Kodi Error: Read Rate Too Slow for Continuous Playback

Have you been seeing the error message in Kodi, “Read Rate Too Slow for Continuous Playback” or “Source Too Slow for Continuous Playback“?  Let’s dig into what that means and what are some things you can do to troubleshoot it.

What Does it Mean?

“Read Rate Too Slow for Continuous Playback” means that Kodi is unable to download the video at a rate fast enough to prevent buffering.

When watching a video, if there is some disturbance in the stream, it will pause and then start buffering.  You will see a percentage of the buffer fill up slowly until it reaches 100% and then the video resumes playing.

The problem happens when it take too long to fill up the buffer, Kodi knows that it’s not going to be able to download as fast as you watch.

What Can You Do to Fix it?

Unfortunately, there is not a single setting you can change to fix this issue.  It is a bandwidth issue and there’s really no way to know if it’s an issue at the server’s end or an issue at your home network’s end.

In order to test your home network to make sure it’s not to blame, you can try these tips…

• If you have the ability to use hard-wired Ethernet, that is usually much more reliable than wireless which can get congested or have interference.
• Run a speed test on your streaming box to see what kind of speeds you’re actually getting.  Pay attention to the consistency of the graph on the speed test.  You might be getting overall high speeds, but if you see a lot of fluctuation on the graph, then you may not have a very stable connection.

If you are getting good Internet speeds of about 10mbps (enough for SD videos) or 20mbps (enough for HD videos), then it must be an issue at the server’s end.

In order to get around issues with slow streaming servers…

• Try other links.  I know it’s not what you wanted to hear because it can sometimes be a hassle to try different links, but this is often a reality.  Some links are hosted on servers that are simply to slammed with traffic to keep up.
• Use Real-Debrid.  I’ve said many times before how big of a difference it makes to use Real-Debrid.  While I’m starting to doubt it on occasion (when I occasionally get slow links even on Real-Debrid), I still think it’s one of the best ways to get a lot more options for better high-bandwidth links.
• If you are using Real-Debrid and those links aren’t working for you, make sure to re-authorize your Real-Debrid account in your URLResolver settings.
• Another thing to check is your hidden cache settings.  If you have an unstable connection or have interference, you will want to increase your read rate speed so the buffer can stay ahead of the video.
• You could also be on an old version of an add-on that you originally installed from TVAddons.  Make sure you’re using an alternate repo to keep your add-ons up to date.

If these tips haven’t helped, be sure to check out my full list of Troubleshooting Tips for Kodi Streaming Issues.

I hope these tips have been helpful for you.  If you have any questions or additional tips to help others, please share in the comments below.  Thanks!