Seeing a message, “Source Too Slow, Read Rate Low For Continuous Playback” in the top right corner of Kodi when you watch a stream? Read below for the details.
If you are constantly seeing a source too slow error in Kodi, saying that the “read rate is low for continuous playback”, you are probably getting constant Kodi buffering and lots of jittery streams. But what does it mean and what can you do?
When you use a Kodi addon, it is connecting to streaming websites and file hosts in order to decode a stream to play. Addons like Covenant or Placenta tell you what the file host is right when you play a stream. Gvideo, Movshare, Rapidgator, Openload, Streamin, Vidto, are just some of the many examples you might have seen.
Unlike buffering which is the fault of your Kodi box or network, the source too slow error is the fault of the file host and it means that your connection to that host is inconsistent. This means that while making sure your Kodi box is hard-wired ethernet, resetting your router, and increasing the speed of your internet with your service provider are good tips, they will do nothing to fix your Kodi buffering in this situation.
File hosts have servers all around the world. The further you are from the server your stream is hosted on, the more latency (delay) you introduce in your stream. As well, file hosts change their encryption and server connection all the time. The source too slow error in Kodi means that the file host you are using is not giving you a fast enough connection for Kodi playback.
Try a different file host because no two are completely similar. Covenant scrapes over 40 different file hosts, giving you ample choice to find one that works well for you.
Still insist it might be something on your end? The three main tips for faster Kodi playback and less Kodi buffering are:
- Make sure your Kodi box is hard-wired ethernet.
- Make sure your Kodi box is running Android 6.0+. Newer Android hardware does a better job of processing video streams. Click here to view our suggestions for new Kodi boxes.
- Make sure you are running the latest version of Kodi (Kodi 17.6 as of May 2018). The latest version of Kodi comes packaged with the latest drivers and dependencies, which support new streams from each file host. Click here for our Kodi update guide.
Hopefully you’ll know longer receive the Kodi error, “Source Too Slow, Read Rate Too Low For Continuous Playback”.
Let us know if we can help you out!
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