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The "Maximum number of channels under playback reached" error on Hikvision devices, often linked to codes 245416 or 245410, indicates the system has exceeded its simultaneous remote stream limit. This issue is commonly resolved by rebooting the recorder to clear active sessions, reducing the number of cameras viewed, or updating to the latest firmware to manage connection limits. For more details, visit Hikvision Support Portal
The Hikvision error message "Number of streaming channels exceeded limit" (or "Maximum number of channels under playback reached") typically means your recorder has reached its maximum simultaneous remote connection limit or outgoing bandwidth capacity. While older systems had fixed limits, newer firmware and app updates (like Hik-Connect V6.x) have introduced stricter enforcement of these restrictions. Common Causes
Active Duplicate Streams: Viewing the same device on multiple platforms simultaneously (e.g., iVMS-4200 on a PC and Hik-Connect on a phone).
Unreleased Connections: Previous playback sessions that didn't close properly, leaving "ghost" streams active on the NVR/DVR.
Bandwidth Caps: Exceeding the recorder's outgoing bitrate limit, especially when using high-resolution 4K cameras or intensive H.265+ encoding.
App Bugs: Recent Hik-Connect updates (such as V6.10.820) have been reported to trigger this error intermittently during event skipping. How to Fix the Error
Troubleshooting: Hikvision "Maximum Number of Channels Under Playback Reached"
Seeing the error "Maximum number of channels under playback reached" on your Hikvision system—whether on a mobile app like Hik-Connect, software like iVMS-4200, or directly on the NVR/DVR interface—typically means your hardware's decoding or streaming limits have been hit.
This error often appears even if you aren't viewing all your cameras, which can be frustrating. Why This Error Occurs Be aware that sometimes a different error is masked
The issue is rarely a hardware failure. Instead, it is usually a limitation of decoding capacity, bandwidth, or connection limits.
Title: The Unlucky Thirteenth
The blinking cursor on the monitor was the only light in the basement security office. It was 3:00 AM, and Elias, the senior site security technician, was running on cold coffee and frustration.
He was investigating a discrepancy in the shipping yard. A pallet of high-grade electronics had vanished between 2:00 AM and 2:15 AM the previous night. The logistics manager was screaming for answers, and Elias was trying to sync the footage from twelve different cameras to pinpoint exactly when the truck had passed the gate.
He had the Hikvision interface open, the familiar blue-grey layout stretching across his dual screens. He highlighted the timeline. He checked the boxes for Camera 1 through Camera 12.
"Loading..." the spinner read.
Elias hit the 'Sync' button to play them all in a synchronized grid view. He needed to see the angles simultaneously— the loading dock, the fence line, the rear exit, and the main gate.
Suddenly, a harsh notification box popped up, halting the process.
ERROR: Maximum number of channels under playback reached (13).
Elias blinked. He rubbed his eyes. He counted the channels he had selected. One, two, three... twelve. Title: The Unlucky Thirteenth The blinking cursor on
He frowned. "I only selected twelve," he muttered to the empty room. He tried again. Same error.
"Maximum number of channels under playback reached."
He went into the configuration settings. The NVR (Network Video Recorder) was an enterprise-level DS-9600 series, capable of handling 32 inputs. The resource allocation was fine. The bandwidth was pristine. He wasn’t trying to view more than the software allowed.
He unchecked one camera, bringing the total to eleven. He hit play. The grid loaded instantly. Eleven feeds, playing back smoothly.
"Okay," Elias whispered, a cold prickle on the back of his neck. "So I can view eleven, but not twelve."
He decided to try a different combination. He unchecked a parking lot camera and checked the Main Gate camera again. Total: twelve. ERROR.
He unchecked the Main Gate and checked the Rear Exit. Total: twelve. ERROR.
It didn't matter which cameras he picked. The system was convinced he was trying to view thirteen. It was as if there was an invisible channel, a ghost input sitting in the queue, occupying that thirteenth slot.
Elias sat back. The error message wasn't just a glitch; it was a hard-coded limit. The system was saying, I am full. I cannot show you any more.
He opened the command prompt and pinged the local server. Latency was low. He opened the device management tab and scanned for online devices. There were twelve cameras listed. Just twelve. Every Hikvision recorder is built around a System-on-Chip
"Okay, let's try the new firmware," Elias said, his voice trembling slightly. He had heard rumors about the newer Hikvision updates tightening security protocols, but he hadn't updated this machine in months. He was running version 5.7. The newest was 5.9.
Maybe it was a bug. A memory leak. A buffer overflow that was misreporting the channel count.
He navigated to the maintenance tab. He selected the firmware update file he had downloaded earlier that week. He hit "Upgrade."
The system rebooted. The lights on the NVR box flickered and went dark, then flashed green. The monitor went black, then displayed the boot sequence.
System Starting... Loading Application...
The interface reloaded. It looked slightly different—cleaner icons
The error message “Maximum number of channels under playback reached” on a Hikvision system (NVR/DVR or iVMS-4200) typically appears when you try to open more live view or playback streams than the device or client software supports simultaneously.
Here is the full, updated explanation of what this means, why it happens in newer firmware/software versions, and how to resolve it.
Every Hikvision recorder is built around a System-on-Chip (SoC) — typically a HiSilicon processor (e.g., Hi3536, Hi3521). This chip has a fixed number of hardware decoding engines.
Ironically, long pre-record times can trigger this error in multi-channel playback. When you scrub the timeline, the NVR tries to load 30 seconds before your click for every channel simultaneously.
If you are using iVMS-4200 software:
It is critical to distinguish: