Skip to main content

Live Stream Handling

yt-dlp provides comprehensive support for downloading live streams, including ongoing broadcasts, scheduled streams, and stream recordings.

Basic Live Stream Download​

Download Active Live Stream​

Download ongoing live stream

yt-dlp "LIVE_STREAM_URL"

Download with specific quality

yt-dlp -f "best[height<=1080]" "LIVE_STREAM_URL"

Download audio only from live stream

yt-dlp -x "LIVE_STREAM_URL"

Live Stream Recording​

Record live stream from start

yt-dlp --live-from-start "LIVE_STREAM_URL"

Record from current point

yt-dlp --no-live-from-start "LIVE_STREAM_URL"

Record with time limit

yt-dlp --live-from-start --download-sections "*0:30:00" "LIVE_STREAM_URL"

Stream Scheduling and Waiting​

Wait for Scheduled Streams​

Wait for stream to start

yt-dlp --wait-for-video 30 "SCHEDULED_STREAM_URL"

Wait with range (min-max minutes)

yt-dlp --wait-for-video 10-60 "SCHEDULED_STREAM_URL"

Don't wait for streams

yt-dlp --no-wait-for-video "SCHEDULED_STREAM_URL"

Monitoring Stream Status​

Check if stream is live

yt-dlp --list-formats "STREAM_URL"

Monitor stream with verbose output

yt-dlp --verbose --wait-for-video 60 "STREAM_URL"

Get stream information without downloading

yt-dlp --skip-download --write-info-json "STREAM_URL"

Live Stream Quality and Format​

Format Selection for Streams​

Best available live quality

yt-dlp -f "best[protocol=m3u8_native]/best[protocol=dash]/best" "STREAM_URL"

Specific protocol preference

yt-dlp -f "best[protocol=m3u8_native]" "STREAM_URL"

HLS stream selection

yt-dlp -f "best[protocol^=m3u8]" "STREAM_URL"

DASH stream selection

yt-dlp -f "best[protocol=dash]" "STREAM_URL"

Quality Control​

Limit stream quality

yt-dlp -f "best[height<=720][protocol=m3u8_native]" "STREAM_URL"

Audio bitrate preference for live streams

yt-dlp -f "best[abr>=128][protocol=m3u8_native]" "STREAM_URL"

Mobile-friendly live stream

yt-dlp -f "worst[height>=480]" "STREAM_URL"

Platform-Specific Live Stream Handling​

YouTube Live​

YouTube live stream

yt-dlp --live-from-start "https://youtube.com/watch?v=LIVE_VIDEO_ID"

YouTube premiere

yt-dlp --wait-for-video 60 "https://youtube.com/watch?v=PREMIERE_ID"

YouTube live with chat

yt-dlp --write-comments "https://youtube.com/watch?v=LIVE_VIDEO_ID"

Twitch​

Twitch live stream

yt-dlp "https://twitch.tv/streamer_name"

Twitch with chat

yt-dlp --write-comments "https://twitch.tv/streamer_name"

Twitch VOD recording

yt-dlp "https://twitch.tv/videos/VOD_ID"

Facebook Live​

Facebook live stream

yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome "https://facebook.com/user/videos/LIVE_ID"

Facebook with authentication

yt-dlp --username user --password pass "https://facebook.com/live_url"

Instagram Live​

Instagram live story

yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome "https://instagram.com/stories/user/LIVE_ID"

Instagram IGTV live

yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser firefox "https://instagram.com/tv/LIVE_ID"

Advanced Live Stream Options​

Fragment Handling​

Keep live fragments

yt-dlp --keep-fragments "STREAM_URL"

Skip unavailable fragments

yt-dlp --skip-unavailable-fragments "STREAM_URL"

Abort on fragment errors

yt-dlp --abort-on-unavailable-fragments "STREAM_URL"

Live Stream Retry Logic​

Retry configuration for live streams

yt-dlp --retries 10 --fragment-retries 5 "STREAM_URL"

Sleep between retries

yt-dlp --retry-sleep linear=1::2 "STREAM_URL"

Retry with exponential backoff

yt-dlp --retry-sleep exp=1:120 "STREAM_URL"

Concurrent Download​

Concurrent fragment download for live streams

yt-dlp --concurrent-fragments 4 "STREAM_URL"

External downloader for live streams

yt-dlp --external-downloader ffmpeg "STREAM_URL"

Live Stream Recording Strategies​

Continuous Recording​

Record entire stream duration

yt-dlp --live-from-start --no-part "STREAM_URL"

Record with restart on connection loss

yt-dlp --live-from-start --retries infinite "STREAM_URL"

Record with custom timeout

yt-dlp --socket-timeout 30 "STREAM_URL"

Segmented Recording​

Record in segments

yt-dlp --download-sections "*0:60:00" "STREAM_URL"

Multiple time segments

yt-dlp --download-sections "*0:30:00,*30:00-60:00" "STREAM_URL"

Skip beginning of stream

yt-dlp --download-sections "*10:00-inf" "STREAM_URL"

Stream Archiving​

Archive live stream with metadata

yt-dlp --live-from-start --write-info-json --write-description "STREAM_URL"

Archive with thumbnail

yt-dlp --live-from-start --write-thumbnail "STREAM_URL"

Complete archival package

yt-dlp --live-from-start --write-info-json --write-description --write-thumbnail --write-comments "STREAM_URL"

Live Stream Monitoring and Automation​

Automated Stream Recording​

Live stream monitoring script

#!/bin/bash
STREAM_URL="$1"
OUTPUT_DIR="$2"

while true; do
    yt-dlp --wait-for-video 30 --live-from-start \
           -o "$OUTPUT_DIR/%(uploader)s_%(upload_date)s_%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
           "$STREAM_URL"
    sleep 300  # Wait 5 minutes before checking again
done

Stream Notification​

Record with notification

yt-dlp --live-from-start --exec "notify-send 'Stream ended'" "STREAM_URL"

Execute custom script on completion

yt-dlp --live-from-start --exec "upload_to_cloud.sh {}" "STREAM_URL"

Multiple Stream Monitoring​

Monitor multiple streams

yt-dlp --wait-for-video 60 --batch-file live_streams.txt

Parallel stream recording

parallel -j 4 "yt-dlp --live-from-start {} -o 'streams/%(uploader)s_%(title)s.%(ext)s'" :::: stream_urls.txt

Live Stream Post-Processing​

Real-time Processing​

Post-process during recording

yt-dlp --live-from-start --embed-thumbnail --add-metadata "STREAM_URL"

Convert format during recording

yt-dlp --live-from-start --merge-output-format mp4 "STREAM_URL"

Extract audio from live stream

yt-dlp --live-from-start -x --audio-format mp3 "STREAM_URL"

Stream Analysis​

Analyze stream quality

yt-dlp --list-formats --verbose "STREAM_URL"

Monitor bitrate and quality

yt-dlp --verbose --print-traffic "STREAM_URL"

Stream metadata extraction

yt-dlp --skip-download --write-info-json "STREAM_URL"

Live Chat and Comments​

Chat Recording​

Record live chat (YouTube)

yt-dlp --write-comments "YOUTUBE_LIVE_URL"

Chat with specific format

yt-dlp --write-comments --comment-format json "STREAM_URL"

Embedded chat in video (where supported)

yt-dlp --embed-comments "STREAM_URL"

Chat Processing​

Process chat separately

yt-dlp --skip-download --write-comments "STREAM_URL"

Chat with timestamps

yt-dlp --write-comments --write-info-json "STREAM_URL"

Error Handling and Recovery​

Connection Issues​

Handle connection drops

yt-dlp --live-from-start --retries infinite --fragment-retries 10 "STREAM_URL"

Ignore network errors

yt-dlp --live-from-start --ignore-errors "STREAM_URL"

Continue on fragment loss

yt-dlp --live-from-start --skip-unavailable-fragments "STREAM_URL"

Stream Interruption Recovery​

Resume interrupted stream

yt-dlp --continue --live-from-start "STREAM_URL"

Force restart on failure

yt-dlp --no-continue --live-from-start "STREAM_URL"

Custom recovery script

yt-dlp --live-from-start --exec-before-download "backup_progress.sh {}" "STREAM_URL"

Performance Optimization​

Network Optimization​

Optimize for live streams

yt-dlp --live-from-start --buffer-size 2048 --http-chunk-size 1M "STREAM_URL"

Reduce latency

yt-dlp --live-from-start --socket-timeout 10 "STREAM_URL"

Increase connection pooling

yt-dlp --live-from-start --source-address YOUR_IP "STREAM_URL"

Resource Management​

Limit disk usage during recording

yt-dlp --live-from-start --max-filesize 1G "STREAM_URL"

Rotate recordings

yt-dlp --live-from-start --download-sections "*0:60:00" -o "stream_%(timestamp)s.%(ext)s" "STREAM_URL"

Troubleshooting Live Streams​

Common Issues​

Debug live stream problems

yt-dlp --verbose --debug --live-from-start "STREAM_URL"

Test stream availability

yt-dlp --list-formats "STREAM_URL"

Check protocol support

yt-dlp --verbose "STREAM_URL" 2>&1 | grep -i protocol

Stream Quality Issues​

Force specific protocol

yt-dlp -f "best[protocol=m3u8_native]" "STREAM_URL"

Avoid problematic formats

yt-dlp -f "best[protocol!=dash]" "STREAM_URL"

Manual format selection

yt-dlp -F "STREAM_URL"

List formats

yt-dlp -f FORMAT_CODE "STREAM_URL"

Best Practices​

  1. Start from Beginning: Use --live-from-start for complete recording
  2. Handle Interruptions: Configure retries and error handling
  3. Monitor Quality: Check available formats before recording
  4. Manage Storage: Consider file size limits for long streams
  5. Use Appropriate Protocols: Prefer m3u8_native for HLS streams
  6. Automate Monitoring: Use scripts for scheduled or recurring streams
  7. Backup Recordings: Have redundant storage for important streams
  8. Test Configuration: Verify settings with short test recordings

Live stream handling in yt-dlp provides robust capabilities for capturing real-time content with reliable recording, quality control, and error recovery mechanisms.