Watch while
it downloads.

How playback works

The built-in player reads the video directly from the torrent. It does not make a copy in a temporary folder and then play that copy. TorrentMax asks the swarm for the pieces the player needs next, so playback and downloading use the same data.

Sequential download is enabled by default. It asks for pieces in order, which makes the beginning of a file available before the end. You can leave it on permanently; it is still a normal BitTorrent transfer.

Start a video

Use the Play action on a torrent that contains a video file, or open Details → Files and choose Play on the file you want. The same player handles audio files.

If a torrent contains several video files, play the one you want from the Files tab rather than assuming the first Play action is the right file. The player opens with the filename and file size in its header.

A torrent does not need to be complete before you press Play. It does need to be running, and it needs peers that can supply the pieces the player is waiting for.

Seeking and buffering

A seek is not instant when the destination has not downloaded yet. The player moves to the new position and waits while TorrentMax fetches the pieces required there. This is normal.

To make seeking smoother:

• Let the player buffer for a few seconds before seeking far ahead.
• Keep sequential download enabled.
• Leave enough download bandwidth for the stream. A very low global or per-torrent limit can starve playback.
• Prefer a torrent with healthy seeders. The player cannot play pieces no peer will send.

Closing the player does not stop the torrent. If you want the transfer to release its connections, use Stop; if you only want to pause it, use Pause.

Settings that affect playback

If playback stalls

1. Check that the torrent is still running. A paused or stopped torrent cannot supply new pieces. Resume it and give it time to reconnect.
2. Look at the peer count and speed. A torrent with no active peers will not buffer. Check the trackers and give the swarm a minute.
3. Raise the limits. Remove a low per-torrent limit or increase the global download limit if other transfers are using the connection.
4. Let the current buffer finish. Seeking farther ahead asks for pieces that may take longer to arrive. Wait at the current position before trying again.
5. Retry the player once. Close it and open the file again. If the player reports a network error, keep the torrent running and retry.

If the file is already complete but playback still fails, the problem is more likely the file or codec than the swarm.

Codec errors

The built-in player uses the media engine shipped with TorrentMax. Some files use codecs that engine cannot decode, or use a container the player cannot open. When that happens, TorrentMax says the codec is not supported and suggests an external player.

Open the file on disk with a player that supports the format. Codec support can vary between files even when they share an extension, so an .mkv that plays today is not proof that every .mkv will play.