diff --git a/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx b/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx
index e164416..0bd391d 100644
--- a/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx
@@ -78,11 +78,18 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
     [setVolumePref],
   )
   const [isFullscreen, setIsFullscreen] = useState(false)
+  // High-frequency playback state. currentTime and buffered update on every
+  // vidstack tick (4-60 Hz) - we store the raw value in a ref for imperative
+  // code (progress reporting, A-B loop, seek calculations) and only push to
+  // React state at ~4 Hz so the UI doesn't re-render on every video frame.
+  const currentTimeRef = useRef(0)
+  const bufferedRef = useRef(0)
   const [currentTime, setCurrentTime] = useState(0)
   const [duration, setDuration] = useState(0)
   const [buffered, setBuffered] = useState(0)
   const [scrubPercent, setScrubPercent] = useState<number | null>(null)
   const [seeking, setSeeking] = useState(false)
+  const lastUiUpdateRef = useRef(0)
 
   /* Track selection (audio / subtitle).
    * `audioIndex` is the UI selection; `streamAudioIndex` is what we send
@@ -216,25 +223,28 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
   const [playbackRate, setPlaybackRate] = useState(defaultPlaybackRate || 1)
 
   /* Sleep timer - counts down only while playing */
+  const sleepRemainingRef = useRef(sleepTimerMinutes * 60)
   const [sleepRemainingSec, setSleepRemainingSec] = useState(sleepTimerMinutes * 60)
   useEffect(() => {
-    setSleepRemainingSec(sleepTimerMinutes * 60)
+    const sec = sleepTimerMinutes * 60
+    sleepRemainingRef.current = sec
+    setSleepRemainingSec(sec)
   }, [sleepTimerMinutes, id])
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (sleepTimerMinutes <= 0 || sleepRemainingSec <= 0) return
+    if (sleepTimerMinutes <= 0) return
     if (!isPaused) {
       const id = window.setInterval(() => {
-        setSleepRemainingSec(prev => {
-          if (prev <= 1) {
-            playerRef.current?.pause()
-            return 0
-          }
-          return prev - 1
-        })
+        const next = sleepRemainingRef.current - 1
+        sleepRemainingRef.current = next
+        setSleepRemainingSec(next)
+        if (next <= 0) {
+          playerRef.current?.pause()
+          window.clearInterval(id)
+        }
       }, 1000)
       return () => window.clearInterval(id)
     }
-  }, [isPaused, sleepTimerMinutes, sleepRemainingSec])
+  }, [isPaused, sleepTimerMinutes])
 
   const reducedMotion = useReducedMotion()
   const {
@@ -455,16 +465,25 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
    *
    * Wrapped in try/catch since vidstack may have already cleaned the
    * element by the time this runs. */
+  // Capture the underlying <video> element in a ref so the unmount
+  // teardown can clean up THIS component's video without accidentally
+  // grabbing the next episode's element (which React may have already
+  // committed to the DOM before our cleanup runs).
+  const videoElRef = useRef<HTMLVideoElement | null>(null)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = (playerRef.current as { el?: HTMLElement } | null)?.el
+    videoElRef.current = el?.querySelector('video') as HTMLVideoElement | null ?? null
+  }, [streamUrl])
   useEffect(() => {
     return () => {
-      try {
-        const video = document.querySelector('video') as HTMLVideoElement | null
-        if (video) {
+      const video = videoElRef.current
+      if (video) {
+        try {
           video.pause()
           video.removeAttribute('src')
           video.load()
-        }
-      } catch { /* element already gone */ }
+        } catch { /* element already gone */ }
+      }
       detachAudioGraph()
     }
   }, [])
@@ -501,8 +520,8 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
     }
     applyVolume()
     const unsub = player.subscribe(state => {
-      // Keep retrying until the native volume actually matches the pref.
-      // Once it does, applyVolume becomes a no-op anyway (idempotent).
+      // Volume restore - only retry if the native volume hasn't converged
+      // yet AND the player is actually ready. Avoids writing on every tick.
       const target = usePreferencesStore.getState().playerVolume
       const video = getNativeVideo()
       if (video && Math.abs(video.volume - target) > 0.001) {
@@ -512,10 +531,17 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
         setDuration(state.duration)
       }
       if (Number.isFinite(state.currentTime)) {
-        setCurrentTime(state.currentTime)
+        // Always update the ref at full rate for imperative code
+        currentTimeRef.current = state.currentTime
         progressRef.current = state.currentTime * 10000000
-        // A-B loop: when both markers set and we've crossed B, seek to A.
-        // Only when not actively seeking - avoids fighting the user's drag.
+        // Throttle React state updates to ~4 Hz to avoid re-rendering
+        // the entire player tree on every video frame
+        const now = performance.now()
+        if (now - lastUiUpdateRef.current >= 250) {
+          lastUiUpdateRef.current = now
+          setCurrentTime(state.currentTime)
+        }
+        // A-B loop check runs on every tick (needs frame accuracy)
         const rt = usePlayerRuntimeStore.getState()
         if (
           rt.loopA != null &&
@@ -529,9 +555,6 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
         }
       }
       if (state.paused !== isPausedRef.current) {
-        // Mirror local pause/play to the watch party if we're in one
-        // (skip when the change was driven by a remote command we just
-        // received, so we don't echo it back).
         if (useSyncPlay.getState().active && !shouldSuppressRemoteEcho()) {
           if (state.paused) spPause().catch(() => {})
           else spUnpause().catch(() => {})
@@ -539,16 +562,15 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
       }
       setIsPaused(state.paused)
       setIsMuted(state.muted)
-      // NOTE: volume is intentionally NOT synced from subscribe state. The
-      // user owns the volume value via the slider / arrow keys, and we
-      // write it through to the player imperatively. Reading it back here
-      // races against our own optimistic write - vidstack briefly reports
-      // the stale value before applying our setter, which would snap the
-      // slider back.
       const ranges: any = state.buffered
       if (ranges && ranges.length > 0) {
         try {
-          setBuffered(ranges.end(ranges.length - 1))
+          bufferedRef.current = ranges.end(ranges.length - 1)
+          // Buffered changes rarely - update state alongside currentTime throttle
+          const now = performance.now()
+          if (now - lastUiUpdateRef.current >= 250) {
+            setBuffered(bufferedRef.current)
+          }
         } catch {
           /* TimeRanges can throw if the index moved */
         }
@@ -948,6 +970,7 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
     const time = pct * duration
     if (!Number.isFinite(time)) return
     if (playerRef.current) playerRef.current.currentTime = time
+    currentTimeRef.current = time
     setCurrentTime(time)
     progressRef.current = time * 10000000
     setScrubPercent(null)
@@ -959,6 +982,7 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
   function seekToSeconds(t: number) {
     if (!Number.isFinite(t)) return
     if (playerRef.current) playerRef.current.currentTime = t
+    currentTimeRef.current = t
     setCurrentTime(t)
     progressRef.current = t * 10000000
     // Mirror to watch party if active (and not echoing a remote command).
@@ -1037,9 +1061,10 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
             ;(provider as any).config = {
               startLevel: -1,
               maxBufferLength: 30,
-              maxMaxBufferLength: 60,
+              maxMaxBufferLength: 120,
+              maxBufferSize: 30 * 1024 * 1024,
               lowLatencyMode: false,
-              backBufferLength: 30,
+              backBufferLength: 15,
               fragLoadingTimeOut: 60_000,
               fragLoadingMaxRetry: 6,
               manifestLoadingTimeOut: 30_000,
@@ -1052,13 +1077,28 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
             const hls = (provider as any).instance as any
             if (hls?.on && HLS?.Events) {
               hls.on(HLS.Events.ERROR, (_event: unknown, data: any) => {
-                // Always log this one - it's the only signal when playback breaks
                 console.warn('[HLS]', data?.type, data?.details, {
                   fatal: data?.fatal,
                   reason: data?.reason,
                   url: data?.url || data?.frag?.url,
                   response: data?.response,
                 })
+                // Non-fatal errors (buffer stalls, fragment load failures)
+                // can often be recovered without user intervention.
+                if (data?.fatal) {
+                  switch (data.type) {
+                    case HLS.ErrorTypes.NETWORK_ERROR:
+                      hls.startLoad()
+                      break
+                    case HLS.ErrorTypes.MEDIA_ERROR:
+                      hls.recoverMediaError()
+                      break
+                    default:
+                      // Unrecoverable - destroy and let the user retry
+                      hls.destroy()
+                      break
+                  }
+                }
               })
             }
           }
@@ -1092,14 +1132,14 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
             navigate(`/play/${queueNext.Id}`, { replace: true })
             return
           }
-          if (autoplayNext && nextUpItem?.Id && nextUpItem.Id !== item?.Id) {
+          if (autoplayNext && nextItem?.Id && nextItem.Id !== item?.Id) {
             if (areYouStillWatching && autoAdvanceCountRef.current >= 2) {
-              stillWatchingTargetRef.current = nextUpItem.Id
+              stillWatchingTargetRef.current = nextItem.Id
               setStillWatchingOpen(true)
               return
             }
             autoAdvanceCountRef.current++
-            navigate(`/play/${nextUpItem.Id}`, { replace: true })
+            navigate(`/play/${nextItem.Id}`, { replace: true })
             return
           }
           autoAdvanceCountRef.current = 0