Introduction

This guide explains how to convert M3U8 streaming files to MP4 format using FFmpeg on Linux. M3U8 files are playlist files used for streaming media that point to various media segments, typically in TS (Transport Stream) format.

Prerequisites

  • FFmpeg installed on your Linux system
  • A locally downloaded M3U8 file

Step-by-Step Process

This method works well when your M3U8 file contains references to remote HTTP/HTTPS streams:

  1. Download all segments to a single TS file

    ffmpeg -protocol_whitelist file,http,https,tcp,tls,crypto -i your-file.m3u8 -c copy segments.ts

  2. Convert the TS file to MP4

    ffmpeg -i segments.ts -c copy output.mp4

Method 2: Direct Conversion (For Local Files)

If your M3U8 file and all its segments are already downloaded locally:

ffmpeg -i your-file.m3u8 -c copy output.mp4

Method 3: Specifying a Program Stream

If your M3U8 file contains multiple quality variants:

ffmpeg -i your-file.m3u8 -map p:2 -c copy output.mp4

Replace p:2 with the program number you want to select (higher numbers typically indicate higher quality).

Troubleshooting

Protocol Not on Whitelist Error

If you see an error like Protocol 'https' not on whitelist 'file,crypto,data', use the protocol whitelist parameter:

ffmpeg -protocol_whitelist file,http,https,tcp,tls,crypto -i your-file.m3u8 -c copy output.mp4

Empty Segment Errors

If you encounter empty segment errors, it might indicate that:

  • The stream requires authentication
  • The links in the M3U8 file have expired
  • The server blocks direct access to media segments

Solution: Try downloading the stream with a specialized tool like youtube-dl or yt-dlp before conversion.

Command Options Explained

  • -protocol_whitelist: Specifies which protocols FFmpeg is allowed to use
  • -c copy: Copies streams without re-encoding (preserves quality and speeds up conversion)
  • -map p:X: Selects a specific program stream (quality variant) from the M3U8 file

Final Notes

  • This process works best for M3U8 files that you have the right to download and convert
  • Some streaming services use DRM or other protection measures that may prevent successful conversion
  • For the highest quality, select the program stream with the highest bitrate