Last updated on 2022-05-16, by Vinho

What is M3U8 Live Stream URL?

Generally speaking, there are two ways to download live streams from the Internet. One way is to download live video directly with the help of online video downloader, and the other way is to use M3U8 downloader to download live video after getting the M3U8 live stream URL. Therefore, this article will specifically introduce what is the M3U8 live stream URL and the currently excellent M3U8 downloaders, and how to use these M3U8 downloaders to download live video through the M3U8 live stream URL. If you have downloaded M3U8 files, you may consider converting M3U8 to MP4 so that you can play these videos offline.

Part 1: What is M3U8 Live Stream URL?

M3U8 live stream URL is a special URL based on HLS, which is mainly used to indicate the webpage where a live stream is located. Originally developed by Apple, HLS contains an M3U8 index file, a TS media segment file and an encrypted string file. The M3U8 link is stored in the M3U8 file. Therefore, the M3U8 live stream URL is just one type of M3U8 link. Similar to the function of a common URL, through M3U8 live stream URL, you can directly access the web page of a live stream, and then watch the live stream. In general, M3U8 links start with “http” and use .m3u8 as the extension. For example, “https://website.com/hls/live/indvss/eng/15tsgsxgas/master_1.m3u8” is an M3U8 URL.

Part 2: How to Get M3U8 Live Stream URL from Live Stream?

To get M3U8 live stream URL, you need to first visit the webpage where the live stream is located through a browser, and play the live stream. Then, you need to take the following steps to get the M3U8 live stream URL.

Step 1: Press f12 in the keyboard to open the developer tools. Click “Network” in the developer tools, then enter “m3u8” in the filter, and search for fields containing “m3u8”.

Step 2: Find the field starting with “htpp” and ending with “.m3u8”, which is the M3U8 live stream URL. Just copy it.

Of course, you can also get the M3U8 live stream URL through software. Among them, Video m3u8 Sniffer is a very popular M3U8 link acquirer. You can find it by visiting the Chrome Web Store and install it into your browser for free. you can take the following steps to get the M3U8 live stream URL by using Video m3u8 Sniffer.

Step 1: Start Video m3u8 Sniffer while you are watching live stream. Video m3u8 Sniffer will automatically identify the URLs of all M3U8 streams in the current web page and display them in a window.

Step 2: You can copy the M3U8 URL of the live stream you are currently watching directly from the window.

Part 3: How to Download Live Stream with M3U8 Live Stream URL via CleverGet?

CleverGet is a very easy-to-use video downloader on the market, which can easily complete the task of downloading live streams without any quality loss. CleverGet provides two ways to download live streams for users to choose from. One is to download the live video directly through the URL of the live video, and the other is to download the live video through the live stream M3U8 URL. In addition, the developer of CleverGet has greatly improved the efficiency of CleverGet downloading videos. Now, CleverGet can download up to 5 videos simultaneously. The following are the specific steps to download live stream with M3U8 live stream URL by using CleverGet.

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△Step 1: Set output directory

Because CleverGet’s installation package is freely available to users, and CleverGet can run smoothly in Windows and macOS. Therefore, you can go to the official website of CleverGet to download the corresponding installation package of CleverGet according to the operating system of your device. After installing CleverGet to your device, run it. If you are using CleverGet for the first time, you should set output directory before you use it to download live streams. Click the “…” button in the upper right corner of the client of CleverGet, then click “Settings”. In the pop-up window, find the “General” tab. Under this tab, you can set or change the output directory on the right side of “Save Video To”.

△Step 2: Open target video page

Paste the obtained M3U8 live stream URL into the address bar of CleverGet. Then press the “Enter” key on the keyboard. CleverGet’s built-in browser will directly access the web page indicated by the M3U8 live stream URL.

△Step 3: Download the video

After CleverGet opens the web page where the live stream is located, it detects the downloadable video sources within the web page. CleverGet will pop up a window and display the different formats, sizes and resolutions of the video in the window. You can directly select the video you want to download, and then click the “Download” button to command CleverGet to download the video.

△Step 4: Check Downloading Process

CleverGet will display the progress of downloading videos in real time. You can view these processes by clicking the “Download” button at the top right of the client of CleverGet. Of course, you can also order CleverGet to pause or stop downloading video here.

Part 4: How to Download Live Stream with M3U8 Live Stream URL via Leawo Video Downloader?

M3U8 URL is based on HLS protocol. Therefore, I strongly recommend this best HLS downloader. That is Leawo Video Downloader. Leawo Video Downloader is both a video downloader that can download videos from various video sites, and a real-time video downloader that can download live videos from various live streaming platforms. Of course, Leawo Video Downloader can also recognize the M3U8 live stream URL, and then download the live video. Because Leawo Video Downloader can download videos in batches, the video download speed of Leawo Video Downloader is 6 times that of ordinary video download software. In addition, after downloading the videos, Leawo Video Downloader’s built-in video player can directly play these videos. The following are the specific steps to use Leawo Video Downloader to identify the M3U8 live stream URL and then download the live video.

◎Step 1: Set output directory

The client of Leawo Video Downloader has been obsoleted by the developers of Leawo. Now, Leawo Video Downloader and several other Leawo software are packaged together to form Leawo Pro. Media. So, install Leawo Pro. Media on your computer for free and you can use Leawo Video Downloader. You may not know where the downloaded videos will be saved, so before downloading live videos with Leawo Video Downloader, you can set output directory first. After running Leawo Pro. Media, click the “Settings” button in the upper right. In the “Settings” window, find the “Downloader” directory. In this directory, you can set the output directory of the output file.

◎Step 2: Open target video page

Click the “Video Downloader” icon in the middle of Leawo Pro. Media to enter the function interface of Leawo Video Downloader. Paste the M3U8 live stream URL directly into the address bar of Leawo Video Downloader, and click the green arrow button on the right to let Leawo Video Downloader visit the webpage indicated by the URL.

◎Step 3: Download the video

After entering the webpage, Leawo Video Downloader will automatically identify the information of the videos in the webpage that can be downloaded. You can check this information in the pop-up window of Leawo Video Downloader, then select the video you want to download and click the “Download” button on the right to let Leawo Video Downloader download the video.

Part 5: M3U8 Player for M3U8 Live Stream URL

Be aware that not all media players recognize the M3U8 live stream URL and play M3U8 video. Therefore, if the media player on your current device does not have the ability to play M3U8 videos, you can consider using the following M3U8 player.

If you ask in Windows, which is the best and free M3U8 player? My answer is: VLC Media Player. VLC is a cross-platform media player. You can install it for free on Windows, Android and macOS operating systems. The specifically steps of usiing VLC to identify the M3U8 live stream URL, and then download the M3U8 video are as follows:

Step 1: Run VLC. Click “Media” at the top left, then “Open Network Stream…”.

Step 2: In the pop-up window, paste the M3U8 live stream URL into the URL address bar of VLC. Finally, click the “Convert” button at the bottom of the window. VLC will convert the M3U8 video to MP4 and download it.

Nowadays, watching live stream has become an important pastime for people. People may miss a great live stream for some reason or want to watch some great live replays at any time, so the demand for people to download live streams has become more and more important. The two video downloaders that I have introduced in this article are both excellent online video downloaders on the market today. If you also have the need to download live streams, you can consider using them.