximum buffering tolerance.
  8. Click Open Stream to connect to the stream.

Example UDP multicast URI:

udp://227.1.1.1:30120?multicast-iface=Ethernet

For UDP unicast reception, you can enter just a port, such as 5000 or :5000, in Address / Path. STView expands it to udp://0.0.0.0:5000, listening on all local IPv4 interfaces. Multicast still requires a group address and port.

For SRT with Mode set to Listener, a port such as 5000 or :5000 also listens on all local IPv4 interfaces. Rendezvous requires the remote peer's address and port. Port numbers must be between 1 and 65535.

Network Interface​

The Network Interface field selects the local network adapter used to receive the stream.

This is especially important for multicast streams, where the selected interface determines which network adapter joins the multicast group.

Example:

Ethernet (192.168.1.32)

Timeout​

The Timeout field defines how long the player should wait for stream data before treating the stream as unavailable or interrupted.

Example:

2000

This value is specified in milliseconds.

Buffer Size​

The Buffer size field defines the UDP socket receive buffer size in KB.

A larger buffer can help prevent packet loss when receiving high-bitrate streams or when the system experiences short processing delays.

Example:

16384

Low Latency​

The Low latency option reduces playback delay by minimizing buffering.

With Low latency disabled, the playback cache provides a fixed buffering delay. If the display temporarily falls behind, STView skips stale decoded frames to catch up instead of accumulating additional delay. This can briefly reduce visual smoothness while keeping playback close to the live stream.

Use this mode when near-real-time viewing is required. For unstable networks or high-bitrate streams, disabling low latency and increasing the buffer size may provide smoother playback.