diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/Cache.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/Cache.java
index 8641746c74..f65b9b64fe 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/Cache.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/Cache.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package com.google.android.exoplayer2.upstream.cache;
 
 import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.C;
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.NavigableSet;
@@ -169,12 +170,12 @@ public interface Cache {
    *
    * @param key The cache key for the data.
    * @param position The starting position of the data.
-   * @param maxLength The maximum length of the data to be written. Used only to ensure that there
-   *     is enough space in the cache.
+   * @param length The length of the data being written, or {@link C#LENGTH_UNSET} if unknown. Used
+   *     only to ensure that there is enough space in the cache.
    * @return The file into which data should be written.
    * @throws CacheException If an error is encountered.
    */
-  File startFile(String key, long position, long maxLength) throws CacheException;
+  File startFile(String key, long position, long length) throws CacheException;
 
   /**
    * Commits a file into the cache. Must only be called when holding a corresponding hole {@link
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheDataSink.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheDataSink.java
index 6767548c15..8390d09843 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheDataSink.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheDataSink.java
@@ -170,10 +170,13 @@ public final class CacheDataSink implements DataSink {
   }
 
   private void openNextOutputStream() throws IOException {
-    long maxLength = dataSpec.length == C.LENGTH_UNSET ? maxCacheFileSize
-        : Math.min(dataSpec.length - dataSpecBytesWritten, maxCacheFileSize);
-    file = cache.startFile(dataSpec.key, dataSpec.absoluteStreamPosition + dataSpecBytesWritten,
-        maxLength);
+    long length =
+        dataSpec.length == C.LENGTH_UNSET
+            ? C.LENGTH_UNSET
+            : Math.min(dataSpec.length - dataSpecBytesWritten, maxCacheFileSize);
+    file =
+        cache.startFile(
+            dataSpec.key, dataSpec.absoluteStreamPosition + dataSpecBytesWritten, length);
     underlyingFileOutputStream = new FileOutputStream(file);
     if (bufferSize > 0) {
       if (bufferedOutputStream == null) {
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheEvictor.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheEvictor.java
index 8944b45033..dbec4b78fc 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheEvictor.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/CacheEvictor.java
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
  */
 package com.google.android.exoplayer2.upstream.cache;
 
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.C;
+
 /**
  * Evicts data from a {@link Cache}. Implementations should call {@link Cache#removeSpan(CacheSpan)}
  * to evict cache entries based on their eviction policies.
@@ -32,8 +34,7 @@ public interface CacheEvictor extends Cache.Listener {
    * @param cache The source of the event.
    * @param key The key being written.
    * @param position The starting position of the data being written.
-   * @param maxLength The maximum length of the data being written.
+   * @param length The length of the data being written, or {@link C#LENGTH_UNSET} if unknown.
    */
-  void onStartFile(Cache cache, String key, long position, long maxLength);
-
+  void onStartFile(Cache cache, String key, long position, long length);
 }
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/LeastRecentlyUsedCacheEvictor.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/LeastRecentlyUsedCacheEvictor.java
index 79d23dd1b0..aa40c1d2fd 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/LeastRecentlyUsedCacheEvictor.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/LeastRecentlyUsedCacheEvictor.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 package com.google.android.exoplayer2.upstream.cache;
 
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.C;
 import com.google.android.exoplayer2.upstream.cache.Cache.CacheException;
 import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.TreeSet;
@@ -40,8 +41,10 @@ public final class LeastRecentlyUsedCacheEvictor implements CacheEvictor, Compar
   }
 
   @Override
-  public void onStartFile(Cache cache, String key, long position, long maxLength) {
-    evictCache(cache, maxLength);
+  public void onStartFile(Cache cache, String key, long position, long length) {
+    if (length != C.LENGTH_UNSET) {
+      evictCache(cache, length);
+    }
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/SimpleCache.java b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/SimpleCache.java
index 8bcf1758fa..80788b5786 100644
--- a/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/SimpleCache.java
+++ b/library/core/src/main/java/com/google/android/exoplayer2/upstream/cache/SimpleCache.java
@@ -259,8 +259,7 @@ public final class SimpleCache implements Cache {
   }
 
   @Override
-  public synchronized File startFile(String key, long position, long maxLength)
-      throws CacheException {
+  public synchronized File startFile(String key, long position, long length) throws CacheException {
     Assertions.checkState(!released);
     CachedContent cachedContent = index.get(key);
     Assertions.checkNotNull(cachedContent);
@@ -270,7 +269,7 @@ public final class SimpleCache implements Cache {
       cacheDir.mkdirs();
       removeStaleSpans();
     }
-    evictor.onStartFile(this, key, position, maxLength);
+    evictor.onStartFile(this, key, position, length);
     return SimpleCacheSpan.getCacheFile(
         cacheDir, cachedContent.id, position, System.currentTimeMillis());
   }