Authorized live DVR highlights
Save a short event moment from a stream you own or are authorized to edit while it remains inside the DVR window.
HLS Clip Cutter
Select a short, reusable section from a public HLS stream after checking variants, audio, availability and export compatibility.
M3U8 manifest inspectionVariant and audio selectionVOD and live DVR windows
Read the full guideHLS Clip Cutter
1Add HLS source
2Select segment
3Export clip
1. HLS source
Use a playlist URL that the browser can read. Signed links must remain valid throughout preview and export. A local playlist works best when segment and key URLs are absolute or resolvable from an explicit base URL.
Stream information
- Title
- -
- Available duration
- -
- Video variants
- -
- Audio tracks
- -
- Frame rate
- -
- Protocol
- -
Live playlists can move forward. A selected start may expire before export finishes.
2. Select clip range
Load HLS stream
Use a playlist URL that the browser can read. Signed links must remain valid throughout preview and export.
00:00 / 02:15:24
00:0033:5101:07:4201:41:3302:15:24
3. Export settings
Use existing HLS segment and keyframe boundaries when possible for faster processing.
Default audio
4. Export clip
Estimated clip size~ 736 MB
Network privacy and authorization
The browser contacts the playlist host, segment hosts and possibly key servers. Those servers can receive normal request data such as IP address and headers. Use only streams you own or are authorized to download and edit; do not attempt to bypass access controls, DRM or expiring authorization.
MP4HLSWebMM3U8
Can I cut a clip from an M3U8 stream?
Yes, when the playlist and media segments are publicly accessible to the browser, are not protected by unsupported DRM or encryption, and use decodable codecs. Load the manifest, choose a variant and audio track, select a range inside the available VOD or live DVR window, then export.
HLS clipping is network-dependent
Unlike a local file, an HLS clip is assembled from a manifest and many network segments. The playlist may reference separate video, audio, subtitle and encryption resources, each with its own access policy and expiry. Playback alone does not prove that browser export is allowed.
Appropriate HLS clipping use cases
QA and incident review
Export a reproducible interval for internal testing when the stream host permits download and reuse.
Owned webinar excerpts
Create a short excerpt from an archived HLS recording for documentation, follow-up or social publishing.
Technical stream verification
Test a chosen variant, audio track, discontinuity or segment range without downloading the entire VOD.
How to cut an HLS clip
Load the manifest
Enter a public M3U8 URL or upload a playlist with resolvable segment paths. Confirm that you are authorized to download and edit the stream.
Inspect variants and stream window
Choose a video quality and audio track, then verify whether the source is VOD, event or live and which times are currently available.
Set a range that remains available
For live DVR, stay safely behind the live edge and avoid a start point likely to expire before all segments are fetched.
Choose Smart or Precise Cut
Use Smart Cut for speed and segment-aligned boundaries. Use Precise Cut only when the browser can decode and encode the selected tracks and exact timing is more important.
Export before URLs or DVR expire
Keep the tab and network active, review the result, and download it before signed URLs expire or the live window advances.
Understand HLS before exporting
A manifest is not the video itself
M3U8 text points to variants, media playlists, segments, keys and tracks. Every referenced resource must remain reachable for the selected clip to export.
CORS applies to every resource
The master manifest may load while a variant, audio playlist, segment or key is blocked. The browser needs permission for each request used by export.
Live windows are temporary
A sliding playlist removes old segments as new ones arrive. Selecting a range close to the oldest edge increases the chance it disappears during processing.
Encryption is not the same as DRM
Some standard HLS encryption can be processed only when the key is accessible and the implementation supports it. DRM systems require licensed playback and must not be bypassed by this tool.
Variants can differ technically
Quality levels may use different codecs, frame rates, segment durations or audio arrangements. Choose one variant and recheck export compatibility instead of assuming every level behaves the same.
Network privacy and authorization
The browser contacts the playlist host, segment hosts and possibly key servers. Those servers can receive normal request data such as IP address and headers. Use only streams you own or are authorized to download and edit; do not attempt to bypass access controls, DRM or expiring authorization.
HLS export limitations
- Public playback does not guarantee that segments, keys and tracks allow browser export.
- DRM-protected or unsupported encrypted streams cannot be exported.
- Signed URLs can expire during long previews or exports.
- Live DVR segments can leave the window before processing completes.
- Discontinuities, codec changes and separate audio can prevent a single clean export.
HLS clip cutter questions
What kind of HLS URL works?
Use a public M3U8 playlist whose referenced variants, segments, audio and keys are also accessible to the browser. A web page containing a player is not the same as a direct manifest URL.
Why does preview work but export fail?
Playback may need only the current segments and a native HLS path, while export can require all selected segments, keys, separate audio, decoding, encoding and container writing. Any additional step can fail.
Can this tool cut DRM-protected HLS?
No. DRM requires authorized licensed playback and must not be bypassed. The tool should clearly stop when unsupported DRM or protected encryption is detected.
What is Smart Cut?
It prefers existing HLS segment and keyframe boundaries so less data may need to be re-encoded. Processing is often faster, but the visible start or end can differ slightly from the requested time.
What is Precise Cut?
When supported, it decodes and re-encodes around the selected boundaries to follow the times more closely. It needs compatible codecs and more processing, and can change size or quality.
Can I cut a live stream?
Only when the playlist exposes a DVR window containing the desired segment and those old segments remain accessible until export completes. A live-only stream with no retained window cannot provide past footage.
Why did the live range expire?
Sliding live playlists remove old segments as time advances. Select a newer range farther from the oldest edge and start export promptly.
Why are quality levels different?
HLS variants can use different resolution, bitrate, codec, frame rate and segment alignment. A variant that previews well may still have different export compatibility from another level.
Are HLS segments uploaded to AppKiro?
The browser retrieves required resources directly from their configured hosts and processes them according to the current client-side pipeline. Those source hosts still receive the network requests. Do not claim offline or no-network processing for HLS.
Related video tools
Video TrimmerTrim a complete local media file when you already have the source download.Video ConverterConvert a successfully exported clip to another compatible delivery format.Video CompressorReduce the size of an exported HLS clip for sharing or storage.Video SubtitleBurn captions into an exported clip when a separate HLS subtitle track is not part of the file.