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M3U8 Format Conversion Guide

Help Article

M3U8 to MP4

Converting M3U8 streams to MP4 files is a common need for offline playback or editing. Here are several common conversion methods:

Method 1: Using FFmpeg (Recommended)

FFmpeg is the most powerful video processing tool, supporting M3U8 to MP4 conversion:

ffmpeg -i "https://example.com/playlist.m3u8" -c copy output.mp4

Parameter explanation:

  • -i: Specify input file (M3U8 URL)
  • -c copy: Directly copy stream without re-encoding (fast)
  • If source encoding is incompatible, use -c:v libx264 -c:a aac to re-encode
Method 2: Using Online Conversion Tools

If you don't want to install software, you can use online conversion services:

  • Visit online M3U8 to MP4 conversion websites
  • Enter M3U8 file URL
  • Select output format and quality
  • Wait for conversion to complete and download
Method 3: Using Professional Download Tools

Some professional video download tools support directly downloading M3U8 and converting to MP4:

  • Downloaders that support M3U8 format
  • Automatically merge TS segments
  • Can choose output format

Generating M3U8 from Other Formats

If you have MP4, AVI and other video files and want to generate M3U8 playlists for streaming playback, you can use the following methods:

Using FFmpeg to Generate M3U8

Split video file into TS segments and generate M3U8 playlist:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 \
  -c:v libx264 -c:a aac \
  -hls_time 10 \
  -hls_list_size 0 \
  -hls_segment_filename "segment_%03d.ts" \
  playlist.m3u8

Parameter explanation:

  • -hls_time 10: Each segment duration is 10 seconds
  • -hls_list_size 0: Include all segments (0 means unlimited)
  • -hls_segment_filename: Segment filename format
Generating Multi-bitrate M3U8

Create adaptive bitrate M3U8 playlist:

  1. First generate video files at different bitrates:
    ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 1M -c:a aac -b:a 128k 480p.mp4
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 2M -c:a aac -b:a 128k 720p.mp4
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 4M -c:a aac -b:a 192k 1080p.mp4
  2. Convert each file to M3U8
  3. Create master playlist referencing all bitrate M3U8 files

Conversion Considerations

  • Network Connection: M3U8 to MP4 requires downloading all segments, ensure stable network
  • Storage Space: Converted files may be large, ensure sufficient storage space
  • Encrypted Streams: If M3U8 stream is encrypted, key is required for conversion
  • Copyright Issues: Converting copyright-protected content requires authorization
  • Quality Loss: Re-encoding may cause quality loss, using -c copy can avoid this

Common Questions

Q: Network error during conversion?

A: Check if M3U8 URL is accessible, ensure network connection is normal, some servers may have access restrictions.

Q: Converted video has no sound?

A: May be audio encoding incompatibility, try using -c:a aac to re-encode audio.

Q: How to improve conversion speed?

A: Using -c copy parameter can avoid re-encoding and greatly improve speed. If re-encoding is necessary, reduce output quality or use hardware acceleration.

Q: Generated M3U8 cannot play?

A: Check if segment file paths are correct, ensure all TS files are in accessible locations, check server CORS settings.

Best Practices

  • Prioritize using -c copy to avoid re-encoding and maintain original quality
  • Reasonably set segment duration (usually 6-10 seconds)
  • Generate multi-bitrate versions to support adaptive playback
  • Ensure server supports HTTP Range requests
  • Use HTTPS protocol to improve security

By mastering these conversion methods, you can flexibly convert between M3U8 and other video formats according to different needs, meeting various usage scenarios.

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