m3u8 online player

What is M3U8?

M3U8 is a media playlist format based on UTF-8 encoding, widely used for streaming media, especially in the HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) protocol. It typically points to a series of .ts video segments and supports progressive downloading and adaptive bitrate streaming, making it a popular choice for both mobile and web platforms.

Unlike traditional video files, an M3U8 file does not contain actual video content but instead lists paths to multiple .ts segments. This design allows the player to load video content segment by segment, providing a more stable playback experience even under fluctuating network conditions.

M3U8 playlists can also dynamically switch between different bitrates based on the user's device and bandwidth, enabling adaptive streaming and optimizing playback quality. Major cloud service providers like Tencent Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, and Qiniu offer excellent support for M3U8 and the HLS protocol.

To play M3U8 streams in a web browser, libraries like HLS.js or Tencent Cloud’s TCPlayer are commonly used. These tools are compatible with major browsers and support cross-platform playback.