Test HLS Streams with Free M3U8 Player

Q: How is Livepush different from Akamai for live streaming CDN delivery?

Akamai is one of the largest CDNs in the world and Livepush delivers video over Akamai's own edge network, so you get the same global reach and reliability. The difference is access: Akamai sells direct enterprise contracts, while Livepush packages that same Akamai-grade delivery, plus encoding, hosting, an ad-free player, and simulcasting, into self-serve plans starting at $49/month with no long-term contract.

Test your HLS (M3U8), DASH stream urls with our faster HTML5 player

No Signup Required
HLS / DASH / MP4
Live Bitrate & Buffer Stats
Akamai-Powered CDN

Choose a player

Paste a stream URL above and hit Play

Bitrate over time Playing - Received (10s avg) - Buffer -

Press play to chart the stream, second by second

Player Info -

Playback engine

Video.js + VHS

Resolution

Currently playing quality

Bitrate

Encoded data rate

Segment length

Target duration per chunk

Bandwidth estimate

Player's measured throughput

Buffer health

Seconds buffered ahead

Dropped frames

Since playback started

Available Renditions -

Press play to detect renditions

For developers

Use this stream URL in your own app

Press play above and the code updates with your exact stream URL. Copy it straight into a web page, an iOS or Android app, or test the manifest from the command line.

JavaScript (hls.js)
iOS Swift (AVPlayer)
Kotlin (ExoPlayer)
cURL

JavaScript iOS Swift Kotlin cURL

player.js

// Press play above to load a stream

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Trusted by world-class broadcasters

Teams from local stations, global networks, sports organisations, and Fortune 500 companies test and run their streams with Livepush.

BBC

AFP

300K+Live events delivered
50,000+Broadcasters and organisations
500+Live channels running now
5 PBBandwidth delivered

ExplainerHLS players

What is an HLS player, and why test your stream before you go live?

An HLS player reads a live streaming manifest, a .m3u8 or .mpd file, and plays back the video segments it points to. Every phone, browser, and Smart TV that watches a live stream is running some version of this player under the hood.

Livepush Guides1 min read

Why test it first

Testing a stream before you point real viewers at it catches the problems that are hard to see from an encoder's dashboard: a wrong bitrate ladder, a manifest that expired, or a CDN edge that's dropping requests under load. It's the same workflow engineers use on Akamai's own reference player, paste a manifest, watch the resolution ladder, confirm the CDN serves it without buffering, before trusting it with an audience.

See exactly what viewers see

Plays the real manifest your CDN is serving, not a simulation, so any playback issue shows up here first.

Catch problems before showtime

Spot a missing rendition, a stalled encoder, or a slow CDN edge minutes before an event, not during it.

Works with any CDN, not just ours

Test streams hosted on Akamai, AWS, Cloudflare, Wowza, or Livepush. It's a neutral tool, not locked to one provider.

Features

Everything you need to check a stream

Paste a link and see how it plays, what it serves and where it will work.

Any format

Test any m3u8, mpd, or mp4 URL in seconds

No downloads, no browser extensions, no account. Paste a public stream URL and it plays right here in your browser, using the same Video.js and adaptive streaming engine that powers production players across the web.

Accepts any public .m3u8, .mpd, or .mp4 URL, including links from Akamai, AWS, Cloudflare, Wowza, or Livepush
Switch between HLS, DASH, and MP4 without reloading the page
Share a specific test with a direct link using a ?src= query parameter

Any stream URL

// Paste and play, no setup
https://live.example.com/stream/index.m3u8
https://cdn.example.com/channel/manifest.mpd
https://cdn.example.com/clip.mp4

Diagnostics

Real player diagnostics, the same signals broadcast engineers check

Most free HLS players just play the video. This one also shows you what's happening underneath: the active bitrate, resolution, buffer health, and dropped frames, the same panel-style diagnostics you'd find on Akamai's own hlsjs test player.

Live bandwidth estimate and buffer health, updated every second while the stream plays
Dropped frame counter to catch device-side playback strain, not just network issues
Segment length and live/VOD detection read directly from the manifest

Adaptive bitrate

See the exact bitrate ladder your CDN is serving

The player reads every rendition listed in the manifest and shows you resolution and bitrate for each one, with the currently active rendition highlighted. It's the fastest way to confirm your adaptive bitrate setup is actually producing the renditions you configured.

Auto-detected renditions pulled straight from the manifest, no manual entry
Works with any encoder or CDN that follows standard HLS/DASH adaptive bitrate rules

Detected Renditions 4 FOUND

1080p 5,800 kbps ACTIVE

720p 2,800 kbps ready

480p 1,200 kbps ready

360p 600 kbps ready

CDN delivery

Built on the same delivery standard as Akamai and every major CDN

This player tests any stream, from any CDN. But when you're ready to host your own live stream, Livepush delivers it over Akamai's global edge network, the same infrastructure behind BBC, NBCUniversal, and Al Jazeera, packaged into self-serve plans instead of an enterprise sales contract.

Akamai-powered edge delivery with 300+ Tbps of network capacity, no traffic limits
Plans start at $49/month for 1 TB of bandwidth, no per-viewer fees or long-term contract
Get your own secure, low-latency HLS stream URL in minutes, not a procurement cycle

Test Tool vs. Hosted CDN COMPARE

This free player

Test any URL, no signup

Akamai direct contract

Enterprise sales process

Custom

Livepush hosted CDN

Akamai edge, self-serve

From $49/mo

Compatibility

Works with every player and SDK your team already uses

A stream that plays here will play the same way in Video.js, hls.js, JW Player, Bitmovin, ExoPlayer, or AVPlayer, because it's standards-compliant HLS and DASH under the hood. No proprietary format, no vendor lock-in.

One .m3u8 or .mpd URL covers web, iOS, Android, and Smart TVs
Confirm compatibility before wiring the URL into your own app or SDK

Where This Stream Plays HLS/DASH

Video.js / hls.jsWeb browser

iOSAVPlayer native

AndroidExoPlayer

Smart TVSamsung / LG

JW PlayerBitmovin, THEOplayer

Roku / Fire TVOTT streaming

Use cases

Who tests streams with this player

From solo developers to broadcast engineering teams, if a stream needs checking before it goes live, it gets tested here first.

Developers integrating HLS/DASH playback

Confirm a manifest is well-formed and plays correctly before wiring the URL into a custom player, app, or SDK.

Broadcast & QA engineers

Debug buffering, dropped frames, or bitrate issues by isolating whether the problem is the stream, the CDN, or the player.

Teams evaluating a CDN switch

Compare playback and stream health across Akamai, AWS, Cloudflare, or Livepush before committing to one provider.

Students & hobbyist streamers

Learn how HLS and DASH actually work by watching bitrate, buffer, and resolution change in real time.

Support teams

Reproduce a viewer's playback complaint by testing the exact stream URL they were watching.

Agencies & consultants

Sanity-check a client's live stream or CDN configuration before launch day, without installing anything.

Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing.

This player is free. To host your own live stream with CDN delivery, start free or pick a live hosting plan.

Free20 hrsper month, included

No credit card. No time limit.

Start free

Live hosting plansFrom $59per month

Host events on your own player with CDN delivery.

See hosting plans

Reviews

What broadcasters say about Livepush

Ratings on Trustpilot and Capterra, November 2026.

4.4/5Excellent

4.3/5Overall rating

Previously we were using a Wowza stream engine that buffered all the time. No problems with Livepush up to now, customer service is excellent.

DNDavid NellBusiness ownerTrustpilot

Very good support and a well-working CDN solution.

RSRaido SooaluEvents producerTrustpilot

Fantastic company with great features for the true TV broadcasters. Special thanks to their developer support who went way out of their way to assist us.

CAColleen AnthonyTV broadcasterTrustpilot

HLS Player:
Questions Developers & Broadcasters Ask

Everything about testing streams, reading the stats, and choosing a CDN. More questions? Visit the Help Center.

What is an HLS player, and what does .m3u8 mean?

An HLS player is software that reads an HTTP Live Streaming manifest, a text file ending in .m3u8, and plays the video segments it points to. The .m3u8 file lists one or more quality renditions and the individual video chunks for each. This tool is an HLS (and DASH, and MP4) player you can use directly in your browser to test any stream URL.

How do I test an HLS or DASH stream URL for free?

Paste your .m3u8 (HLS), .mpd (DASH), or .mp4 URL into the field above and press Play. The player loads the stream in your browser and shows you the active resolution, bitrate, buffer health, and dropped frames in real time, no signup, no software to install.

Why does my HLS stream buffer or fail to play?

Buffering and playback failures usually come from one of a few causes: the manifest URL is wrong or expired, the encoder stopped sending segments, the CDN is dropping requests under load, or the player's bandwidth estimate can't keep up with the lowest available rendition. Testing your stream here isolates whether the problem is the stream itself or something downstream, like your own website's player.

What is the difference between HLS and DASH?

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming, .m3u8) and DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP, .mpd) both break video into small HTTP-delivered segments with multiple quality renditions. HLS is Apple's format and has near-universal native support on iOS, Safari, and Smart TVs. DASH is codec-agnostic and common in Android and browser players using MSE. Livepush generates both from a single live source, and this player tests either format.

What do the bitrate, buffer, and dropped-frame stats mean?

Active rendition and bitrate show the resolution and data rate currently playing. Bandwidth estimate is what the player thinks your connection can sustain right now. Buffer health is how many seconds of video are already downloaded and ready to play, low numbers mean you are closer to stalling. Dropped frames counts frames the browser couldn't render in time, often a sign of a slow device rather than a bad stream.

Is this HLS player free, and do I need to sign up?

Yes, this player is completely free and requires no account or signup. Paste any public stream URL and it plays immediately. You only need a Livepush account if you want to broadcast your own live stream or host video with Akamai-powered CDN delivery.

How is Livepush different from Akamai for live streaming CDN delivery?

Akamai is one of the largest CDNs in the world, and Livepush delivers video over Akamai's own edge network, so you get the same global reach and reliability. The difference is access: Akamai sells direct enterprise contracts, while Livepush packages that same Akamai-grade delivery, plus encoding, hosting, an ad-free player, and simulcasting, into self-serve plans starting at $49/month with no long-term contract. See live hosting plans for details.

Can I use this tool to test streams from other CDNs like Akamai, AWS, or Cloudflare?

Yes. This player accepts any public .m3u8, .mpd, or .mp4 URL regardless of where it's hosted, Akamai, AWS CloudFront, Cloudflare, Wowza, or Livepush itself. It's a neutral way to check playback and stream health before you decide which CDN to use in production.

Can I get a permanent embeddable player for my own site?

Yes. This test tool is separate from Livepush's hosted player. Sign up for a free account to get a branded, ad-free HTML5 player with an embed snippet, DVR, adaptive bitrate, and access controls for your own live channel or on-demand video.

Go live today. No setup required.

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DASH playerTest an .mpd manifest in your browser, free and with no signup.Open the DASH player MP4 playerPlay a video file or link in your browser, free and with no signup.Open the MP4 player

Test HLS Streams with Free M3U8 Player

Use this stream URL in your own app

Trusted by world-class broadcasters