diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/docs/gst_plugins_cache.json b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/docs/gst_plugins_cache.json
index a110f533fc..550568f317 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/docs/gst_plugins_cache.json
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/docs/gst_plugins_cache.json
@@ -1349,12 +1349,12 @@
                         "writable": true
                     },
                     "low-watermark-time": {
-                        "blurb": "Low watermark for parsed data below which downloads are resumed (in ns, 0=disable)",
+                        "blurb": "Low watermark for parsed data below which downloads are resumed (in ns, 0=automatic)",
                         "conditionally-available": false,
                         "construct": false,
                         "construct-only": false,
                         "controllable": false,
-                        "default": "10000000000",
+                        "default": "0",
                         "max": "18446744073709551615",
                         "min": "0",
                         "mutable": "playing",
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux-stream.c b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux-stream.c
index 0594da2be4..cfcb3bcd83 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux-stream.c
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux-stream.c
@@ -149,6 +149,19 @@ gst_adaptive_demux2_stream_add_track (GstAdaptiveDemux2Stream * stream,
     return FALSE;
   }
 
+  if (stream->demux->buffering_low_watermark_time)
+    track->buffering_threshold = stream->demux->buffering_low_watermark_time;
+  else if (GST_CLOCK_TIME_IS_VALID (stream->recommended_buffering_threshold))
+    track->buffering_threshold =
+        MIN (10 * GST_SECOND, stream->recommended_buffering_threshold);
+  else {
+    /* Using a starting default, can be overriden later in
+     * ::update_stream_info() */
+    GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (stream,
+        "Setting default 10s buffering threshold on new track");
+    track->buffering_threshold = 10 * GST_SECOND;
+  }
+
   stream->tracks =
       g_list_append (stream->tracks, gst_adaptive_demux_track_ref (track));
   if (stream->demux) {
@@ -762,6 +775,7 @@ gst_adaptive_demux2_stream_parse_buffer (GstAdaptiveDemux2Stream * stream,
  */
 static void
 calculate_track_thresholds (GstAdaptiveDemux * demux,
+    GstAdaptiveDemux2Stream * stream,
     GstClockTime fragment_duration, GstClockTime * low_threshold,
     GstClockTime * high_threshold)
 {
@@ -773,6 +787,15 @@ calculate_track_thresholds (GstAdaptiveDemux * demux,
     *low_threshold = demux->buffering_low_watermark_time;
   }
 
+  if (*low_threshold == 0) {
+    /* This implies both low level properties were 0, the default is 10s unless
+     * the subclass has specified a recommended buffering threshold */
+    *low_threshold = 10 * GST_SECOND;
+    if (GST_CLOCK_TIME_IS_VALID (stream->recommended_buffering_threshold))
+      *low_threshold =
+          MIN (stream->recommended_buffering_threshold, *low_threshold);
+  }
+
   *high_threshold =
       demux->buffering_high_watermark_fragments * fragment_duration;
   if (*high_threshold == 0 || (demux->buffering_high_watermark_time != 0
@@ -800,9 +823,11 @@ calculate_track_thresholds (GstAdaptiveDemux * demux,
       (*low_threshold != 0 && *low_threshold > *high_threshold)) {
     *high_threshold = *low_threshold;
   }
+
   GST_OBJECT_UNLOCK (demux);
 }
 
+#define ABSDIFF(a,b) ((a) < (b) ? (b) - (a) : (a) - (b))
 static gboolean
 gst_adaptive_demux2_stream_wait_for_output_space (GstAdaptiveDemux * demux,
     GstAdaptiveDemux2Stream * stream, GstClockTime fragment_duration)
@@ -816,8 +841,13 @@ gst_adaptive_demux2_stream_wait_for_output_space (GstAdaptiveDemux * demux,
   GstClockTime low_threshold = 0, high_threshold = 0;
   GList *iter;
 
-  calculate_track_thresholds (demux, fragment_duration,
+  calculate_track_thresholds (demux, stream, fragment_duration,
       &low_threshold, &high_threshold);
+  GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (stream,
+      "Thresholds low:%" GST_TIME_FORMAT " high:%" GST_TIME_FORMAT
+      " recommended:%" GST_TIME_FORMAT, GST_TIME_ARGS (low_threshold),
+      GST_TIME_ARGS (high_threshold),
+      GST_TIME_ARGS (stream->recommended_buffering_threshold));
 
   /* If there are no tracks at all, don't wait. If there are no active
    * tracks, keep filling until at least one track is full. If there
@@ -826,8 +856,9 @@ gst_adaptive_demux2_stream_wait_for_output_space (GstAdaptiveDemux * demux,
   for (iter = stream->tracks; iter; iter = iter->next) {
     GstAdaptiveDemuxTrack *track = (GstAdaptiveDemuxTrack *) iter->data;
 
-    /* Update the buffering threshold */
-    if (low_threshold != track->buffering_threshold) {
+    /* Update the buffering threshold if it changed by more than a second */
+    if (ABSDIFF (low_threshold, track->buffering_threshold) > GST_SECOND) {
+      GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (stream, "Updating threshold");
       /* The buffering threshold for this track changed, make sure to
        * re-check buffering status */
       update_buffering = TRUE;
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.c b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.c
index 28bdb4a07b..f4ff4d5f74 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.c
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.c
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_EXTERN (adaptivedemux2_debug);
 #define DEFAULT_MAX_BUFFERING_TIME (30 *  GST_SECOND)
 
 #define DEFAULT_BUFFERING_HIGH_WATERMARK_TIME (30 * GST_SECOND)
-#define DEFAULT_BUFFERING_LOW_WATERMARK_TIME (10 * GST_SECOND)
+#define DEFAULT_BUFFERING_LOW_WATERMARK_TIME 0  /* Automatic */
 #define DEFAULT_BUFFERING_HIGH_WATERMARK_FRAGMENTS 0.0
 #define DEFAULT_BUFFERING_LOW_WATERMARK_FRAGMENTS 0.0
 
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ gst_adaptive_demux_class_init (GstAdaptiveDemuxClass * klass)
       PROP_BUFFERING_LOW_WATERMARK_TIME,
       g_param_spec_uint64 ("low-watermark-time",
           "Low buffering watermark size (ns)",
-          "Low watermark for parsed data below which downloads are resumed (in ns, 0=disable)",
+          "Low watermark for parsed data below which downloads are resumed (in ns, 0=automatic)",
           0, G_MAXUINT64, DEFAULT_BUFFERING_LOW_WATERMARK_TIME,
           G_PARAM_READWRITE | GST_PARAM_MUTABLE_PLAYING |
           G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS));
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.h b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.h
index ea4a473146..186e21d1b2 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.h
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/gstadaptivedemux.h
@@ -359,6 +359,9 @@ struct _GstAdaptiveDemux2Stream
 
   /* OR'd set of stream types in this stream */
   GstStreamType stream_type;
+
+  /* The buffering threshold recommended by the subclass */
+  GstClockTime recommended_buffering_threshold;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/gsthlsdemux.c b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/gsthlsdemux.c
index eebafdcded..9e5f8682d5 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/gsthlsdemux.c
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/gsthlsdemux.c
@@ -2425,6 +2425,10 @@ gst_hls_demux_update_fragment_info (GstAdaptiveDemux2Stream * stream)
 
   stream->fragment.duration = file->duration;
 
+  stream->recommended_buffering_threshold =
+      gst_hls_media_playlist_recommended_buffering_threshold
+      (hlsdemux_stream->playlist);
+
   if (discont)
     stream->discont = TRUE;
 
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.c b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.c
index 3a68d16b54..511ce43d7b 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.c
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.c
@@ -1473,6 +1473,18 @@ gst_hls_media_playlist_get_seek_range (GstHLSMediaPlaylist * m3u8,
   return TRUE;
 }
 
+GstClockTime
+gst_hls_media_playlist_recommended_buffering_threshold (GstHLSMediaPlaylist *
+    playlist)
+{
+  if (!playlist->duration || !GST_CLOCK_TIME_IS_VALID (playlist->duration)
+      || playlist->segments->len == 0)
+    return GST_CLOCK_TIME_NONE;
+
+  /* The recommended buffering threshold is 1.5 average segment duration */
+  return 3 * (playlist->duration / playlist->segments->len) / 2;
+}
+
 GstHLSRenditionStream *
 gst_hls_rendition_stream_ref (GstHLSRenditionStream * media)
 {
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.h b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.h
index c6a22a91f3..63238fdb72 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.h
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/adaptivedemux2/hls/m3u8.h
@@ -225,6 +225,9 @@ gst_hls_media_playlist_seek                 (GstHLSMediaPlaylist *playlist,
 void
 gst_hls_media_playlist_dump                 (GstHLSMediaPlaylist* self);
 
+GstClockTime
+gst_hls_media_playlist_recommended_buffering_threshold (GstHLSMediaPlaylist *playlist);
+
 typedef enum
 {
   GST_HLS_RENDITION_STREAM_TYPE_INVALID = -1,