Using Diagnostics

Settings → Diagnostics (or Shift+D) is where SKTV proves what's going on instead of guessing.

HTTP trace

Every request the app makes to your provider — playlist fetches, guide downloads, stream starts — with method, status, timing, content type and the first bytes of the response. A stream that returns 200 and video/mp2t in 300 ms is healthy; one that returns 302 to a login page, 403, or takes eight seconds to answer tells you exactly where to look. Passwords, tokens and MAC addresses are replaced with *** before anything is displayed.

Stream probe

Opens the current channel in a separate, invisible player and reports container, codecs, time to first frame and any error text. If the probe plays and the main window doesn't, it's a rendering or GPU problem; if the probe fails too, the stream is the problem.

Source check

For Xtream accounts: status, expiry and the maximum simultaneous connections your plan allows. When you open a second pane or start a recording, SKTV compares against this number and warns before the provider cuts you off.

Log & report

The current session's log (already redacted) and a one-click Copy report that bundles the trace, the probe, the source check and your engine settings. Paste it to your provider or into a GitHub issue.

The isolation recipe

1. Note what's wrong (stutter, no picture, no sound, slow zap).
2. Change one variable: another channel, another source, cable instead of Wi-Fi, VPN off, the other cache profile, hardware decoding to copy.
3. Watch the HUD (I): cache seconds, dropped frames, bitrate.
4. Repeat until one change fixes it. That's your answer.