M3U: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
VisualWikitext
imported>Sbmeirow
Undid revision 1296288429 by Deans Davis (talk) wikipedia is not a "how to"
 
imported>Sbmeirow
shorten section
 
Line 5: Line 5:
| extensions  = .m3u, .m3u8
| extensions  = .m3u, .m3u8
|_nomimecode  = on
|_nomimecode  = on
| mime        = various; see [[#Internet media types|§ Internet media types]]
| mime        = various; {{crossreference|selfref=no|see {{section link|#Internet media types}}}}
| type code  = <!-- none, per https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-17 -->
| type code  = <!-- none, per https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-17 -->
| released    = c. 1996<!-- first supported but undocumented in WinPlay3 2.0, released October 1996; see Talk:M3U -->
| released    = {{circa|1996}}<!-- first supported but undocumented in WinPlay3 2.0, released October 1996; see Talk:M3U -->
| genre      = [[Playlist]]
| genre      = [[Playlist]]
| extended_to = [[HTTP Live Streaming]] playlist
| extended_to = [[HTTP Live Streaming]] playlist
Line 40: Line 40:
| <code>#EXTM3U</code> || file header, must be the first line of the file || <code>#EXTM3U</code> || {{yes|1×}} || {{yes}}  
| <code>#EXTM3U</code> || file header, must be the first line of the file || <code>#EXTM3U</code> || {{yes|1×}} || {{yes}}  
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| <code>#EXTINF:</code> || track  information: runtime in seconds then optional display title of the following resource || <code>#EXTINF:123,Artist Name – Track Title␤<br>artist - title.mp3</code>|| {{no}} || {{yes}}
|rowspan=2| <code>#EXTINF:</code> || track  information: runtime in seconds, then optional display title of the following resource.<br/>For runtime, a length of -1 or 0 may be used when media is a streaming file with no predefined length. || <code>#EXTINF:123,Artist Name – Track Title␤<br>artist - title.mp3</code>|| {{no}} || {{yes}}
|-
|-
| additional properties as key-value pairs || <code>#EXTINF:123 logo="cover.jpg",Stream Title␤<br><nowiki>http://example.org/live.strm</nowiki></code>|| {{no}} || {{no|IPTV}}
| additional properties as key-value pairs || <code>#EXTINF:123 logo="cover.jpg",Stream Title␤<br><nowiki>http://example.org/live.strm</nowiki></code>|| {{no}} || {{no|IPTV}}
Line 112: Line 112:


===M3U8===
===M3U8===
The [[Unicode]] version of M3U is M3U8, which uses [[UTF-8]]-encoded characters. M3U8 files are the basis for the [[HTTP Live Streaming]] (HLS) format originally developed by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] to stream video and radio to [[iOS]] devices, and which is now a popular format for adaptive streaming in general.
The [[Unicode]] version of M3U is '''M3U8''', which uses [[UTF-8]]-encoded characters. M3U8 files are the basis for the [[HTTP Live Streaming]] (HLS) format originally developed by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] to stream video and radio to [[iOS]] devices, and which is now a popular format for adaptive streaming in general.


The 2015 proposal for the HLS playlist format uses UTF-8 exclusively and does not distinguish between the "m3u" and "m3u8" file name extensions.<ref name="HLSdraft">{{cite web|url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-17.html|title=HTTP Live Streaming|first1=Roger|last1=Pantos|first2=William|last2=May|website=tools.ietf.org}}</ref>
The 2015 proposal for the HLS playlist format uses UTF-8 exclusively and does not distinguish between the "m3u" and "m3u8" file name extensions.<ref name="HLSdraft">{{cite web|url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-17.html|title=HTTP Live Streaming|first1=Roger|last1=Pantos|first2=William|last2=May|website=tools.ietf.org}}</ref>
Line 130: Line 130:
These types, plus <code>application/vnd.apple.mpegurl</code> and <code>application/vnd.apple.mpegurl.audio</code>, are supported for HLS applications by (for example)  Microsoft's [[Windows 10]]<ref name="Win10">{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ie/2015/01/29/simplified-adaptive-video-streaming-announcing-support-for-hls-and-dash-in-windows-10/|title=Simplified Adaptive Video Streaming: Announcing support for HLS and DASH in Windows 10 – IEBlog|website=blogs.msdn.microsoft.com}}</ref> and [[Internet Explorer]] 9,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLVideoElement|title=HTMLVideoElement|website=MDN Web Docs|date=10 April 2025 }}</ref> and LG's [[WebOS]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://developer.lge.com/webOSTV/api/supported-standard-web-api/html5-standard/audio-video/ |title=::: LG Developer &#124; Audio & Video ::: |access-date=2015-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222151959/http://developer.lge.com/webOSTV/api/supported-standard-web-api/html5-standard/audio-video/ |archive-date=2015-12-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
These types, plus <code>application/vnd.apple.mpegurl</code> and <code>application/vnd.apple.mpegurl.audio</code>, are supported for HLS applications by (for example)  Microsoft's [[Windows 10]]<ref name="Win10">{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ie/2015/01/29/simplified-adaptive-video-streaming-announcing-support-for-hls-and-dash-in-windows-10/|title=Simplified Adaptive Video Streaming: Announcing support for HLS and DASH in Windows 10 – IEBlog|website=blogs.msdn.microsoft.com}}</ref> and [[Internet Explorer]] 9,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLVideoElement|title=HTMLVideoElement|website=MDN Web Docs|date=10 April 2025 }}</ref> and LG's [[WebOS]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://developer.lge.com/webOSTV/api/supported-standard-web-api/html5-standard/audio-video/ |title=::: LG Developer &#124; Audio & Video ::: |access-date=2015-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222151959/http://developer.lge.com/webOSTV/api/supported-standard-web-api/html5-standard/audio-video/ |archive-date=2015-12-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Examples==
==Example==
{{Example farm|section|date=August 2016}}


;Example 1
This is an example of an extended M3U file on the Windows platform. Sample.mp3 and Example.ogg are the media files. 123 and 321 are the lengths in seconds.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122001027/http://www.clearone.com/uploads/resource/030055_Creating_Playlists_to_Work_with_the_Streaming_Music_Manager-0.pdf|archive-date=2018-01-22|url=http://www.clearone.com/uploads/resource/030055_Creating_Playlists_to_Work_with_the_Streaming_Music_Manager-0.pdf|title=DigiLinX Application Note - Creating Playlists to Work with the Streaming Music Manager|date=2007-10-05}}</ref> A length of -1 or 0 may be used when the media file is a streaming file, as there is no actual, predefined length value. The value after the length is the title to be shown, which is generally the same as the location of the file which is on the second line. On the [[macOS]] and [[Linux]] platforms, [[Unix path]]s are used.
#EXTM3U
 
#EXTINF:123, Sample artist - Sample title
C:\Documents and Settings\I\My Music\Sample.mp3
 
#EXTINF:321,Example Artist - Example title
C:\Documents and Settings\I\My Music\Greatest Hits\Example.ogg
;Example 2
This example shows how to create an m3u file linking to a specified directory (for example, a [[USB flash drive|flash drive]], or CD-ROM). The m3u file should contain only one string: the path to the directory. After starting, the media player will play all contents of the directory:
C:\Music
;Example 3
Here is another example, using relative format. The M3U file is placed in the same directory as the music, and directories must be preserved when moving the playlist to another device if subdirectories are used. This method is more flexible, as it does not rely on the file path staying the same.
This is the same file as above, saved as sample.m3u in C:\Documents and Settings\User\My Music\
#EXTM3U
 
#EXTINF:123, Sample artist - Sample title
Sample.mp3
 
#EXTINF:321,Example Artist - Example title
Greatest Hits\Example.ogg
This format in an M3U allows copying to another device for playback. All files and directories referred to must also be copied.
;Example 4
Here is a mixed example:
Alternative\Band - Song.mp3
Classical\Other Band - New Song.mp3
Stuff.mp3
D:\More Music\Foo.mp3
..\Other Music\Bar.mp3
<nowiki>http://www.example.com:8000/Listen.mp3</nowiki>
<nowiki>http://www.example.com/~user/Mine.mp3</nowiki>
Notes:
* Alternative and Classical are sub-directories of the directory that this playlist is stored in.
* "Song" and "New Song" are in sub-directories of the directory that this playlist is stored in.
* "Stuff" is in the same directory that the playlist is stored in.
* "Foo" is in the specified (Windows) volume and directory, which may or may not be the same directory the playlist is in.
* "Bar" is in a different directory at the same level as the playlist directory. The double-dots reference the parent directory of the playlist directory, then into the sub-directory "Other Music" to reach "Bar".
* "Listen" is a Shoutcast stream.
* "Mine" is an MP3 stored on a web server.
;Example 5
References to other M3U playlists, for example, are generally not well-supported.
AnotherPlayList.m3u
;Example 6
The following is an example of an M3U playlist file for "[[Jar of Flies]]" album by "[[Alice in Chains]]" that was created by [[Mp3tag]] with the following custom option settings:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.mp3tag.de/options_export.html|title=Mp3tag Help - Configuration > Export|website=help.mp3tag.de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.mp3tag.de/options_playlist.html|title=Mp3tag Help - Configuration > Playlist|website=help.mp3tag.de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.mp3tag.de/main_scripting.html|title=Mp3tag Help - Scripting functions|website=help.mp3tag.de}}</ref> <!-- NOTE: This example was posted by User:Sbmeirow -->
The following is an example of an M3U playlist file for "[[Jar of Flies]]" album by "[[Alice in Chains]]" that was created by [[Mp3tag]] with the following custom option settings:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.mp3tag.de/options_export.html|title=Mp3tag Help - Configuration > Export|website=help.mp3tag.de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.mp3tag.de/options_playlist.html|title=Mp3tag Help - Configuration > Playlist|website=help.mp3tag.de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.mp3tag.de/main_scripting.html|title=Mp3tag Help - Scripting functions|website=help.mp3tag.de}}</ref> <!-- NOTE: This example was posted by User:Sbmeirow -->
* playlist extended info format = <code>"%artist% - %title%"</code>
* playlist extended info format = <code>"%artist% - %title%"</code>
Line 228: Line 173:
;Multi-platform
;Multi-platform
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! scope=rowgroup rowspan=2 | Programs !! scope=colgroup colspan=4 | Platforms
! scope=rowgroup rowspan=2 | Programs !! scope=colgroup colspan=5 | Platforms
|-
|-
|Windows
|Windows
Line 342: Line 287:
* {{cite web |url= http://gonze.com/playlists/playlist-format-survey.html |work= Draft |title= Survey of playlist formats |date= 2003 |first= Lucas |last= Gonze }}
* {{cite web |url= http://gonze.com/playlists/playlist-format-survey.html |work= Draft |title= Survey of playlist formats |date= 2003 |first= Lucas |last= Gonze }}
* {{cite web |url= https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-23 |title= HTTP Live Streaming specification |work= Draft |quote= Includes M3U and M3U8 |date= 2017 |publisher= IETF |editor-first= R. |editor-last= Pantos |first= W. |last= May }}
* {{cite web |url= https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-23 |title= HTTP Live Streaming specification |work= Draft |quote= Includes M3U and M3U8 |date= 2017 |publisher= IETF |editor-first= R. |editor-last= Pantos |first= W. |last= May }}
* [http://www.clearone.com/uploads/resource/030055_Creating_Playlists_to_Work_with_the_Streaming_Music_Manager-0.pdf Creating Playlists to Work with the Streaming Music Manager]


{{DEFAULTSORT:M3u}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:M3u}}

Latest revision as of 01:14, 30 June 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

M3U (MP3 URL[1][2]) is a computer file format for a multimedia playlist. One common use of the M3U file format is creating a single-entry playlist file pointing to a stream on the Internet. The created file provides easy access to that stream and is often used in downloads from a website, for emailing, and for listening to Internet radio.

Although originally designed for audio files, such as MP3, it is commonly used to point media players to audio and video sources, including online sources. M3U was originally developed by Fraunhofer for use with their WinPlay3 software,[3] but numerous media players and software applications now support the format.

Careless handling of M3U playlists has been the cause of vulnerabilities in many music players such as VLC media player,[4] iTunes,[5] Winamp,[6] and many others.[7]

File format

There is no formal specification for the M3U format; it is a de facto standard.

An M3U file is a plain text file that specifies the locations of one or more media files. The file is saved with the "m3u" filename extension if the text is encoded in the local system's default non-Unicode encoding (e.g., a Windows codepage), or with the "m3u8" extension if the text is UTF-8 encoded.[8]

Each entry carries one specification. The specification can be any one of the following:

  • an absolute local pathname; e.g., C:\My Music\Heavysets.mp3
  • a local pathname relative to the M3U file location; e.g. Heavysets.mp3
  • a URL

Each entry ends with a line break which separates it from the following one. Furthermore, some devices only accept line breaks represented as CR LF, but do not recognize a single LF.

Extended M3U

The M3U file can also include comments, prefaced by the "#" character. In extended M3U, "#" also introduces extended M3U directives which are terminated by a colon ":" if they support parameters.

M3U extensions
Directive Description Example Required Standard
#EXTM3U file header, must be the first line of the file #EXTM3U 1× Yes
#EXTINF: track information: runtime in seconds, then optional display title of the following resource.
For runtime, a length of -1 or 0 may be used when media is a streaming file with no predefined length.		 #EXTINF:123,Artist Name – Track Title␤
artist - title.mp3		 No Yes
additional properties as key-value pairs #EXTINF:123 logo="cover.jpg",Stream Title␤
http://example.org/live.strm		 No IPTV
#PLAYLIST: playlist display title #PLAYLIST:Music TV 1× IPTV
#EXTGRP: begin named grouping #EXTGRP:Foreign Channels No IPTV
#EXTALB: album information, title in particular #EXTALB:Album Title (2009) 1× AL,[9] M3A[10]
#EXTART: album artist #EXTART:Various 1× AL,[9] M3A[10]
#EXTGENRE: album genre #EXTGENRE:Jazz Fusion 1× AL[9]
#EXTM3A playlist for tracks or chapters of an album in a single file #EXTM3A 1× M3A[10]
#EXTBYT: file size in bytes #EXTBYT:34124 No M3A[10]
#EXTBIN: binary data follows, usually concatenated MP3s #EXTBIN: No M3A[10]
#EXTALBUMARTURL: url of album art image #EXTALBUMARTURL:https://example.com/a1b2c3d4.jpg No Jamendo/VLC[11]

Apple used the extended M3U format as a base for their HTTP Live Streaming (HLS)[12] which was documented in an Independent Submission Stream RFC in 2017 as RFC 8216.[13] Therein, a master playlist references segment playlists which usually contain URLs for short parts of the media stream. Some tags only apply to the former type and some only to the latter type of playlist, but they all begin with #EXT-X-.

HLS M3U extensions
Directive Example Description
#EXT-X-START: TIME-OFFSET=0
#EXT-X-INDEPENDENT-SEGMENTS Toggle without parameters
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE: VOD or EVENT
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION: 10 The maximum Media Segment duration in seconds
#EXT-X-VERSION: 4
#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE: 0 The Media Sequence Number of the first Media Segment appearing in the playlist file
#EXT-X-MEDIA: NAME="English", TYPE=AUDIO, GROUP-ID="audio-stereo-64", LANGUAGE="en", DEFAULT=YES, AUTOSELECT=YES, URI="english.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF: BANDWIDTH=1123000, CODECS="avc1.64001f,mp4a.40.2" Parameters have either one combined value or one per stream, separated by commas
#EXT-X-BYTERANGE: 1024@256000
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY toggle without parameters The segment represents the start of a new period
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY-SEQUENCE: 2 Indicates start of numbering of periods
#EXT-X-GAP toggle without parameters The segment represents a "spacer" before a new period
#EXT-X-KEY: METHOD=NONE Indicates encryption method used and decryption key
#EXT-X-MAP: URI=MediaInitializationSection
#EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME: 2010-02-19T14:54:23.031+08:00 ISO 8601 format
#EXT-X-DATERANGE: ID=foo
#EXT-X-I-FRAMES-ONLY i-frame Toggle without parameters
#EXT-X-SESSION-DATA: DATA-ID=com.example.movie.title
#EXT-X-SESSION-KEY:
#EXT-X-ENDLIST End-of-list signal without parameters

M3U8

The Unicode version of M3U is M3U8, which uses UTF-8-encoded characters. M3U8 files are the basis for the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) format originally developed by Apple to stream video and radio to iOS devices, and which is now a popular format for adaptive streaming in general.

The 2015 proposal for the HLS playlist format uses UTF-8 exclusively and does not distinguish between the "m3u" and "m3u8" file name extensions.[14]

Internet media types

The only Internet media type registered for M3U and M3U8 is application/vnd.apple.mpegurl, registered in 2009 and only referring to the playlist format as used in HLS applications.[15][16]

The current proposal for the HLS playlist format acknowledges two media types which it treats as equivalent: application/vnd.apple.mpegurl and audio/mpegurl.[14] Likewise, these are the two types recommended for HLS use by Microsoft.[17]

For non-HLS applications, no media types were standardized or registered with the IANA, but a number of media types are nonetheless associated with the historical and ongoing use of the M3U and M3U8 formats for general playlists:

  • application/mpegurl
  • application/x-mpegurl
  • audio/mpegurl
  • audio/x-mpegurl[1][2]

These types, plus application/vnd.apple.mpegurl and application/vnd.apple.mpegurl.audio, are supported for HLS applications by (for example) Microsoft's Windows 10[17] and Internet Explorer 9,[18] and LG's WebOS.[19]

Example

The following is an example of an M3U playlist file for "Jar of Flies" album by "Alice in Chains" that was created by Mp3tag with the following custom option settings:[20][21][22]

  • playlist extended info format = "%artist% - %title%"
  • playlist filename format = "%artist%_%album%_00_Playlist.m3u"
  • tag to filename conversion format = "%artist%_%album%_$num(%track%,2)_%title%"
 #EXTM3U
 #EXTINF:419,Alice in Chains - Rotten Apple
 Alice in Chains_Jar of Flies_01_Rotten Apple.mp3
 #EXTINF:260,Alice in Chains - Nutshell
 Alice in Chains_Jar of Flies_02_Nutshell.mp3
 #EXTINF:255,Alice in Chains - I Stay Away
 Alice in Chains_Jar of Flies_03_I Stay Away.mp3
 #EXTINF:256,Alice in Chains - No Excuses
 Alice in Chains_Jar of Flies_04_No Excuses.mp3
 #EXTINF:157,Alice in Chains - Whale And Wasp
 Alice in Chains_Jar of Flies_05_Whale And Wasp.mp3
 #EXTINF:263,Alice in Chains - Don't Follow
 Alice in Chains_Jar of Flies_06_Don't Follow.mp3
 #EXTINF:245,Alice in Chains - Swing On This
 Alice in Chains_Jar of Flies_07_Swing On This.mp3

Software

Tag editors

Script error: No such module "Category see also".Template:Category see also/Category pair check The following tag editor software allows users to edit the ID3 tags in MP3 files, and has support for creating M3U files.

Linux
Windows

Media players

Script error: No such module "Category see also".Template:Category see also/Category pair check The following media player software supports playing M3U files.

Multi-platform
Programs Platforms
Windows macOS Linux Android Other
Amarok Yes No Yes No No
Audacious Yes No Yes No No
Banshee Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Clementine Yes Yes Yes No Yes
GNOME Videos No No Yes No No
Kodi Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
MOC (Music on Console) No No Yes No Yes
MPlayer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
mpv Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
VLC media player Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
iTunes Yes Yes No No No
Android
macOS
Nintendo
Windows

See also

Other playlist file formats
  • PLS - SHOUTcast
  • XSPF - Xiph.Org Foundation

References

Template:Reflist

External links

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Template:Cite RFC
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=M3U&oldid=2043579"