What is HLS streaming and why do I need it?
HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) is an adaptive streaming format. The player switches quality to match the viewer's connection, so playback stays smooth on any device or network.
What quality variants are generated?
The ones you pick, from 360p up to 4K: 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p and 2160p. Low tiers serve slow connections and high tiers serve fast ones.
Which video formats can I turn into HLS?
Anything the in-browser FFmpeg engine can decode: MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI, WMV, FLV, M4V, 3GP, MPEG-TS (.ts, .mts, .m2ts), MPG/VOB, OGV, MXF, animated GIF and most others. Every rendition is re-encoded to H.264 and AAC, so the source codec does not matter. AV1 video and copy-protected (DRM) files will not work, and the tool tells you when it meets one. For audio-only files it links you to the Audio HLS Stream Generator.
How do I use the generated HLS files?
Upload everything in the ZIP to your web server or CDN. Then point an HLS player such as Video.js, HLS.js or the native player on iOS and Safari at the master .m3u8 playlist.
What's included in the HLS package?
The master playlist (.m3u8), a playlist for each quality and the video segments (.ts files). That is everything a player needs.
Can I customize segment duration?
Yes: 2, 4, 6 or 10 seconds. Shorter segments switch quality faster but make more files. Longer ones make fewer files but adapt more slowly.
Is there a file size limit for HLS generation?
Videos can be up to 1 GB. How long it takes depends on the video's length and how many quality levels you pick.
Are my videos uploaded to your servers?
No. Everything happens in your browser with WebAssembly, so your video stays on your computer.
