Free Online M3U8 Player, HLS Stream & YouTube Video Tester

What is an M3U8 Player?

An M3U8 player is a specialized tool designed to handle M3U8 file formats, which contain multimedia playlists typically pointing to online video streams. These files are used for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology developed by Apple. Our free player fetches the video segments specified in the M3U8 file and plays them directly in your browser.

How to Test a Stream or Video:

1. Copy your M3U8 stream URL (usually ending with .m3u8) or YouTube URL
2. Paste the URL into the input box above
3. Click the Play Stream button
4. If needed, use the Advanced Options for M3U8 streams that require specific HTTP referrer or user agent (not needed for YouTube)

For more information on M3U8, you can visit the Wikipedia page on M3U8.

YouTube Video Support

Our player now supports YouTube videos in addition to M3U8/HLS streams. Simply paste any YouTube URL and the player will automatically detect and play it.

Supported YouTube URL formats:

• Standard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• Short: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• Embed: https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
• Mobile: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

What is an HLS Player?

An HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) player is designed to play adaptive streaming content delivered over HTTP. It works by breaking the overall video stream into small HTTP-based file downloads, each containing a short segment of the continuous stream.

Key benefits of HLS include:

• Adaptive bitrate streaming to match viewer's connection speed
• Works through most firewalls (since it uses standard HTTP)
• Supported by most modern browsers and devices
• Allows for live streaming as well as video-on-demand content

HLS streams are defined using M3U8 playlists. For more details, check out the Wikipedia page on HTTP Live Streaming.

Browser Compatibility

Our M3U8 tester works on most modern browsers and devices:

• Desktop: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Mobile: Safari on iOS, Chrome on Android
• Smart TVs: Many modern smart TVs with updated browsers

Note: Ensure CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) is enabled on the streaming server for proper functionality.

Troubleshooting Stream Problems

Common Error: "The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported."

This error indicates that the video player is unable to load the media. Here are some possible reasons and solutions:

• Invalid URL: Ensure that the M3U8 URL is correct and accessible. Try opening it in VLC Media Player as a test.
• CORS Issues: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) might be preventing the stream from loading. Use our Advanced Options to set the proper HTTP Referrer.
• Network Issues: Verify that there are no network issues blocking the request. Check firewall settings, VPNs, or proxy configurations.
• Geo-restrictions: Some streams may be restricted to specific countries or regions.
• Unsupported Format: The media format might not be supported by the video player or your browser.

If issues persist, check the console for detailed error messages or try opening the stream in an external player like VLC.

Advanced Usage Tips

Using HTTP Referrer: Some streams require a specific HTTP Referrer to validate the request origin. Enter the required website URL in the HTTP Referrer field.

Custom User Agent: For streams that verify the browser or device, you can specify a custom User Agent string.

Testing Playlist Variants: M3U8 files often contain multiple quality variants. Our player will automatically select the appropriate quality based on your connection.