dodocastHLS player
HLS player online.Test any .m3u8 stream.
Paste an .m3u8 link and play it right in the browser. See renditions, codecs, audio and subtitle tracks, segments and encryption — and why a stream won’t play. Free, no sign-up, and the link stays in your browser.
Paste a link to an .m3u8 playlist — master or a single rendition. No stream at hand?
Check a stream in three steps.
Paste the link
A master playlist (master.m3u8) or a single rendition — VOD, live or event.
Press Play
The tool reads the playlist itself and starts the player: hls.js, or the browser’s own HLS in Safari.
Read the panel
Type, renditions, codecs, segment format, encryption. Switch quality and audio by hand; the playing rendition is highlighted.
Why an m3u8 won’t play in the browser.
CORS
Browsers only read a stream from another domain if the server sends Access-Control-Allow-Origin — for the playlists, the segments and the key. The most common reason a link plays in VLC but not on a web page.
http on an https page
Mixed content is blocked: a page on https:// can’t load a stream from http://. Move the stream to https.
403 on a signed link
Signed links and tokens expire, and some are tied to an IP or a domain. A 403 usually means the link is old or was issued for someone else.
Codecs
H.264 and AAC play everywhere. HEVC (H.265), AV1 and Dolby audio depend on the browser and the device — keep an H.264 rendition.
DRM
FairPlay, Widevine and PlayReady need a license server and the player’s DRM setup. A plain HLS player can’t play them.
Encryption key
With AES-128 the player downloads the key separately. If the key URL needs cookies or blocks CORS, segments arrive but can’t be decrypted.
An HLS stream to test your player.
38 seconds of the dodocast tour: 1080p, 720p and 360p in H.264, fMP4 (CMAF) segments, AAC audio in its own group and WebVTT subtitles in five languages. CORS is open, so any player on any site can use it.
https://dodocast.com/assets/hls-demo/master.m3u8
Questions about the tool.
Is it free?
Yes. No sign-up and no limits — it’s a page that plays streams in your browser.
Is my link sent anywhere?
No. Your browser fetches the playlist and segments directly from your server; dodocast never sees the link. A shared check keeps the link after # in the address, which browsers don’t send to the server.
Does it play live streams?
Yes: VOD, live and event playlists, including low-latency HLS. For live streams the panel shows that the playlist keeps growing.
What is an m3u8 file?
A text playlist of HLS (HTTP Live Streaming). A master playlist lists renditions — quality levels, audio and subtitle tracks; a media playlist lists the segments of one rendition.
Why does it play here but not on my site?
Usually CORS or the domain: your server may allow only some origins, or your signed links may be tied to a domain. Compare the request from your site with this check.
Need HLS without running a server?
Video hosting
Large files, HLS up to 1080p, no ads
Learn more →Player & embed
Link, embed and HLS for any player
Learn more →HLS encryption
AES-128 and SAMPLE-AES, key rotation
Learn more →Signed links
Tokens on your own keys, valid up to 24 hours
Learn more →Multilingual video
Audio tracks and subtitles in many languages
Learn more →24/7 channels
A linear channel from your library
Learn more →Your channel is one upload away.
We're opening dodocast to early partners: media, education, events, in-house TV. Tell us what you want to put on air.
or write to hello@dodocast.com