What a correct playlist.m3u8 should contain, or should look like?

Question

24/06/2024: [Presentation of the problem]

I had dowloaded some videos from the Internet, few years ago.

I obtained many files:

• a series of files in .ts
• a single file playlist.m3u8

In my example: A series of 318 files named from segment1_1_av.ts to segment318_1_av.ts

I try to merge the series of .ts files, with this command-line of Powershell:

ffmpeg -i playlist.m3u8 -c copy out.ts

It seems to fail due to what is written in playlist.m3u8

When I edit (with Notepad) playlist.m3u8, I obtain :

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:10
#EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE:YES
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD
#EXT-X-VERSION:3
#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:1
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment1_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment2_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment3_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment4_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment5_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment6_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment7_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment8_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment9_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment10_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment11_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment12_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment13_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment14_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment15_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment16_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment17_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment18_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment19_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment20_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment21_1_av.ts
[…]
#EXTINF:10.000,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment317_1_av.ts
#EXTINF:6.520,
http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net/i/am/ptweb/069000/069800/069809-001-A_0_VOF_AMM-PTWEB_XQ.seC11KAAU2.smil/segment318_1_av.ts
#EXT-X-ENDLIST

I don't know what to modify in playlist.m3u8. Could you tell me what a correct playlist.m3u8 should contain, or should look like? So I will be able to manually correct the playlist.m3u8 that I have.

NB: The .ts files are all on my hard drive (they are not on http://arteptweb-vh.akamaihd.net, Internet adress which is obsolete today).

PS: I use Win 10.

26/06/2024:

I have followed the advices of JayCravens (to begin with his second method, because it is less abstract for me…):

1. I renamed my playlist.m3u8 file to playlist.m3u
2. I modified the content of playlist.m3u:

#EXTM3U #EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:EVENT #EXT-X-VERSION:4 #EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:1 #EXTINF:10.00, segment1_1_av.ts

// List of files 2 and 317 go here.

#EXTINF:6.520, segment318_1_av.ts #EXT-X-ENDLIST

NB : I only have let (I don't know if I have been wright?):

#EXTINF:6.520, segment318_1_av.ts #EXT-X-ENDLIST

in stade of #EXTINF:10, segment318_1_av.ts

3. To finish : ffmpeg -i playlist.m3u -codec copy output.mkv

→ The result: I obtain an output.mkv file. When I play (with VLC) this output.mkv file : I have fastly review it, and it seems to me perfect…

However, I noted two things written in red, with Powershell:

[NULL @ 000002c0bd2bad40] non-existing SPS 0 referenced in buffering period

[h264 @ 000002c0bd29c0c0] non-existing SPS 0 referenced in buffering period

Source : From m3u8/ts files to mp4

Answer 1

You might be able to get away with:

ffmpeg -f mpegts -i segment%03d_1_av.ts -codec copy -map 0:0 -map 0:1 output.mkv

Otherwise...

playlist.m3u

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:EVENT
#EXT-X-VERSION:4
#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:1
#EXTINF:10.00,
segment1_1_av.ts
// List of files 2 through 317 go here.
#EXTINF:10.0,
segment318_1_av.ts
#EXT-X-ENDLIST 

ffmpeg -i playlist.m3u -codec copy output.mkv

---

The SPS 0 means the original source was a UDP stream, possibly from a DVB satellite receiver. If you didn't have the files, looks like it would have failed.