diff --git a/pkg/pipeline/sink/segments.go b/pkg/pipeline/sink/segments.go
index dce2d8ff..e27fc723 100644
--- a/pkg/pipeline/sink/segments.go
+++ b/pkg/pipeline/sink/segments.go
@@ -45,14 +45,13 @@ type SegmentSink struct {
 	conf      *config.PipelineConfig
 	callbacks *gstreamer.Callbacks
 
-	playlist                  m3u8.PlaylistWriter
-	livePlaylist              m3u8.PlaylistWriter
-	currentItemStartTimestamp int64
-	currentItemFilename       string
-	startDate                 time.Time
-	startDateTimestamp        time.Duration
-
-	openSegmentsStartTime map[string]int64
+	playlist         m3u8.PlaylistWriter
+	livePlaylist     m3u8.PlaylistWriter
+	initialized      bool
+	startTime        time.Time
+	startRunningTime uint64
+
+	openSegmentsStartTime map[string]uint64
 	openSegmentsLock      sync.Mutex
 
 	endedSegments chan SegmentUpdate
@@ -60,7 +59,7 @@ type SegmentSink struct {
 }
 
 type SegmentUpdate struct {
-	endTime  int64
+	endTime  uint64
 	filename string
 }
 
@@ -87,10 +86,9 @@ func newSegmentSink(u uploader.Uploader, p *config.PipelineConfig, o *config.Seg
 		callbacks:             callbacks,
 		playlist:              playlist,
 		livePlaylist:          livePlaylist,
-		openSegmentsStartTime: make(map[string]int64),
+		openSegmentsStartTime: make(map[string]uint64),
 		endedSegments:         make(chan SegmentUpdate, maxPendingUploads),
 		done:                  core.NewFuse(),
-		startDateTimestamp:    -1,
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -154,22 +152,19 @@ func (s *SegmentSink) getSegmentOutputType() types.OutputType {
 	}
 }
 
-func (s *SegmentSink) StartSegment(filepath string, startTime int64) error {
+func (s *SegmentSink) StartSegment(filepath string, startTime uint64) error {
 	if !strings.HasPrefix(filepath, s.LocalDir) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid filepath")
 	}
 
 	filename := filepath[len(s.LocalDir):]
 
-	if startTime < 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("invalid start timestamp")
-	}
-
 	s.openSegmentsLock.Lock()
 	defer s.openSegmentsLock.Unlock()
 
-	if s.startDateTimestamp < 0 {
-		s.startDateTimestamp = time.Duration(startTime)
+	if !s.initialized {
+		s.initialized = true
+		s.startRunningTime = startTime
 	}
 
 	if _, ok := s.openSegmentsStartTime[filename]; ok {
@@ -177,7 +172,6 @@ func (s *SegmentSink) StartSegment(filepath string, startTime int64) error {
 	}
 
 	s.openSegmentsStartTime[filename] = startTime
-
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -185,10 +179,10 @@ func (s *SegmentSink) UpdateStartDate(t time.Time) {
 	s.openSegmentsLock.Lock()
 	defer s.openSegmentsLock.Unlock()
 
-	s.startDate = t
+	s.startTime = t
 }
 
-func (s *SegmentSink) EnqueueSegmentUpload(filepath string, endTime int64) error {
+func (s *SegmentSink) EnqueueSegmentUpload(filepath string, endTime uint64) error {
 	if !strings.HasPrefix(filepath, s.LocalDir) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid filepath")
 	}
@@ -206,11 +200,7 @@ func (s *SegmentSink) EnqueueSegmentUpload(filepath string, endTime int64) error
 	}
 }
 
-func (s *SegmentSink) endSegment(filename string, endTime int64) error {
-	if endTime <= s.currentItemStartTimestamp {
-		return fmt.Errorf("segment end time before start time")
-	}
-
+func (s *SegmentSink) endSegment(filename string, endTime uint64) error {
 	s.openSegmentsLock.Lock()
 	defer s.openSegmentsLock.Unlock()
 
@@ -220,14 +210,14 @@ func (s *SegmentSink) endSegment(filename string, endTime int64) error {
 	}
 	delete(s.openSegmentsStartTime, filename)
 
-	duration := float64(endTime-t) / float64(time.Second)
-
-	segmentStartDate := s.startDate.Add(-s.startDateTimestamp).Add(time.Duration(t))
-	if err := s.playlist.Append(segmentStartDate, duration, filename); err != nil {
+	duration := float64(time.Duration(endTime-t)) / float64(time.Second)
+	segmentStartTime := s.startTime.Add(time.Duration(t - s.startRunningTime))
+	if err := s.playlist.Append(segmentStartTime, duration, filename); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	if s.livePlaylist != nil {
-		if err := s.livePlaylist.Append(segmentStartDate, duration, filename); err != nil {
+		if err := s.livePlaylist.Append(segmentStartTime, duration, filename); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -255,9 +245,9 @@ func (s *SegmentSink) Close() error {
 		}
 
 		// upload the finalized live playlist
-		playlistLocalPath := path.Join(s.LocalDir, s.LivePlaylistFilename)
-		playlistStoragePath := path.Join(s.StorageDir, s.LivePlaylistFilename)
-		s.SegmentsInfo.LivePlaylistLocation, _, _ = s.Upload(playlistLocalPath, playlistStoragePath, s.OutputType, false)
+		liveLocalPath := path.Join(s.LocalDir, s.LivePlaylistFilename)
+		liveStoragePath := path.Join(s.StorageDir, s.LivePlaylistFilename)
+		s.SegmentsInfo.LivePlaylistLocation, _, _ = s.Upload(liveLocalPath, liveStoragePath, s.OutputType, false)
 	}
 
 	if !s.DisableManifest {
diff --git a/pkg/pipeline/watch.go b/pkg/pipeline/watch.go
index 50c031e9..93f587ee 100644
--- a/pkg/pipeline/watch.go
+++ b/pkg/pipeline/watch.go
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ func (c *Controller) handleMessageElement(msg *gst.Message) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func getSegmentParamsFromGstStructure(s *gst.Structure) (filepath string, time int64, err error) {
+func getSegmentParamsFromGstStructure(s *gst.Structure) (filepath string, time uint64, err error) {
 	loc, err := s.GetValue(fragmentLocation)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", 0, err
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ func getSegmentParamsFromGstStructure(s *gst.Structure) (filepath string, time i
 		return "", 0, errors.ErrGstPipelineError(errors.New("invalid type for time"))
 	}
 
-	return filepath, int64(ti), nil
+	return filepath, ti, nil
 }
 
 func getFirstSampleMetadataFromGstStructure(s *gst.Structure) (startDate time.Time, err error) {
diff --git a/test/segments.go b/test/segments.go
index 747b8114..d7c250e7 100644
--- a/test/segments.go
+++ b/test/segments.go
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ func verifyPlaylistProgramDateTime(t *testing.T, filenameSuffix livekit.Segmente
 			require.InDelta(t, s.ProgramDateTime.UnixNano(), tm.UnixNano(), float64(time.Millisecond))
 		}
 
-		if i < len(p.Segments)-1 {
+		if i < len(p.Segments)-2 {
 			nextSegmentStartDate := p.Segments[i+1].ProgramDateTime
 
 			dateDuration := nextSegmentStartDate.Sub(s.ProgramDateTime)