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Advanced

Troubleshooting

Solutions to common issues and problems with Segra

This guide covers common issues you might encounter while using Segra and how to resolve them.

Recording Issues

Game Capture Not Hooking

If game capture shows a black screen or doesn't hook into your game:

Solution 1: Check for Blacklisted Executables

OBS internally blacklists certain applications that cannot be hooked:

  • Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)
  • Launchers (Steam, Battle.net, Origin)
  • System apps (Explorer, Task Manager)

Workaround: Segra automatically falls back to display capture for blacklisted apps.

Solution 2: Run Game in Borderless/Windowed Mode

Some games work better with game capture when running in borderless windowed mode:

  1. Open your game's graphics settings
  2. Change from Fullscreen to Borderless Window or Windowed mode
  3. Restart recording
Solution 3: Check Anti-Cheat Software

Anti-cheat systems may block game capture hooks:

  • Easy Anti-Cheat: Usually compatible
  • BattlEye: May require special configuration
  • Vanguard (Valorant): Often blocks all hooks

Workaround: Use display capture instead of game capture for games with aggressive anti-cheat.

Solution 4: 90-Second Timeout

Segra waits 90 seconds for game capture to hook. If it doesn't hook within this time:

  • The game capture source is automatically removed
  • Recording continues with display capture only
  • Check logs for the game-capture hook timer entries (e.g. Started game capture hook timer (90 seconds) followed by Stopped game capture hook timer)
Solution 5: Check OBS Studio and Streamlabs

Only one app can hook a game at a time. Segra uses Window or Display Capture instead of Game Capture when:

  • OBS Studio is streaming or recording
  • Another app, such as OBS Studio's preview or Streamlabs, already holds the game's hook

Stop the other app's capture of the game, then tab back into the game. Segra retries Game Capture 2 seconds after you tab in. See Coexisting with OBS Studio.

Recording Fails to Start

Check Encoder Availability

Ensure your selected encoder is available:

  • Open Segra Settings → Video
  • Verify your codec (NVENC/AMF/QSV) is listed
  • If not available, switch to a compatible encoder
Verify Storage Space

Segra requires available disk space:

  • Check your content folder has sufficient free space
  • Storage limit is configurable in Settings → Storage
  • Segra automatically manages storage based on your limit
Review Logs

Check Segra's logs for specific errors:

  • Log file is located at %AppData%/Segra/logs.log
  • Open it from the app via Settings > Advanced > View Logs
  • Look for "Failed to start recording" messages
  • Common errors include encoder initialization failures

Display Capture Shows Black Screen

Black screens in display capture are often caused by graphics driver issues or incompatible capture methods.

Solutions:

  1. Run the game in borderless windowed mode:

    • Exclusive fullscreen forces Segra to use DXGI Display Capture, which is more prone to black-screen issues than Window Capture (WGC)
    • Borderless windowed lets the WGC-based Window Capture fallback take over when the game hook can't attach

  2. Update Graphics Drivers:

  3. Check Multi-GPU Systems:

    • Laptops with integrated + dedicated GPUs may have issues
    • Ensure Segra is running on the dedicated GPU
    • Set GPU preference in Windows Settings → System → Display → Graphics

Audio Issues

No Audio in Recording

  1. Open Segra Settings → Audio
  2. Verify input/output devices are selected
  3. Ensure device volumes are not at 0%
  4. Test audio devices in Windows Sound Settings

Audio Desync

If audio and video become out of sync:

Audio desync is rare but can occur with very long recordings or certain audio drivers.

Solutions:

  • Restart the recording session
  • Update your audio drivers
  • Try disabling audio enhancements in Windows Sound Settings
  • Reduce the number of audio sources being recorded

Microphone Audio Too Quiet/Loud

  1. Adjust individual device volume in Segra Settings → Audio
  2. Volume range: 0.0 (muted) to 1.0 (100%)
  3. Can boost beyond 100% by manually editing settings (not recommended)

Performance Issues

High CPU Usage

Segra automatically sets itself to High priority during recording. If CPU usage is too high:

Use Hardware Encoding

Switch from x264 (CPU) to NVENC/AMF/QSV (GPU) in Settings → Video → Codec

Lower Resolution

Record at 1080p instead of 1440p/4K in Settings → Video → Resolution

Reduce Frame Rate

Record at 30 FPS instead of 60 FPS in Settings → Video → Frame Rate

Adjust Bitrate

Lower bitrate reduces encoding workload (Settings → Video → Quality)

High GPU Usage

When using hardware encoding (NVENC/AMF/QSV):

  • Expected: 5-15% GPU usage for encoding
  • High Usage: 20%+ indicates potential issues

Solutions:

  • Ensure game is using the same GPU as Segra
  • Close other GPU-intensive applications
  • Reduce recording resolution or bitrate
  • Consider using CPU encoding (x264) if GPU is heavily loaded by game

Game Performance Impact

Segra is designed for minimal performance impact, typically 1-5% FPS reduction.

If you experience significant FPS drops:

  1. Check Encoder Load:

    • Hardware encoders (NVENC/AMF/QSV) have minimal impact
    • Software encoder (x264) can impact CPU-heavy games

  2. Optimize Settings:

    • See Performance Guide for detailed optimization
    • Lower recording resolution (doesn't affect game resolution)
    • Use VBR instead of CBR for better efficiency

  3. Monitor System Resources:

    • Open Task Manager during gameplay
    • Check if CPU, GPU, RAM, or disk is maxed out
    • Identify bottleneck and adjust accordingly

File and Storage Issues

Orphaned Files Without Metadata

Segra may detect video files without metadata after crashes or improper shutdowns:

Automatic Detection

Segra scans for orphaned files on startup and shows recovery prompt

AI Identification

If AI is enabled, Segra uses AI to identify which game the video is from

Choose Action

Options:

  • Recover: Creates metadata and adds to library. If the file is a Hybrid recording that was never finalized (for example, after a crash), Segra first remuxes it into a regular MP4 without re-encoding so it gets a duration and can be seeked. A Recovering card shows the progress
  • Delete: Removes the orphaned file
  • Skip: Ignores for this session

Storage Limit Exceeded

Segra automatically deletes oldest content when storage limit is reached.

To manage storage:

  1. Increase Limit: Settings → Storage → Storage Limit (GB)
  2. Manual Cleanup: Delete old recordings from library
  3. Move Content: Change content folder to larger drive
  4. Compression: Enable automatic compression for clips

Missing Recordings After Update

If recordings are missing after updating Segra:

  1. Check if content folder path changed (Settings → Storage)
  2. Manually scan content folder (Settings → Storage → Reload Content)
  3. Look for orphaned files (Segra will auto-detect on restart)
  4. Check logs for migration errors

Encoder Issues

NVENC Encoder Not Available

Requirements for NVENC

Troubleshooting:

  1. Update GPU drivers to latest version
  2. Restart Segra after driver update
  3. Check if other applications are using NVENC (limit: 3 concurrent sessions on consumer GPUs)
  4. Verify GPU in Task Manager → Performance → GPU

H.265 videos don't play in Segra

On Windows, Segra's player needs Microsoft's HEVC Video Extension to play H.265 (HEVC) videos. When it's missing, the player shows This video can't play, and Settings shows a warning when you select an H.265 encoder or H.265 clip codec. Click Install to have Segra download and install the extension, then click Restart to restart Segra.

"Codec changed" message on startup

If the codec saved in your settings is no longer available (usually after a GPU change), Segra switches to an available codec and shows a Codec changed message naming the old and new codec. Review your encoder and codec in Settings > Video Settings if you want a different choice.

AMD VCE/AMF Encoder Not Available

Requirements:

  • AMD GPU (GCN architecture or newer)
  • Updated AMD Adrenalin drivers
  • Windows 10 or newer

Troubleshooting:

  1. Install latest AMD Adrenalin drivers
  2. Enable hardware acceleration in AMD settings
  3. Restart Segra
  4. If still unavailable, use x264 (software) as fallback

Intel QSV Encoder Not Available

Requirements:

  • Intel CPU with Quick Sync Video (2nd gen Core or newer)
  • Integrated graphics must be enabled in BIOS
  • Updated Intel graphics drivers

Troubleshooting:

  1. Enable Intel integrated graphics in BIOS
  2. Install Intel Graphics Driver from intel.com
  3. On laptops with dedicated GPU, ensure iGPU is not disabled
  4. Restart Segra after driver installation

Replay Buffer Issues

Replay Buffer Not Saving

Check Buffer Status

Ensure replay buffer is actively recording (check Segra overlay/status)

Verify Hotkey

Default: F10

  • Check Settings → Hotkeys → Save Replay Buffer
  • Test hotkey is not conflicting with other applications
Check Storage Space

Replay buffer requires available disk space to save

Review Logs

Look for "Replay buffer saved to:" or error messages in logs

Replay Buffer Duration Too Short/Long

  • Settings → Recording → Replay Buffer Duration (seconds)
  • Default: 30 seconds
  • Longer durations require more memory
  • Maximum size can be configured separately

Game Detection Issues

Game Not Auto-Starting Recording

Check Whitelist/Blacklist

Settings → Games:

  • Whitelist: Only these games trigger recording
  • Blacklist: These games never trigger recording
  • Empty whitelist = all games auto-record (except blacklisted)
Verify Game Executable

Segra detects games based on:

  • Executable name matching known games database
  • IGDB game database integration
  • Custom whitelist entries
Manual Recording

If auto-detection fails, use manual recording:

  • Open Segra and click the manual record button on the home screen
  • Or use the Toggle Recording keybind (default F9) to start and stop recording at any time

Wrong Game Detected

  1. Check IGDB integration (requires Segra.tv account)
  2. Manually edit game name in recording metadata
  3. Add custom game mapping in Settings → Games

Update and Installation Issues

OBS Installation Failed

Segra downloads OBS components on first launch. This requires internet connection.

Solutions:

  1. Check internet connection
  2. Disable antivirus temporarily (may block download)
  3. Run Segra as administrator
  4. Check firewall settings for Segra.exe
  5. Manually download OBS from Segra's CDN (check logs for URL)

OBS fails to load on a fresh Windows install

OBS needs the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x64). The Windows installer installs it automatically. If you installed Segra some other way, or the runtime was removed, install the redistributable from Microsoft or rerun Segra-win-Setup.exe.

Segra Update Failed

  1. Check for sufficient disk space
  2. Close all Segra processes completely
  3. Run Segra as administrator
  4. Manually download installer from GitHub Releases

Getting Help

If you're still experiencing issues:

Check Logs

Log file location: %AppData%/Segra/logs.log

Look for ERROR and WARNING messages

GitHub Issues

Report bugs or request features

Include logs and system info

Discord Community

Get help from other users

Quick responses from community

Documentation

Review other guides

Performance tips, integration guides

When reporting issues, always include:

  • Segra version
  • Windows version
  • GPU model and driver version
  • Log file from %AppData%/Segra/logs.log
  • Steps to reproduce the issue