Solve VLC Can't Recognize the Input Format M3U8

M3US file extension refers to a UTF-8 Encoded Audio Playlist file which is commonly used by an array of video and audio playback programs. It comprises of a URL or path to a folder of media files or maybe a single media file. Information pertaining to the playlist is also listed in the same. The format used by M3U8 files is similar to .M3U files.

It has gained wide popularity as a storehouse of playlists having song names in a variety of languages. In certain cases, they might even store references to online files which can be used by Internet radio station. It is the general media form of IPTV stream which has become a rage in the modern world of Instagram.

How To Play M3U8 Files In VLC?

A big reason behind the popularity of M3U8 is its compatibility with different media players like Windows Media Player, iTunes and VLC Media Player. Let us now take a look at the steps which need to be followed for playing M3U8 files in VLC

Download VLC media player in your system and launch it on your device.
Now copy the M3U8 video streaming link which you wish to playing in your VLC player.
You will now have to click on 'Media' appearing at the top left corner of the main VLC interface. From a dropdown list, you need to choose "Open Network Stream…"
A box will be provided wherein you will have to input the M3U8 video link.
Ultimately, you need to click the ‘Play’ bottom appearing at the bottom right portion of the screen. On doing this, the VLC media player will start playing the M3U8 file by analysing the streaming link.

Why You Might Not Be Able To Play M3U8 In VLC?

The text based playlist format of M3U8 files.
UTF8 encoding of M3U8 files.
VLC downloads every single video prior to playing the same. However, it cannot preload the files which leads to performance gaps.

How To Solve VLC Can't Recognize The Input Format M3U8?

VideoProc - The One-click Way to Convert M3U8 to MP4 File

VideoProc is a video editor with robust transcoding ability.
Transcode M3U8 media files in batch to target formats or devices.
Super fast transcode speed granted by hardware acceleration.
Easier editing experience: cut, crop, merge, stabilize, etc.

Download VideoProc on Windows to convert and manage M3U8 files

Download VideoProc on Mac to convert and manage M3U8 files

As the foremost troubleshoot, you check whether the M3U8 file is a playlist or a list of files. This can be done in the text editor by selecting each single file found in the VLC playback list.
In most of the cases, a simple upgradation or reinstallation can solve the problem.
Users can clear all cache files and preferences for solving this problem. Resetting the player settings can prevent VLC from using the said codecs for playing M3U8 file.
- You can do this by clicking on Tools followed by Preferences.
- Now you will have to select the option of showing all settings. You can find this option at the bottom of the interface.
- Next you will have to navigate to 'Input/Output codecs'.
- From here you need to select 'Demuxers' and choose the default one you have. Rather than manually selecting every single movie type and codec, you can choose the 'default' option. This will help in automatically choosing the proper codec.
Disabling the subtitle auto-loading function can also help out in playing M3U8 files. In this case, VLC player can concentrate fully on file decoding rather than looking after minor tasks.

Using VideoProc To Fix The 'VLC not playing M3U8' Issue

M3U8 is basically a text file which can be opened in Notepad but not played there as the text editors have different set of algorithms from media player programs. This is where VideoProc can come in to your rescue with its advanced set of features which allows the conversion of M3U8 to MP4 and similar compatible formats. Let us now take a look at the steps which need to be followed for solving this M3U8 VLC issue with VideoProc. For this, you will need to have VideoProc installed in your PC and a M3U8 folder stored in your computer hard drive.

After opening VideoProc, you will have to select 'Video' from the main interface.
Next you need to select '+Video' for adding in files you wish to work on.
You can navigate to the 'Target Format' by clicking on the 'Video' button appearing at the bottom of the interface. Here you will be presented with numerous options such as General Profiles, Devices specific profiles and a lot more. You need to select the one which is compatible with your player. In our case, it is best to proceed with MP4.
Next you need to select the destination folder by clicking on 'Browse'.
Once you are done with the same, you will simply have to click on 'Run' to activate the conversion process.

Final Words:

VideoProc is an absolute beast when it comes video processing. It operates with Level-3 Hardware Acceleration which guarantees faster results and that too while diminishing CPU usage. Users can easily benefit out of various video editing functions like splitting, rotating, cropping, adding subtitles and effects to a video file using this versatile video processing tool.