Replay Buffer

Replay Buffer is Segra's instant replay system that continuously records gameplay in the background and lets you save the last 30 seconds (or custom duration) with a single hotkey press.

Overview

Replay Buffer works like a DVR for your gameplay:

• Always recording - Segra continuously records in a rolling buffer
• Save on demand - Press a hotkey (default: F10) to save the last N seconds
• No storage waste - Only saved clips are written to disk
• Minimal overhead - The buffer runs in memory with zero performance impact

How It Works

The Rolling Buffer

1. Segra starts recording when a game is detected, when you start a recording manually, or whenever nothing is recording if the always-on replay buffer is enabled
2. Footage is stored in memory in a circular buffer
3. Old footage is overwritten as new frames come in
4. Pressing the hotkey saves the current buffer to disk
5. Buffer continues recording after the save

Think of it like this:

[30 seconds of gameplay] → Keep recording → Amazing play happens → Press F10 → Last 30s saved

Memory Management

The buffer size is determined by:

• Duration (e.g., 30 seconds)
• Max file size (e.g., 1000 MB)

Whichever limit is reached first stops the buffer from growing. This prevents memory overflow.

Configuration

Replay Buffer Settings

Configure the recording mode in Settings > Capture Mode. Buffer Duration and Maximum Size live in Settings > Video Settings and appear once a mode that uses the replay buffer is selected or Always-on Replay Buffer is enabled. You can change these settings while recording. The running recording keeps its original values, and the new values apply from the next recording:

Recording Mode

Choose one of three modes:

• Replay Buffer - Only buffer, no session recording
• Hybrid - Buffer + full session recording (recommended)
• Session - No buffer, full session only

Buffer Duration

Set how many seconds of footage to keep in the buffer:

• Minimum: 5 seconds
• Default: 30 seconds
• Maximum: 600 seconds (10 minutes)

Longer buffers:

• Capture more context before the moment
• Use more memory
• May impact performance on low-end systems

Shorter buffers:

• Use less memory
• Faster saves
• May miss context for some plays

Buffer Max Size

Set the maximum file size for the buffer:

• Default: 1000 MB (1 GB)

This prevents the buffer from consuming too much memory. If the file size limit is reached before the duration, the buffer stops growing. The settings UI is a number input that accepts values from 100 MB to 5000 MB; the underlying setting accepts any positive integer.

Hotkey Configuration

Change the save hotkey in Settings > Hotkeys:

1. Navigate to Settings > Recording > Hotkeys
2. Find Save Replay Buffer
3. Click Edit and press your desired key combination
4. Default is F10

Using Replay Buffer

Starting the Buffer

You can also start the buffer manually:

• Click the Record button on the home screen
• Segra starts the buffer using Display Capture
• Useful for recording desktop apps, browsers, or non-game content

Always-on replay buffer

Enable Always-on Replay Buffer (alwaysOnReplayBuffer, default false) in Settings > Capture Mode to keep a replay buffer of your display running whenever no game or manual recording is active. Press the Save Replay Buffer hotkey (default F10) at any time to save the last N seconds as a clip.

• The always-on buffer records the display selected in Settings > Video Settings, using your Video Settings, Audio, and buffer duration and size.
• It pauses while a game or manual recording runs and starts again when that recording stops.
• Segra restarts it automatically when you change a setting it depends on (for example resolution, encoder, audio devices, or the selected display) or when your displays change.
• It is not treated as a recording. It shows no recording card, plays no start sound, and doesn't run game integrations. While it runs, a green Replay Buffer indicator appears above the Start button in the sidebar.
• The buffer lives in memory until you save, so it skips the full-drive checks that block normal recordings.
• If OBS stops the buffer unexpectedly, Segra shows no error modal. A buffer that ran for more than 5 minutes gets one retry after 30 seconds. Otherwise it stays off until you change a setting, a recording runs, or you toggle the option.

Saving a Replay

When something amazing happens:

Buffer Reset Behavior

After saving a replay:

• The buffer is stopped
• The saved file is written to disk
• Metadata, thumbnail, and waveform are generated
• The buffer restarts automatically

This ensures that subsequent saves only contain new footage, not duplicate content from previous saves.

Replay Buffer vs Other Modes

Replay Buffer Mode

Pros:

• Minimal storage usage - only saves what you want
• Fast saves - near-instant clip creation
• Perfect for highlight-only gaming
• Saved replays include game-event bookmarks that fall inside them, including ones integrations add after the save

Cons:

• No full session review
• No automatic highlight generation
• Can't go back further than buffer duration
• No AI-generated highlights

Best for: Casual gaming, social media clips, low storage systems

Session Mode

Pros:

• Full game session saved
• Game integration with automatic bookmarks
• AI-powered highlight generation
• Timeline review and analysis

Cons:

• Uses significant storage
• Can't save instant replays without stopping the recording
• Requires post-game review to find moments

Best for: Content creators, streamers, competitive players

Hybrid Mode (Recommended)

Pros:

• Instant replays during gameplay (buffer)
• Full session saved for review (session)
• All game integration features
• Best of both worlds

Cons:

• Uses the most storage (session + saved buffers)
• Slightly higher system resource usage

Best for: Most users who want flexibility

Replay Buffer Output

Saved replays are organized by game:

Segra/
└── Replay Buffers/
    ├── Counter-Strike 2/
    │   ├── 2024-01-15_14-30-45.mp4
    │   └── 2024-01-15_14-35-22.mp4
    ├── Valorant/
    │   └── 2024-01-15_15-12-08.mp4
    └── Apex Legends/
        └── 2024-01-16_18-45-33.mp4

Each saved replay includes:

• Video file (.mp4) with the buffer content
• Metadata - Game name, timestamp, duration
• Thumbnail - Auto-generated preview
• Waveform - Audio visualization

Viewing Saved Replays

Access saved replays in the Replay Buffer section:

• Click the Replay Buffer tab in Segra
• Replays are sorted by date (newest first)
• Click any replay to watch in the built-in player
• Right-click for options (rename, delete, show in folder)

Sharing Replays

Saved replays are standard MP4 files that can be:

• Uploaded to Segra Cloud (click the upload icon)
• Shared directly to YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, etc.
• Edited in video editing software
• Sent to friends via file sharing

See the Uploads page for cloud sharing details.

Advanced Features

Multiple Saves Per Session

You can save the buffer multiple times during a single gaming session:

1. Amazing play happens → Press F10 → Saved as 14-30-45.mp4
2. Buffer resets and continues recording
3. Another amazing play → Press F10 → Saved as 14-35-22.mp4
4. Repeat as many times as you want

Each save creates a separate file with no overlap.

Audio Tracks

Replay buffer recordings support the same audio features as sessions:

• Multiple audio sources (microphone, desktop audio, game audio)
• Separate audio tracks (if enabled in settings)
• Volume control per device

Configure audio in Settings > Audio.

Quality Settings

Replay buffer uses your main recording quality settings:

• Go to Settings > Video to adjust resolution, bitrate, encoder
• Changes apply to both session and buffer recordings
• Higher quality = larger buffer memory usage

Performance Optimization

Reducing Memory Usage

If Segra is using too much RAM:

• Lower buffer duration (30s → 20s or 15s)
• Reduce max buffer size (1000 MB → 500 MB)
• Lower recording quality (1440p → 1080p or 60fps → 30fps)
• Use VBR instead of CBR rate control

Reducing Disk I/O

Each save writes to disk. To minimize impact:

• Save replays to an SSD (much faster than HDD)
• Don't spam the save hotkey (allow buffer to reset between saves)
• Close other disk-intensive applications while recording

GPU vs CPU Encoding

Replay buffer works best with GPU encoding:

• NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF, or Intel QuickSync
• Near-zero performance impact on gameplay
• Fast encoding means quicker saves

CPU encoding works but may cause frame drops during saves.

Troubleshooting

Use Cases

Battle Royale Games

Replay Buffer is perfect for games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Warzone:

• Most of the game is boring
• Amazing plays happen unexpectedly
• You don't want to save the full 20-minute match
• Just save the final kill or clutch moment

Fighting Games

For Street Fighter, Tekken, Guilty Gear:

• Save sick combos instantly
• Capture unexpected comebacks
• Don't need full matches recorded

Multiplayer Shooters

For Valorant, CS2, Overwatch:

• Save insane flicks or aces
• Capture funny moments with friends
• Keep storage usage low across many games

Social Media Content

Replay Buffer is ideal for creating short-form content:

• 15-30 second clips are perfect for Twitter, TikTok, Instagram
• Save only highlight-worthy moments
• No need to edit down long sessions

Related Features

• Recording - Full session and hybrid recording modes
• Clipping - Edit and combine saved replays
• Uploads - Share replays online