Download an HLS stream for transcription when the recording has no download button.
To download an HLS stream you have the right to use, give its .m3u8 playlist URL to ffmpeg: ffmpeg -i "PLAYLIST.m3u8" -c copy stream.mp4, or keep only the sound with ffmpeg -i "PLAYLIST.m3u8" -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k stream.mp3 (replace PLAYLIST.m3u8 with the full address). A 4-hour stream saved that way is about 115 MB and is transcribed in about 8 minutes; if the stream lives on YouTube, Twitch, Kick or Vimeo, skip the download and paste the link.
Four steps, one of them optional
HLS is how most players deliver video: a playlist of short pieces. ffmpeg can follow that playlist and write one file.
Check whether you need it
YouTube (live replays included), Twitch and Kick VODs, Vimeo, Google Drive share links and podcast RSS feeds need no download: paste the link above. HLS saving is for a player on another site, such as your organisation's streaming host or a webinar platform that gave you access.
Find the .m3u8 address
Open the page, start the player, then open the browser's developer tools, choose the Network tab and type m3u8 in the filter. Copy the request URL that ends in .m3u8; a master playlist lists several qualities, and ffmpeg normally picks the best one. Signed addresses often expire, so start the download soon after copying.
Save it with ffmpeg
ffmpeg -i "PLAYLIST.m3u8" -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 64k -ac 1 stream.mp3 downloads the pieces in order and writes one audio file. Use -c copy stream.mp4 instead if you want the video too; very old ffmpeg builds may need -bsf:a aac_adtstoasc for that. yt-dlp also reads many .m3u8 addresses, if you prefer it.
Upload one file
The box above takes files up to 500 MB; larger ones continue on the upload page, still up to 10 hours or 5 GB. If the stream is protected with DRM, these commands will not work and should not be forced; ask the host for the recording file instead.
Where stream saving goes wrong
Most failures come from saving more than is needed, or saving a live event before it has finished.
✗ Recording the screen instead
Someone plays a four-hour replay in real time with a screen recorder, gets a 6 GB file and a notification chime in the middle.
- Four hours spent screen-recording a replay
- Saving video when only the words are needed
- Copying a signed URL and starting it tomorrow
- Saving a live event halfway through
- Trying to get past DRM protection
- Downloading a YouTube stream that a link covers
✓ Playlist in, audio out
ffmpeg fetches the pieces as fast as the server allows and writes a small MP3 with the stream's own timing.
- Paste the link if the platform is supported
- Copy the .m3u8 and start right away
- Audio only: about 115 MB for 4 hours
- Wait for the replay of a live event
- About 8 minutes for 4 hours
- 240 minutes on the $4 pack of 300 minutes
Sample
A recorded conference session delivered as HLS, saved as audio, three hours in.
Illustrative lines written for this page; no real conference or speaker is quoted. The timestamps follow the saved stream from its first second.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $4 (300 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$4/300 min
5 hours of audio — $0.80 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 300 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$18/3,000 min
50 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 3,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$32/6,000 min
100 hours of audio — $0.32 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 6,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
HLS streams, answered.
What is an HLS stream?
HTTP Live Streaming splits a video into short segments and lists them in an .m3u8 playlist that the player follows. Saving the stream means following that playlist and joining the segments into one file, which is what ffmpeg does.
Is it allowed to download a stream?
Only for recordings you own or have the right to use: your own organisation's services, a webinar you ran, a session you were given permission to save. Check the terms of the site, and never try to get around DRM.
Can I transcribe a stream while it is still live?
ffmpeg saves from the moment it joins until you stop it, so a live save can miss the start. Wait for the replay, then save it from the beginning. On YouTube, Twitch and Kick, paste the replay link instead; stream replays over 6 hours start once a pack is on the account.
How big is a saved stream?
As 64 kbps mono MP3, about 29 MB an hour, so four hours is roughly 115 MB. Saved as video, a 4-hour 720p stream is commonly a few gigabytes, which usually stays inside the 5 GB one file can be.
What does a series of streams cost?
A 4-hour stream is 240 minutes on the $4 pack of 300 minutes. Every stream starts with a free preview of its opening minutes, and minutes left over carry forward with no end date. Anything past 10 hours is split into two uploads.
What do I get back?
A brief with thesis and takeaways, timestamped chapters, the names, numbers and dates said, and a chat over the transcript; speakers are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters. Exports: TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT, JSON. Saved streams are transcribed on our own servers and kept out of any model training.
Related
Related pages
Save the stream once. Or paste the link if the platform is supported.
Transcribe a streamOperated by Neugence Technology Pvt. Ltd. · contact@whipscribe.com · Security · Privacy · Terms