diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/playback-issue.md b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/playback-issue.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..258719fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/playback-issue.md
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+---
+name: HLS/DASH/Console Playback Failure
+about: Are you experiencing a failure when playing your streamed media?
+title: "[Playback Failure]"
+labels: Playback
+assignees: ''
+
+---
+
+**NOTE:** This template is for failure to playback issues of HLS, DASH, and AWS console players. If the playback issue is related to GetMedia playback, please submit an issue on the [KVS Java Parser Library](https://github.com/aws/amazon-kinesis-video-streams-parser-library) repository. If the issue is related to HLS/DASH/Console, but the issue is not regarding a failure to playback (such as a latency issue or general question), please submit using the general question template.
+
+### Brief one-liner description of the issue:
+...
+
+### Please include the following details:
+- Problematic playback methods (HLS, DASH, and/or AWS Console), operating systems, browsers:
+  - ...
+- Working playback methods (were you able to playback the stream using using any methods?), operating systems, browsers:
+  - ...
+- Is the stream's data retention setting greater than 0?
+- Does your stream meet the [KVS video playback track requirements](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kinesisvideostreams/latest/dg/video-playback-requirements.html)?
+- If there are fragment decoding errors:
+  - Are fragment timestamps accurate, in the correct order, and have no duplicates? ([ListFragments](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kinesisvideostreams/latest/dg/API_reader_ListFragments.html) can be used to retrieve fragment information for a stream)
+  - Is your application encoding the frame data using the H.264 format?
+  - Does the resolution of the frames match the resolution specified in the Codec Private Data?
+  - Does the H.264 profile and level of the encoded frames match the profile and level specified in the Codec Private Data?
+  - Does the browser/OS support the profile/level combination?
+- If there are HLS playback failures:
+  - Is the fragment duration less than 1 second? If yes, does issue persist with fragments longer than 1 second?
+  - Is each HLS streaming session URL being used by only one player at a time?
+  - Does each fragment have a consistent number of tracks, is not changing between having both an audio and video track and only a video track, and has consistent encoder settings (resolution and frame rate not changing between fragments in each track)?
+  - Does issue persist after fetching using GetHLSStreamingSessionURL with the ContainerFormat and DiscontinuityMode parameters set to different values?
+
+
+### Logging
+Add any relevant SDK and player logs.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Please make sure to NOT share AWS access credentials under any circumstance!  Please make sure they are not in the logs.
+
+** If you would not like to open an issue to discuss your solution in open-platform, please email your question to kinesis-video-support@amazon.com **
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index cfaed44b..58d4c071 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -321,8 +321,7 @@ jobs:
           Move-Item -Path "D:\a\amazon-kinesis-video-streams-producer-sdk-cpp\amazon-kinesis-video-streams-producer-sdk-cpp\*" -Destination "C:\amazon-kinesis-video-streams-producer-sdk-cpp"
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
-          choco install pkgconfiglite
-          choco install nasm strawberryperl
+          choco install nasm strawberryperl pkgconfiglite
           choco install gstreamer --version=1.22.8
           choco install gstreamer-devel --version=1.22.8
       - name: Build repository
diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-check.yml b/.github/workflows/version-check.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ec0a7e9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-check.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+name: Check Version Mismatch between PR branch and master.
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - master
+
+jobs:
+  check-version:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout PR branch
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Get version from PR
+        id: pr_version
+        run: |
+          PR_VERSION=$(grep -Po 'KinesisVideoProducerCpp VERSION \K[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' CMakeLists.txt)
+          echo "PR_VERSION=$PR_VERSION" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+          echo "PR Version: $PR_VERSION"
+
+      - name: Checkout master branch
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: master
+
+      - name: Get version from master
+        id: master_version
+        run: |
+          MASTER_VERSION=$(grep -Po 'KinesisVideoProducerCpp VERSION \K[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' CMakeLists.txt)
+          echo "MASTER_VERSION=$MASTER_VERSION" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+          echo "Master version: $MASTER_VERSION"
+
+      - name: Compare versions
+        run: |
+          echo "Comparing PR Version: $PR_VERSION with Master Version: $MASTER_VERSION"
+          if [ "$MASTER_VERSION" == "$PR_VERSION" ]; then
+            echo "Please update the version in CMakeLists.txt file (project(KinesisVideoProducerCpp VERSION <ver-string> LANGUAGES C). Any PR getting merged to master requires a version update"
+            exit 1
+          else
+            echo "Version update detected."
+          fi
\ No newline at end of file