video2hls

A simple tool to convert a video to a set of files to play it using HLS. HLS is an adaptive bitrate streaming protocol: the video is sliced in small chunks and made available at a variety of different bit rates. Depending on current network conditions, the player automatically selects the appropriate bitrate to download the next segment.

The script needs Python 3.6 and you can run it with --help to get more information about it.

Some browsers may not support natively HLS. In this case, one can use hls.js to get appropriate support. Many video players also support this format. See this blog post for more information.

Examples

Convert using default parameters (MPEG2-TS with many resolutions):

./video2hls TearsOfSteel.mp4

Add an overlay to distinguish the different resolutions:

./video2hls --mp4-overlay '{resolution}p, progressive' --video-overlay '{resolution}p, HLS' \
   TearsOfSteel.mp4

Use fragmented MP4:

./video2hls --hls-type fmp4 TearsOfSteel.mp4

Specify more bitrates:

./video2hls --video-bitrates 8000 4000 2000 1000 \
            --video-widths 1920 1920 1280 854 \
            --video-names '1080p high' '1080p low'
   TearsOfSteel.mp4

When using --debug, you'll get a detailed explanation of the executed commands (and you can copy/paste them):

./video2hls --debug TearsOfSteel.mp4