diff --git a/app/meson.build b/app/meson.build
index 02d24a34888def95ca1419d1cbba81ef61ad1ebe..dbde9d195b65bcced7545c24b06e503f2ae3d68d 100644
--- a/app/meson.build
+++ b/app/meson.build
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 src = [
     'src/main.c',
+    'src/buffered_reader.c',
     'src/command.c',
     'src/control_msg.c',
     'src/controller.c',
diff --git a/app/src/buffered_reader.c b/app/src/buffered_reader.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8aad8e60f5a6768481f6f5cfcf2737fc44bd830a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/buffered_reader.c
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#include "buffered_reader.h"
+
+#include <SDL2/SDL_assert.h>
+#include "log.h"
+
+bool
+buffered_reader_init(struct buffered_reader *reader, socket_t socket,
+                     size_t bufsize) {
+    reader->buf = SDL_malloc(bufsize);
+    if (!reader->buf) {
+        LOGC("Could not allocate buffer");
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    reader->socket = socket;
+    reader->bufsize = bufsize;
+    reader->offset = 0;
+    reader->len = 0;
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+void
+buffered_reader_destroy(struct buffered_reader *reader) {
+    SDL_free(reader->buf);
+}
+
+static ssize_t
+buffered_reader_fill(struct buffered_reader *reader) {
+    SDL_assert(!reader->len);
+    ssize_t r = net_recv(reader->socket, reader->buf, reader->bufsize);
+    if (r > 0) {
+        reader->offset = 0;
+        reader->len = r;
+    }
+    return r;
+}
+
+ssize_t
+buffered_reader_recv(struct buffered_reader *reader, void *buf, size_t count) {
+    if (!reader->len) {
+        // read from the socket
+        ssize_t r = buffered_reader_fill(reader);
+        if (r <= 0) {
+            return r;
+        }
+    }
+
+    size_t r = count < reader->len ? count : reader->len;
+    memcpy(buf, reader->buf + reader->offset, r);
+    reader->offset += r;
+    reader->len -= r;
+    return r;
+}
+
+ssize_t
+buffered_reader_recv_all(struct buffered_reader *reader, void *buf,
+                         size_t count) {
+    size_t done = 0;
+    while (done < count) {
+        ssize_t r = buffered_reader_recv(reader, buf, count - done);
+        if (r <= 0) {
+            // if there was some data, return them immediately
+            return done ? done : r;
+        }
+
+        done += r;
+        buf += r;
+    }
+
+    return done;
+}
diff --git a/app/src/buffered_reader.h b/app/src/buffered_reader.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e4fb6bc60fb049be5c49843245098d85024a05b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/buffered_reader.h
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#ifndef BUFFERED_READER_H
+#define BUFFERED_READER_H
+
+#include "common.h"
+#include "net.h"
+
+struct buffered_reader {
+    socket_t socket;
+    void *buf;
+    size_t bufsize;
+    size_t offset;
+    size_t len;
+};
+
+bool
+buffered_reader_init(struct buffered_reader *reader, socket_t socket,
+                     size_t bufsize);
+
+void
+buffered_reader_destroy(struct buffered_reader *reader);
+
+ssize_t
+buffered_reader_recv(struct buffered_reader *reader, void *buf, size_t count);
+
+ssize_t
+buffered_reader_recv_all(struct buffered_reader *reader, void *buf,
+                         size_t count);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/app/src/scrcpy.c b/app/src/scrcpy.c
index ed9887789bf8f59744e44fa1ebcdfb3db9b22167..664fa9c0a1229fe9cc1c818b7bfe4148c0f75a83 100644
--- a/app/src/scrcpy.c
+++ b/app/src/scrcpy.c
@@ -297,6 +297,7 @@ scrcpy(const struct scrcpy_options *options) {
     bool video_buffer_initialized = false;
     bool file_handler_initialized = false;
     bool recorder_initialized = false;
+    bool stream_initialized = false;
     bool stream_started = false;
     bool controller_initialized = false;
     bool controller_started = false;
@@ -358,7 +359,10 @@ scrcpy(const struct scrcpy_options *options) {
 
     av_log_set_callback(av_log_callback);
 
-    stream_init(&stream, server.video_socket, dec, rec);
+    if (!stream_init(&stream, server.video_socket, dec, rec)) {
+        goto end;
+    }
+    stream_initialized = true;
 
     // now we consumed the header values, the socket receives the video stream
     // start the stream
@@ -437,6 +441,9 @@ end:
     if (stream_started) {
         stream_join(&stream);
     }
+    if (stream_initialized) {
+        stream_destroy(&stream);
+    }
     if (controller_started) {
         controller_join(&controller);
     }
diff --git a/app/src/stream.c b/app/src/stream.c
index bca89f7129fd3da47e69289384ce4f613b7395ec..112d1f3df4593bf225f1607d79115d8ca9f0892a 100644
--- a/app/src/stream.c
+++ b/app/src/stream.c
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "recorder.h"
 
-#define BUFSIZE 0x10000
+#define STREAM_BUFSIZE 0x10000
 
 #define HEADER_SIZE 12
 #define NO_PTS UINT64_C(-1)
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ stream_recv_packet(struct stream *stream, AVPacket *packet) {
     // It is followed by <packet_size> bytes containing the packet/frame.
 
     uint8_t header[HEADER_SIZE];
-    ssize_t r = net_recv_all(stream->socket, header, HEADER_SIZE);
+    ssize_t r =
+        buffered_reader_recv_all(&stream->buffered_reader, header, HEADER_SIZE);
     if (r < HEADER_SIZE) {
         return false;
     }
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ stream_recv_packet(struct stream *stream, AVPacket *packet) {
         return false;
     }
 
-    r = net_recv_all(stream->socket, packet->data, len);
+    r = buffered_reader_recv_all(&stream->buffered_reader, packet->data, len);
     if (r < len) {
         av_packet_unref(packet);
         return false;
@@ -267,13 +268,23 @@ end:
     return 0;
 }
 
-void
+bool
 stream_init(struct stream *stream, socket_t socket,
             struct decoder *decoder, struct recorder *recorder) {
+    if (!buffered_reader_init(&stream->buffered_reader, socket,
+                              STREAM_BUFSIZE)) {
+        return false;
+    }
     stream->socket = socket;
     stream->decoder = decoder,
     stream->recorder = recorder;
     stream->has_pending = false;
+    return true;
+}
+
+void
+stream_destroy(struct stream *stream) {
+    buffered_reader_destroy(&stream->buffered_reader);
 }
 
 bool
diff --git a/app/src/stream.h b/app/src/stream.h
index 160ed7f5d490432fa86133e2e11ce5f9ee489c59..8a1d4599e287758f4be4961a996cfc4266291495 100644
--- a/app/src/stream.h
+++ b/app/src/stream.h
@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@
 #include <SDL2/SDL_atomic.h>
 #include <SDL2/SDL_thread.h>
 
+#include "buffered_reader.h"
 #include "net.h"
 
 struct video_buffer;
 
 struct stream {
     socket_t socket;
+    struct buffered_reader buffered_reader;
     struct video_buffer *video_buffer;
     SDL_Thread *thread;
     struct decoder *decoder;
@@ -25,10 +27,13 @@ struct stream {
     AVPacket pending;
 };
 
-void
+bool
 stream_init(struct stream *stream, socket_t socket,
             struct decoder *decoder, struct recorder *recorder);
 
+void
+stream_destroy(struct stream *stream);
+
 bool
 stream_start(struct stream *stream);