What is an M3U8 file

1. Native Hls Playback

In essence, an M3U8 file is a playlist encoded in the UTF-8 codec which was developed initially for Apple devices but has gained worldwide acceptance in modern times. The best thing about the M3U8 file is that it is extremely flexible and stores a series of small files of a live streaming video so that a large video can be sent at various data transferring speeds according to different Internet connections.

On occasion, you might be troubled with an M3U8 cannot load error because M3U8 files are not general videos. They comprise of media list and location and are stored in plain text format.

If you failed to open M3U8 files in a player, you can download or convert M3U8 to MP4, which is one of the best video formats compatible with all applications. Here we'll show you how to convert M3U8 to MP4 in 4 ways, let's get started.

A CLI m3u8-downloader program to parse.m3u8 playlist file and download mpeg2-ts video files, concat them and convert it to mp4 using FFMPEG ffmpeg hls http2 python3 video-downloader m3u8 http-live-streaming transport-stream m3u hls-video m3u8-videos m3u8-downloader m3u8-parser hls-downloader mpeg2-ts m3u8-download m3u8download m3u8-dl. Daisy Follow us. Position: Columnist She was graduated from the major in English. She has been the MiniTool editor since she was graduated from university. She specializes in writing articles about backing up data & systems, cloning disks, and syncing files, etc. Next, go to the streaming site from where you want to download and grab the M3U8 video URL. For ease of use, you can use free extensions like Video DownloadHelper available for both Chrome and Firefox to grab the M3U8 file. Now, open the PowerShell or Command.

An M3U8 file is a playlist file used by various audio and video playback programs. It contains a path or URL to a media file or folder of media files, along with information about the playlist. M3U8 files use the same formatting as.M3U files, except the text stored in the files uses UTF-8 character encoding.

Part 1. How to Convert M3U8 to MP4 with VideoProc

If you want an M3U8 to MP4 converter to convert M3U8 to MP4 file, VideoProc is perfect for you. Let's say you have an M3U8 file, you will find that it covers multiple TS video clips, each lasting a few seconds. To watch a continuous video without interruptions, you should combine all the TS video clip into a MP4 file. VideoProc's powerful built-in video file converter enables you to convert M3U8 to MP4 very fast and it won't need much knowledge of video format, codecs, or transcoding stuff. Let's download it and take a look at how to convert M3U8 to MP4 with VidoeProc.

Launch this program, click 'Video' and '+Video Folder' to add your M3U8 folder which consists of several .ts files.

Now, you need to select the resultant video format which will be 'MP4' in our case.

Choose an output folder for your converted video. Tick the box before 'Merge' to combine these clips into one MP4 video. Ultimately, hit the 'RUN' button to export an MP4 file.

Part 2. How to Download M3U8 to MP4 with VideoProc

VideoProc is a safe and reliable video processing software that can download M3U8 to MP4 from any website in a click. Be it a M3U8 streamed video or a M3U8 broadcasting video, VideoProc always can read and download the video sources for you. One other important tidbit to know is that VideoProc downloads M3U8 to MP4 directly. That said, you don't have to do conversions because VideoProc saves M3U8 files as MP4 automatically. Just download it and follow the steps below.

Click the button above to quickly download the software to your computer and install it following the screen instruction. When installation is done, launch VideoProc and navigate to the 'Video Downloader' at the home page.

Head to 'Add Video' at the top ribbon and paste a M3U8 URL from the clipboard. You can also reset the location to store downloaded videos on the right.

You will see one or several video quality in the list, choose one of them to download.

If you are downloading a M3U8 streamed video, click 'Download now' on the lower right corner to save the clip.

If you are downloading a M3U8 broadcasting video, click on the 'Start Recording' button. And you will see a progress bar looping and the duration changing. That means the download works and is in progress. When the television program is done, click the stop recording button.

Part 3. How to Convert M3U8 File to MP4 with VLC

VLC is a popular media player that can also help users in converting videos to accessible formats. A unique thing about VLC is that it is compatible with webcams, discs, files, streams, and devices without any user tracking or pesky advertisement interruptions. Whether you are working on a Mac or Android device, you can use this tool for converting your M3U8 file to MP4 by simply following the steps laid down below.

You will first have to install VLC media player in your device according to its specific OS and launch the same.

Navigate to the Media tab and click on the 'Convert/Save' option. This will launch the Open Media window.

Click '+Add' button for loading the source M3U8 files to proceed.

Set the Profile to MP4 with H.264 codec. And browse a destination file to put the converted video along with specifying the desired video profile as well as file name.

Ultimately, you will have to click on the 'Start' button to activate the conversion.

Part 4. How to Convert M3U8 to MP4 Online

As for online M3U8 to MP4 converters, anyconv.com and video.online-convert.com gain massive popularity among users. Both of them are simple converters with a 3-step workflow:
Import the M3U8 file > Start converting > Download the converted MP4 file.

Compared to AnyConv, Video Online Converter has more customizable options such as resolution, file size, bitrate, etc. And you can import M3U8 by uploading from local storage and pasting a URL. In a nutshell, AnyConv for simple conversion of local M3U8 files, while Video Online Converter for advanced conversion of both online and local M3U8.

Part 5. How to Convert M3U8 to MP4 with FFmpeg

FFmpeg is an open-source multimedia framework compatible with Windows, Linux, macOS, and iOS and Android in mobile devices. It empowers you to download record, stream, edit and convert video/audio files in an efficient way. With an advanced codec library libavcodec, FFmpeg is capable of converting M3U8 files without quality loss.

However, it has no straightforward interface like other common media converter. So be prepared like a tech-savvy to use command lines to convert M3U8 files.

Go to www.ffmpeg.org to download a program package in terms of the operating system. Then create a folder for this program as well as its unpacked files. Finally set the Environmental Variables to C:FFmpegbin.

Open the live video through a browser like Google Chrome or Firefox. Right-click on the live video (or hit F12 key on the keyboard), and go to Inspect >Network. Find your M3U8 file, and copy the link with a suffix of '.m3u8'. Then type the command line 'ffmpeg -i http://.../playlist.m3u8 -c copy -bsf:a aac_adtstoasc output.mp4 ' on a Text Document, and replace http://.../playlist.m3u8 by the link you just copy online.

Search 'Command Prompt' in the box of Search Windows and open it. Paste the command line to it, then press Enter.

Once the process completes, you can find the MP4 video according to the path before the command line, C:ffmpeg>bin, for example.

FAQ about M3U8 Files

1. How Do I Watch M3U8 Videos on My Computer?

When you have a URL to the M3U8 files and the files it refers to are online too, you can use a video player such as 5KPlayer, VLC media player to play M3U8 streams directly.

e.g. Download and Open 5KPlayer > Live > Paste the M3U8 URL to the field > Hit Play to start watching.

2. How to Convert M3U8 to MP4 on Android/iPhone/iPad?

Honestly, there is no app that can convert M3U8 to MP4 on iPhone/iPad in the market, but you can install an M3U8 playback app, for instance, M3U8 Stream Player, on your iPhone/iPad, then record the screen while playing it.

On Android, M3U8 to MP4 apps can be downloaded on GooglePlay. Here we take Lj Video Downloader as an example.

1. Paste the link of an online M3U8 video.

2. Select the desired resolution. It auto-converts videos to MP4 format so you don't need to set the output format.

3. Start to download and wait for a while. All videos will be saved in storageemulated0Download on your Android phone.

Note:It is NOT a workable tool to convert local M3U8 files on your phone. In such a case, desktop converters are versatile assistances for your video playback and conversion.

Wrap-up

M3U8 files conversion involves mainly 2 situations: converting local M3U8 files to MP4 and saving M3U8 stream to local .mp4 videos by downloading. VlC, FFmpeg, online converters, and mobile apps tend to complete either of them. But you can tell from the tutorial above that VideoProc performs both M3U8 conversion and download successfully. To prevent tripping up on these issues, try VideoProc and solve all your video processing tasks in one-stop.

If you are a music enthusiast as well as tech savvy, you may be familiar with M3U8 file extension. Nevertheless, most people do not understand this format or even have not heard of it. In fact, M3U8 is widely used on computers, websites and streaming services.

This post will share the basic knowledge about this audio format in detail. Then you will understand what is M3U8 and how to listen to it with the best M3U8 players on Windows 10/8.1/8/7 and Mac OS X.

M3U8 Players

Part 1: What is m3u8?

In brief, M3U8 is the file extension of audio playlist encoded with UTF-8. It uses plain text files to store the information of audio tracks and music, such as the absolute paths and relative paths of local audio files, as well as URLs. Both audio and video players are able to get where media files are located through the information.

As mentioned previously, M3U8 does not contain media content but the location information.

M3U8 files can be opened and edited by most text editors, such as Notepad on Windows. However, if you want to listen to it, you have to prepare a M3U8 player.

Part 2: Top 5 M3U8 players

Top 1: AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player

Key features:

• • Read M3U8 files and let you to listen to music simply.
• • Keep the original quality of audio tracks and music.
• • Support almost all audio formats and media file extensions.
• • Integrate an audio equalizer to get the desired audio effects.
• • Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP and Mac OS X.

Pros

• • The interface is user friendly and easy to use.
• • This M3U8 player is flexible and available to both average people and tech savvy.

Cons

• • Since AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is a professional media player you need to purchase it after the free-trial.

Top 2: VLC Media Player

Key features:

• • Pack a wide range of video and audio codecs, such as MP3, M4V, WMA, M4A, etc.
• • Get the information in M3U8 files and play audio tracks.
• • Available to both local music files and online streaming.
• • Convert M3U8 files to audio tracks for playing on any devices.
• • Include several bonus tools, such as rip audio from CD, download online music, and more.

Pros

• • This M3U8 player is open source and free of charge.
• • It is an all-in-one media player with extensive features.

Cons

• • It is not suitable to beginners since functionalities are hidden in the menu bar.
• • There are too many custom options.

Top 3: iTunes

Key features:

• • Import M3U8 files as well as the audio tracks in the playlists.
• • Add music in the M3U8 playlist to iTunes library automatically.
• • Create a playlist based on the M3U8 file in iTunes with the specified order.
• • Sync the playlists to iOS devices through a USB cable or Wi-Fi network.

Pros

• • This M3U8 player is completely free to download and use.
• • It is available to both Windows and Mac.

Cons

• • You have to update iTunes frequently.
• • Some songs in the M3U8 file may be not available in iTunes due to copyright.

Top 4: Windows Media Player

Key features:

• • Open M3U8 files and add the audio tracks automatically.
• • Keep the order of the M3U8 playlist.
• • Support WMA, MP3 and popular audio formats.
• • Offer multiple modes, such as listen to music by order or random.
• • Expandable with extra plugins and codecs.

Pros

• • This M3U8 player is pre-installed on Windows.
• • It is able to play online streaming.

Cons

• • You cannot find advanced settings in this media player.
• • It only offers 4 levels of audio quality.

Top 5: Songbird

Key features:

• • Compatible with Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X 10.5 and Linux.
• • Play popular audio formats, such as MP3, AAC, Ogg, Vorbis, FLAC and WMA.
• • Able to open M3U8 files and import audio files automatically.
• • Pack a customizable interface with various skins.
• • Display basic information of audio tracks.

Pros

• • This M3U8 player is expandable with various addons and extensions.
• • It allows you to control the audio playback with hotkeys.

Cons

• • This audio player is large and takes up space.
• • Some functionalities are difficult to use.

Part 3: Top 3 m3u8 players online

Top 1: Castr Player

https://castr.io/hlsplayer

Key features:

• • Test your M3U8 streams online for free.
• • Offer a video tutorial on the home page.
• • Support HLS and MPEG-Dash.
• • One-click to start the audio playback.
• • No require to install or download anything on your computer

Pros

• • This online M3U8 player responds fast.
• • It gives you total control to access streaming services on your own.

Cons

• • The free-trial is limited.
• • It cannot get online audio tracks offline.

Top 2: HLSTester

https://www.hlstester.com/

Key features:

• • Play and test your streams online without downloading anything.
• • Support every stream type, such as M3U8, RTMP, MP4, etc.
• • Test your music streams with a single click.
• • Offer the plugin for web browsers for free.
• • Load audio tracks quickly.

Pros

• • The interface of this online M3U8 player is intuitive.
• • There is no extra requirement, such as registration.

Cons

• • It needs VPN to access in some regions.
• • It may crash if your internet connection is not very good.

Top 3: HLSPlayer

https://www.hlsplayer.net/

Key features:

• • Play M3U8 and HLS playlists through the internet connection.
• • Completely free to use without restrictions.
• • Search for audio streams based on the M3U8 playlist automatically.
• • Offer a RTMP player and a MP4 player as well.

Pros

• • The interface is straightforward and easy to navigate.
• • This M3U8 player is available in most popular web browsers.

Cons

• • It does not offer extensions for Firefox or Chrome.

Part 4: FAQs of M3U8 player

How can I play M3U8 file in HTML?

HTML5 does not support M3U8 files playback. For opening the M3U8 videos on HTML5, you need to insert the following command:
<link href=“https://vjs.zencdn.net/6.6.3/video-js.css” rel=“stylesheet”>
<script src=“https://vjs.zencdn.net/6.6.3/video.js”></script>
<script src=“https://unpkg.com/videojs-flash/dist/videojs-flash.js”></script>
<script src=“https://unpkg.com/videojs-contrib-hls/dist/video js-contrib-hls.js”></script>
<video class=“video-js vjs-default-skin vjs-big-play-centered” data-setup=’{“controls”: true, “autoplay”: true }’>
<source src=“http://sample.vodobox.net/skate_phantom_flex_4k/skate_phantom_flex_4k.m3u8” type=“application/x-mpegURL”>
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
</video>

How do I convert M3U8 to MP4?

For converting M3U8 to MP4, you will need the professional M3U8 converter software. VLC, M3U8 Loader App, etc. Learn the detailed steps of converting M3U8 to MP4 here.

Which browser supports M3U8 files playback?

Microsoft Edge plays M3U8 files but you must make sure your computer run on windows 8 or 10.

Conclusion

Native Hls Playback

We have shared the best M3UP player software and online M3U8 players. Now, you should understand what is M3U8 file and how to listen to music with your M3U8 playlist on Windows and Mac.