diff --git a/packages/spf/src/media/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.ts b/packages/spf/src/media/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..537693e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/spf/src/media/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { isUndefined } from '@videojs/utils/predicate';
+import { getMediaPlaylistMetadata, type Track } from './types';
+
+export interface AnchorToSequenceOriginOptions {
+  /**
+   * Sequence number assumed to be the stream's origin (time 0). Defaults to 0
+   * — the spec default when `EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE` is absent, and the common
+   * encoder convention. Override when the true origin sequence is known.
+   */
+  startSequence?: number;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Re-origin a track's timeline to an estimated stream start (the segment at
+ * `startSequence`, default 0), so `startTime` reads as elapsed-since-stream-start
+ * and `startDate` becomes the wall clock at that origin — the stream-absolute
+ * convention, from the manifest alone.
+ *
+ * A mid-join live playlist omits the earlier segments, so their total duration
+ * is estimated from the observed segments' **average duration** — more reliable
+ * than `EXT-X-TARGETDURATION` (a spec ceiling that systematically
+ * over-estimates). The origin offset of the first PDT-bearing segment is
+ * `(its sequence − startSequence) × averageDuration`; present segments keep
+ * their actual relative spacing, only the offset to the unseen origin is
+ * estimated.
+ *
+ * ROUGH and provisional: assumes `startSequence` is the true origin (often but
+ * not always correct — configurable), roughly uniform durations, and no
+ * discontinuities in the unseen past; error grows with the sequence gap.
+ * Refined later from the buffer (`buffered`/`tfdt`), which is authoritative.
+ *
+ * Per-track: each track estimates independently, so two tracks' results can
+ * differ by their accumulated average-duration difference (e.g. AAC audio vs
+ * video). Exact cross-track A/V alignment comes from `alignTrackTimelines`
+ * (PDT) and ultimately the buffer, not from these estimates.
+ *
+ * No-op when there are no segments or none carries `programDateTime`.
+ */
+export function anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin<Tracks extends Track>(
+  track: Tracks,
+  { startSequence = 0 }: AnchorToSequenceOriginOptions = {}
+): Tracks {
+  const { segments } = track;
+  const anchorIndex = segments.findIndex((segment) => !isUndefined(segment.programDateTime));
+  const anchor = segments[anchorIndex];
+  if (!anchor || isUndefined(anchor.programDateTime)) {
+    return track;
+  }
+
+  const mediaSequence = getMediaPlaylistMetadata(track)?.mediaSequence ?? 0;
+  const anchorSequence = mediaSequence + anchorIndex;
+  const averageDuration = segments.reduce((sum, segment) => sum + segment.duration, 0) / segments.length;
+  const originOffset = (anchorSequence - startSequence) * averageDuration;
+  const shift = originOffset - anchor.startTime;
+  if (shift === 0) {
+    return track;
+  }
+
+  return {
+    ...track,
+    startTime: track.startTime + shift,
+    startDate: anchor.programDateTime - originOffset,
+    segments: segments.map((segment) => ({ ...segment, startTime: segment.startTime + shift })),
+  };
+}
diff --git a/packages/spf/src/media/tests/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.test.ts b/packages/spf/src/media/tests/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d3eaa58c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/spf/src/media/tests/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin } from '../anchor-track-to-sequence-origin';
+import { MEDIA_PLAYLIST_METADATA_KEY, type Segment, type Track } from '../types';
+
+function makeTrack(
+  mediaSequence: number,
+  segments: Array<{ startTime: number; duration: number; pdt?: number }>
+): Track {
+  return {
+    type: 'video',
+    id: 'track',
+    url: 'https://example.com/playlist.m3u8',
+    mimeType: 'video/mp4',
+    bandwidth: 0,
+    duration: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY,
+    startTime: segments[0]?.startTime ?? 0,
+    segments: segments.map(
+      (s, i): Segment => ({
+        id: `segment-${mediaSequence + i}`,
+        url: `${mediaSequence + i}.m4s`,
+        duration: s.duration,
+        startTime: s.startTime,
+        ...(s.pdt === undefined ? {} : { programDateTime: s.pdt }),
+      })
+    ),
+    metadata: {
+      [MEDIA_PLAYLIST_METADATA_KEY]: { mediaSequence, targetDuration: 5, endList: false },
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+describe('anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin', () => {
+  it('re-bases startTime to elapsed-since-origin and startDate to the seq-0 wall clock', () => {
+    // Mid-join window starting at sequence 85, 4s segments, join-relative startTimes.
+    const track = makeTrack(85, [
+      { startTime: 0, duration: 4, pdt: 1000 },
+      { startTime: 4, duration: 4, pdt: 1004 },
+    ]);
+
+    const anchored = anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track);
+
+    // origin offset = (85 − 0) × 4 = 340; first segment moves from 0 → 340.
+    expect(anchored.segments.map((s) => s.startTime)).toEqual([340, 344]);
+    expect(anchored.startTime).toBe(340);
+    // startDate = PDT(first) − originOffset = 1000 − 340 = 660 (wall clock at seq 0).
+    expect(anchored.startDate).toBe(660);
+  });
+
+  it('uses observed average duration, not EXT-X-TARGETDURATION', () => {
+    // avg of [3,5,4] = 4; targetDuration is 5 — the estimate must use 4.
+    const track = makeTrack(10, [
+      { startTime: 0, duration: 3, pdt: 1000 },
+      { startTime: 3, duration: 5, pdt: 1003 },
+      { startTime: 8, duration: 4, pdt: 1008 },
+    ]);
+
+    const anchored = anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track);
+
+    // originOffset = (10 − 0) × 4 = 40 (not 10 × 5 = 50).
+    expect(anchored.segments[0]?.startTime).toBe(40);
+  });
+
+  it('honors a configured startSequence (no shift when it equals the window start)', () => {
+    const track = makeTrack(85, [{ startTime: 0, duration: 4, pdt: 1000 }]);
+    // startSequence = 85 → originOffset 0 → already at origin → unchanged identity.
+    expect(anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track, { startSequence: 85 })).toBe(track);
+  });
+
+  it('preserves present segments’ actual spacing (only the origin offset is estimated)', () => {
+    const track = makeTrack(10, [
+      { startTime: 0, duration: 1.9, pdt: 1000 },
+      { startTime: 1.9, duration: 2.1, pdt: 1001.9 },
+    ]);
+    const anchored = anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track);
+    // Inter-segment gap stays the real 1.9s; both shift by the same offset.
+    const [a, b] = anchored.segments;
+    expect((b?.startTime ?? 0) - (a?.startTime ?? 0)).toBeCloseTo(1.9, 6);
+  });
+
+  it('is a no-op when no segment carries programDateTime', () => {
+    const track = makeTrack(85, [
+      { startTime: 0, duration: 4 },
+      { startTime: 4, duration: 4 },
+    ]);
+    expect(anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track)).toBe(track);
+  });
+
+  it('is a no-op for an empty track', () => {
+    const track = makeTrack(0, []);
+    expect(anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track)).toBe(track);
+  });
+});