M3U to RTMP Streamer

Python script to stream M3U playlist files to RTMP servers using ffmpeg without re-encoding.

Features

Direct stream passthrough (no re-encoding)
Supports M3U playlist files
Streams to RTMP servers
Real-time output monitoring
Playlist looping support
Graceful shutdown on Ctrl+C

Requirements

Python 3.7+
FFmpeg installed and in PATH (or provide path with --ffmpeg)

Installation

Install FFmpeg:
- Windows: Download from https://ffmpeg.org/download.html
- macOS: brew install ffmpeg
- Linux: sudo apt install ffmpeg or sudo yum install ffmpeg
No Python dependencies required (uses standard library)

Usage

Basic Usage

python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py <m3u_file> <rtmp_url>

Examples

# Stream M3U playlist to RTMP server
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "playlist.m3u" \
  "rtmp://live.twitch.tv/app/your_stream_key"

# Stream with absolute path
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "C:/path/to/playlist.m3u" \
  "rtmp://server.com/live/stream_key"

# Loop through playlist when finished
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "playlist.m3u" \
  "rtmp://server.com/live/key" \
  --loop-playlist

# Loop each individual video
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "playlist.m3u" \
  "rtmp://server.com/live/key" \
  --loop-video

# Specify custom ffmpeg path
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "playlist.m3u" \
  "rtmp://server.com/live/key" \
  --ffmpeg "C:/ffmpeg/bin/ffmpeg.exe"

M3U Playlist Format

The script supports standard M3U playlist format:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1,Video Name 1
/path/to/video1.mp4
#EXTINF:-1,Video Name 2
/path/to/video2.mp4

#EXTM3U - Playlist header (optional)
#EXTINF:-1,Name - Video metadata (optional, -1 means unknown duration)
File paths can be absolute or relative to the M3U file location

RTMP URL Format

RTMP URLs typically follow this format:

rtmp://server.com:port/app/stream_key

Examples:

Twitch: rtmp://live.twitch.tv/app/YOUR_STREAM_KEY
YouTube: rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/YOUR_STREAM_KEY
Custom server: rtmp://your-server.com:1935/live/stream_key

Options

--loop-playlist: Loop through the entire playlist when finished
--loop-video: Loop each individual video file indefinitely
--ffmpeg: Specify custom path to ffmpeg executable

How It Works

The script:

Parses the M3U playlist file to extract video file paths
Streams each video sequentially to the RTMP server
Uses ffmpeg with -c copy to passthrough without re-encoding
Outputs in FLV format (required for RTMP)

Notes

The script streams videos in the order they appear in the playlist
Relative paths in M3U files are resolved relative to the M3U file location
No re-encoding means very low CPU usage
Requires the source video codecs to be compatible with RTMP/FLV
If codec compatibility issues occur, you may need to re-encode (remove -c copy)

Troubleshooting

FFmpeg not found: Install FFmpeg or use --ffmpeg to specify path
Connection errors: Check RTMP URL and network connectivity
Codec errors: Source codecs may not be RTMP-compatible, may need re-encoding
File not found: Check video file paths in the M3U playlist are correct
Playlist empty: Ensure M3U file contains valid video file paths

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