diff --git a/ErsatzTV.Core/FFmpeg/FFmpegLibraryProcessService.cs b/ErsatzTV.Core/FFmpeg/FFmpegLibraryProcessService.cs
index 22584711f..2c4e73f64 100644
--- a/ErsatzTV.Core/FFmpeg/FFmpegLibraryProcessService.cs
+++ b/ErsatzTV.Core/FFmpeg/FFmpegLibraryProcessService.cs
@@ -233,6 +233,16 @@ public class FFmpegLibraryProcessService : IFFmpegProcessService
             scanKind = await ProbeScanKind(ffmpegPath, videoVersion.MediaItem, cancellationToken);
         }
 
+        HardwareAccelerationMode hwAccel = GetHardwareAccelerationMode(playbackSettings);
+
+        // QSV may have sync issues with h264 files that have multiple profiles
+        // check and flag here so software decoding can be used if needed
+        bool hasMultipleProfiles = false;
+        if (hwAccel is HardwareAccelerationMode.Qsv && videoStream.Codec is VideoFormat.H264)
+        {
+            hasMultipleProfiles = await ProbeHasMultipleProfiles(ffmpegPath, videoVersion.MediaItem, cancellationToken);
+        }
+
         var ffmpegVideoStream = new VideoStream(
             videoStream.Index,
             videoStream.Codec,
@@ -248,7 +258,8 @@ public class FFmpegLibraryProcessService : IFFmpegProcessService
             videoVersion.MediaVersion.DisplayAspectRatio,
             new FrameRate(videoVersion.MediaVersion.RFrameRate),
             videoPath != audioPath, // still image when paths are different
-            scanKind);
+            scanKind,
+            hasMultipleProfiles);
 
         var videoInputFile = new VideoInputFile(
             videoPath,
@@ -405,8 +416,6 @@ public class FFmpegLibraryProcessService : IFFmpegProcessService
             graphicsElementContexts.AddRange(watermarks.Map(wm => new WatermarkElementContext(wm)));
         }
 
-        HardwareAccelerationMode hwAccel = GetHardwareAccelerationMode(playbackSettings);
-
         string videoFormat = GetVideoFormat(playbackSettings);
         Option<string> maybeVideoProfile = GetVideoProfile(videoFormat, channel.FFmpegProfile.VideoProfile);
         Option<string> maybeVideoPreset = GetVideoPreset(
@@ -652,6 +661,19 @@ public class FFmpegLibraryProcessService : IFFmpegProcessService
         return result;
     }
 
+    private async Task<bool> ProbeHasMultipleProfiles(
+        string ffmpegPath,
+        MediaItem mediaItem,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        _logger.LogDebug("Will probe for h264 profile count");
+
+        Option<int> profileCount =
+            await _localStatisticsProvider.GetProfileCount(ffmpegPath, mediaItem, cancellationToken);
+
+        return await profileCount.IfNoneAsync(1) > 1;
+    }
+
     public async Task<Command> ForError(
         string ffmpegPath,
         Channel channel,
diff --git a/ErsatzTV.Core/Interfaces/Metadata/ILocalStatisticsProvider.cs b/ErsatzTV.Core/Interfaces/Metadata/ILocalStatisticsProvider.cs
index 933b64b33..0c882064a 100644
--- a/ErsatzTV.Core/Interfaces/Metadata/ILocalStatisticsProvider.cs
+++ b/ErsatzTV.Core/Interfaces/Metadata/ILocalStatisticsProvider.cs
@@ -14,4 +14,9 @@ public interface ILocalStatisticsProvider
         string ffmpegPath,
         MediaItem mediaItem,
         CancellationToken cancellationToken);
+
+    Task<Option<int>> GetProfileCount(
+        string ffmpegPath,
+        MediaItem mediaItem,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken);
 }
diff --git a/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/MediaStream.cs b/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/MediaStream.cs
index 224c8b7ac..e6f0a4422 100644
--- a/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/MediaStream.cs
+++ b/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/MediaStream.cs
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ public record VideoStream(
     string DisplayAspectRatio,
     Option<FrameRate> FrameRate,
     bool StillImage,
-    ScanKind ScanKind) : MediaStream(
+    ScanKind ScanKind,
+    bool HasMultipleProfiles) : MediaStream(
     Index,
     Codec,
     StreamKind.Video)
diff --git a/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/Pipeline/QsvPipelineBuilder.cs b/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/Pipeline/QsvPipelineBuilder.cs
index 1275a9742..2e3970f81 100644
--- a/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/Pipeline/QsvPipelineBuilder.cs
+++ b/ErsatzTV.FFmpeg/Pipeline/QsvPipelineBuilder.cs
@@ -91,6 +91,14 @@ public class QsvPipelineBuilder : SoftwarePipelineBuilder
             decodeCapability = FFmpegCapability.Software;
         }
 
+        // QSV cannot always decode properly when *not* seeking, so check if software is needed
+        if (decodeCapability == FFmpegCapability.Hardware && ffmpegState.Start.Filter(s => s > TimeSpan.Zero).IsNone &&
+            videoStream.HasMultipleProfiles)
+        {
+            _logger.LogDebug("Forcing software decode when input file uses multiple h264 profiles");
+            decodeCapability = FFmpegCapability.Software;
+        }
+
         // give a bogus value so no cuda devices are visible to ffmpeg
         pipelineSteps.Add(new CudaVisibleDevicesVariable("999"));
 
diff --git a/ErsatzTV.Infrastructure/Metadata/LocalStatisticsProvider.cs b/ErsatzTV.Infrastructure/Metadata/LocalStatisticsProvider.cs
index cff4a5f58..7b67de330 100644
--- a/ErsatzTV.Infrastructure/Metadata/LocalStatisticsProvider.cs
+++ b/ErsatzTV.Infrastructure/Metadata/LocalStatisticsProvider.cs
@@ -181,6 +181,24 @@ public partial class LocalStatisticsProvider : ILocalStatisticsProvider
         return Option<double>.None;
     }
 
+    public async Task<Option<int>> GetProfileCount(
+        string ffmpegPath,
+        MediaItem mediaItem,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            string filePath = await PathForMediaItem(mediaItem);
+            return await GetProfileCount(ffmpegPath, filePath);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            _logger.LogWarning(ex, "Failed to check profile count for media item {Id}", mediaItem.Id);
+        }
+
+        return Option<int>.None;
+    }
+
     private async Task<Either<BaseError, bool>> RefreshStatistics(
         string ffmpegPath,
         string ffprobePath,
@@ -336,6 +354,46 @@ public partial class LocalStatisticsProvider : ILocalStatisticsProvider
         return stats;
     }
 
+    private async Task<Option<int>> GetProfileCount(string ffmpegPath, string filePath)
+    {
+        string[] arguments =
+        [
+            "-hide_banner",
+            "-i", filePath,
+            "-c", "copy",
+            "-bsf:v", "trace_headers",
+            "-f", "null", "-"
+        ];
+
+        var uniqueProfiles = new System.Collections.Generic.HashSet<string>();
+
+        CommandResult traceHeaders = await Cli.Wrap(ffmpegPath)
+            .WithArguments(arguments)
+            .WithValidation(CommandResultValidation.None)
+            .WithStandardErrorPipe(PipeTarget.ToDelegate(line =>
+            {
+                int idx = line.IndexOf("profile_idc", StringComparison.Ordinal);
+                if (idx >= 0)
+                {
+                    uniqueProfiles.Add(line[idx..]);
+                }
+            }))
+            .ExecuteAsync();
+
+        if (traceHeaders.ExitCode != 0)
+        {
+            _logger.LogInformation(
+                "FFmpeg trace headers with arguments {Arguments} exited with code {ExitCode}",
+                arguments,
+                traceHeaders.ExitCode);
+
+            return Option<int>.None;
+        }
+
+        return uniqueProfiles.Count;
+    }
+
+
     private async Task AnalyzeDuration(string ffmpegPath, string path, MediaVersion version)
     {
         try