diff --git a/packages/spf/src/media/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.ts b/packages/spf/src/media/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.ts
index 312c41ba..5b57fdd4 100644
--- a/packages/spf/src/media/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.ts
+++ b/packages/spf/src/media/anchor-track-to-sequence-origin.ts
@@ -7,12 +7,12 @@ export interface AnchorToSequenceOriginOptions {
    * — 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;
+  presumedStartSequence?: 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
+ * `presumedStartSequence`, 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.
  *
@@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ export interface AnchorToSequenceOriginOptions {
  * 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
+ * `(its sequence − presumedStartSequence) × 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
+ * ROUGH and provisional: assumes `presumedStartSequence` 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.
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export interface AnchorToSequenceOriginOptions {
  */
 export function anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin<Tracks extends Track>(
   track: Tracks,
-  { startSequence = 0 }: AnchorToSequenceOriginOptions = {}
+  { presumedStartSequence = 0 }: AnchorToSequenceOriginOptions = {}
 ): Tracks {
   const { segments } = track;
   const anchorIndex = segments.findIndex((segment) => !isUndefined(segment.startDate));
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ export function anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin<Tracks extends 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 originOffset = (anchorSequence - presumedStartSequence) * averageDuration;
   const shift = originOffset - anchor.startTime;
   if (shift === 0) {
     return track;
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
index 26fd8230..4eb7bd9f 100644
--- 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
@@ -60,10 +60,10 @@ describe('anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin', () => {
     expect(anchored.segments[0]?.startTime).toBe(40);
   });
 
-  it('honors a configured startSequence (no shift when it equals the window start)', () => {
+  it('honors a configured presumedStartSequence (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);
+    // presumedStartSequence = 85 → originOffset 0 → already at origin → unchanged identity.
+    expect(anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track, { presumedStartSequence: 85 })).toBe(track);
   });
 
   it('preserves present segments’ actual spacing (only the origin offset is estimated)', () => {
diff --git a/packages/spf/src/playback/behaviors/anchor-live-tracks.ts b/packages/spf/src/playback/behaviors/anchor-live-tracks.ts
index ff75933f..d754a0f2 100644
--- a/packages/spf/src/playback/behaviors/anchor-live-tracks.ts
+++ b/packages/spf/src/playback/behaviors/anchor-live-tracks.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export interface AnchorLiveTracksConfig {
    * Sequence number assumed to be the stream origin (time 0). Default 0 —
    * see `anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin`.
    */
-  startSequence?: number;
+  presumedStartSequence?: number;
 }
 
 function anchorLiveTracksSetup({
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ function anchorLiveTracksSetup({
   };
   config?: AnchorLiveTracksConfig;
 }): () => void {
-  const { startSequence = 0 } = config;
+  const { presumedStartSequence = 0 } = config;
 
   return effect(() => {
     const presentation = state.presentation.get();
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ function anchorLiveTracksSetup({
     const anchored: ResolvedTrack[] = [];
     for (const track of selected) {
       if (!track || !isResolvedTrack(track) || isUndefined(track.startDate)) continue;
-      const next = anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track, { startSequence });
+      const next = anchorTrackToSequenceOrigin(track, { presumedStartSequence });
       // Identity-equal when already anchored (shift 0) → nothing to patch.
       if (next !== track) anchored.push(next);
     }
diff --git a/packages/spf/src/playback/engines/hls/engine.ts b/packages/spf/src/playback/engines/hls/engine.ts
index 648628bb..3d7958b6 100644
--- a/packages/spf/src/playback/engines/hls/engine.ts
+++ b/packages/spf/src/playback/engines/hls/engine.ts
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ export interface SimpleHlsEngineConfig extends ShareSignalsConfig<SimpleHlsEngin
    * timeline anchor (`anchorLiveTracks`). Default 0. Only meaningful for live
    * sources; ignored for VoD (the anchor is a no-op without `#EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME`).
    */
-  startSequence?: number;
+  presumedStartSequence?: number;
   /**
    * Live media-playlist re-run policy for the resolve* loaders' `RecurringRunner`:
    * returns a promise that resolves when the playlist should reload, or `null` to