What is the "Live Stream Downloader" extension and how does it work?

The "Live Stream Downloader" extension allows users to download live streams from websites that use HLS format by capturing the manifest file and offering the user to choose quality from the options provided by the server. It downloads with up to 5 threads simultaneously to increase speed and stability. The extension uses multiple threads if the server supports range downloading in bytes format. This extension writes segments directly to the user disk to minimize memory usage (in the older versions, the segments were stored in the internal IndexedDB storage and combined once the download was complete.). The user needs to refresh a tab that plays in HLS once after installation for the extension to detect the streams, and the toolbar button's badge counter displays the number of detected media links. By clicking the toolbar button, a popup appears for the user to select video quality, and the downloading will begin. This download dialog must remain open until the job is completed.

What's new in this version?

Please check the Logs section.

How can I test this extension?

After installing the extension, go to the videojs.com website and wait for the toolbar button's badge to display a counter when media is detected. Click the toolbar button once to view the list of available video qualities and select one stream to download. Keep in mind in the older versions it may take a few seconds to see the actual file on the local disk after the stream has been downloaded since the extension needs to merge all the downloaded segments.

You can also visit the webbrowsertools.com website to test the extension's download capabilities on different media formats, including various types of HLS streams.

How does the extension identify live streams?

This extension uses a network observer that specifically targets media types including the M3U8 format. Upon detecting a new M3U8 stream, the extension downloads it, extracts the manifest object, and analyzes it to identify supported playlists. In instances where the manifest file only provides segments without playlists, the extension allows the user to download the HLS stream but without information on the stream's quality. It's worth noting that the extension only offers downloads related to the current tab to avoid confusion with streams from other tabs.

How do I cancel a download?

[new version] Close the download dialog

[old version] You have three options to cancel a download:

1. Click the toolbar button while the tab associated with the download is open.
2. Refresh the tab associated with the download.
3. Close the tab associated with the download.

In the old version, you needed to keep the tab associated with the download open until it is complete for the extension to properly download the stream.

Can I download any file using this extension? Is there any advantage of using it over the default download manager?

You can download any file using this extension by copying the link, opening the interface, and pasting it as a new job with Ctrl + V or Command + V.

Because the extension supports resuming broken network connections and uses multiple threads to download files, it is recommended to use it over the default download manager when downloading large files or when your network is unstable.

Is it possible to download a file that requires the "referer" header using this extension?

Yes, you can do that by opening the "referer" page in a browser tab and then opening the extension's interface while that tab is active. You will see the "referer" header in the footer section of the extension's downloader dialog.

I am trying to download a large file using this extension. Is it possible to keep my computer from going to sleep during the download?

As of version 0.2.7, you can prevent your computer from going to sleep during a download by checking the option from the settings panel or by pressing Ctrl + P or Command + P on the extension's interface. You will need to run this shortcut once and reopen the download interface. This grants the extension the necessary permissions to manage your computer's sleep settings.

I downloaded a media file with the extension, and it appears to be downloaded correctly, but my media player cannot play it. Is there a way to fix the file?

The M3U8 file may be missing some of the first bytes of the stream, known as metadata segments. This problem can cause issues when you try to play the video using a native media player. To fix this, you can use the website webbrowsertools.com/repair-video/ or the command-line tool FFmpeg. For FFmpeg, you can use the command:

ffmpeg -err_detect ignore_err -i video.mkv -c copy fixed.mkv

Is it possible to change the file naming format of the extension?

This extension uses a filename mask to construct the name and extension of all files. Supported keywords include [meta.name] (the name and extension extracted from the URL or its headers), [title] (page title), and [hostname] (page hostname). You can also add your own prefix to the name, for example "Download by LSD - [meta.name]".

Is it possible to set a limit on the download speed of this extension?

There is no specific feature built-in to the extension to limit download speed, however, you can decrease the number of simultaneous threads as a workaround. Additionally, some Chromium-based browsers have built-in tools to reduce the network load of a browser window or web application window. You can refer to the blog post How Can I Limit Download Speed On Google Chrome for more information on this topic.

What is the purpose of the "Improved Media Detection" option?

This option improves the extension's ability to detect media in browser tabs by installing an additional network observer that monitors for links with video or audio mime types. However, this process can be resource-intensive, so I recommend only using it if you are experiencing issues with the media detection feature. You can temporarily enable this option, but make sure to turn it off again once the media has been detected.

What is the purpose of the "Do not Download Duplicated Segments" option?

This option determines whether the extension saves the bytes downloaded for each unfinished segment or not. When the option is turned off (the previous behavior), the extension restarts the segment and redownloads all bytes of the segment, overwriting already downloaded parts. With this option enabled, the extension skips previously downloaded segments and begins with the remaining part. This typically does not cause any issues, except when the server returns invalid content when an error occurs. In this case, the extension writes the invalid part to the disk and does not overwrite it.