Our Video is Super Slow to Start Compared to Audio #158
Description
Summary
we've noticed a strange but consistent lag when subscribing to video tracks. The audio kicks in almost instantly (like, under a second), but the video often takes a really long time to show up—we're talking 5 to 7 seconds! This creates a temporary, awkward moment where the user just hears sound without seeing anything.
Context
We've seen this happen in our specific app (which uses the Unity SDK), but we also verified it in your Voice Audio Sandbox/Dashboard, so it doesn't seem to be an SDK-specific issue. It also happens when we stream into LiveKit using Ingress (like with OBS), so the source isn't the problem either.
What We See
Audio Track: Instantly subscribed and starts playing. Smooth.
Video Track: There's a big delay between when we subscribe to the track and when we get the first video frame/texture delivered to the client.
Sync: Once the video finally starts, it stays in sync with the audio. The problem is just that initial wait time.
Why This Matters
It's a pretty rough first impression for users when they can hear someone talking but are staring at a blank screen for several seconds.
Our Request
Could you please look into the core LiveKit logic (both server-side and within the SDKs) to figure out why video tracks are so much slower to deliver than audio tracks? We need to minimize that initial gap!