M3U8 to RTMP Streamer

Python script to stream M3U8 (HLS) live streams to RTMP servers using ffmpeg without re-encoding.

Features

Direct stream passthrough (no re-encoding)
Supports M3U8/HLS playlists
Streams to RTMP servers
Real-time output monitoring
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_url> <rtmp_url>

Examples

# Stream from M3U8 URL to RTMP server
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "https://example.com/live/stream.m3u8" \
  "rtmp://live.twitch.tv/app/your_stream_key"

# Stream from local M3U8 file (relative or absolute path)
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "playlist.m3u8" \
  "rtmp://server.com/live/stream_key"

# Stream from local M3U8 file with absolute path
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "C:/path/to/playlist.m3u8" \
  "rtmp://server.com/live/stream_key"

# Specify custom ffmpeg path
python stream_m3u_to_rtmp.py \
  "https://example.com/stream.m3u8" \
  "rtmp://server.com/live/key" \
  --ffmpeg "C:/ffmpeg/bin/ffmpeg.exe"

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

How It Works

The script uses ffmpeg with:

-c copy: Copies all codecs without re-encoding (passthrough)
-f flv: Outputs in FLV format (required for RTMP)
-re: Reads input at native frame rate
Direct stream from M3U8 to RTMP

Notes

The stream will continue until stopped (Ctrl+C) or the source ends
No re-encoding means very low CPU usage
Requires the source stream 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
Stream stops: Check source M3U8 URL is accessible and valid