liveDownload

A modern Chrome extension for recording live HLS streams and downloading VOD content with a beautiful, intuitive interface.

🌟 Features

Live Stream Recording

• Continuous Recording: Automatically captures live HLS/M3U8 streams as they broadcast
• Batch Processing: Downloads segments in configurable batches with automatic concatenation
• Smart Detection: Automatically distinguishes between live streams and VOD content
• Reliable: Single-threaded download mode prevents timestamp mangling
• Resilient: Continues recording even when individual segments fail
• Long Recording Support: Successfully tested on 100+ hour continuous streams

Modern User Interface

• Clean Design: Beautiful blue gradient interface with modern styling
• Scrollable Table: Fixed-height table with smooth scrolling for large playlists
• Live Detection: Automatically shows "Record" button for live streams, "Download" for VOD
• Recording Badge: Floating status indicator showing segments, batches, and duration
• Non-blocking Notifications: Toast messages that never interrupt your workflow

Flexible Configuration

• Root Download Directory: Set once, use everywhere - no repeated folder prompts
• Batch Size: Configurable from 10-1000 segments (default: 20)
• Thread Control: Separate settings for live recording (default: 1) and VOD downloads (default: 3)
• Auto-Concatenation: Optional automatic merge when stream ends
• Persistent Settings: All preferences saved via IndexedDB and chrome.storage

📥 Installation

From Release Package

1. Download liveDownload-v0.2.0.zip from Releases
2. Extract the archive
3. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/
4. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right)
5. Click "Load unpacked"
6. Select the extracted liveDownload-v0.2.0 folder

From Source

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/liveDownload.git
cd liveDownload

Then follow steps 3-6 above, selecting the cloned directory.

🚀 Usage

Recording a Live Stream

1. Navigate to a page with a live HLS stream
2. Click the liveDownload extension icon
3. Look for streams marked with the red "🔴 Record" button
4. Click "Record" to start capturing
5. A floating badge shows recording progress (segments, batches, duration)
6. Click "Stop Recording" when finished

Downloading VOD Content

1. Navigate to a page with VOD content
2. Click the liveDownload extension icon
3. Look for streams marked with the blue "Download" button
4. Click "Download" to fetch the content
5. Files are saved to your configured root directory

Configuration

1. Click the "⚙️ Settings" button in the extension window
2. Configure:
   • Root Download Directory: Choose where to save recordings
   • Batch Size: Number of segments per batch file (20 recommended for <1hr streams)
   • Live Recording Threads: Keep at 1 to prevent timestamp issues
   • Number of Threads: For VOD downloads (3 is optimal)
3. Click "Save Settings"

🛠️ Technical Details

Architecture

• Manifest V3: Modern Chrome extension architecture
• Service Worker: Background processing via worker.js
• Modern UI: Dynamic rendering with modern-ui.js
• Batch Strategy: Downloads segments in numbered batches (stream_001.ts, stream_002.ts, etc.)
• File System API: Native directory access via showDirectoryPicker()
• IndexedDB: Persistent storage for directory handles

Live Stream Detection

The extension automatically detects stream type by analyzing M3U8 manifests:

• Master playlists (#EXT-X-STREAM-INF) → Download button
• VOD playlists (#EXT-X-ENDLIST or #EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD) → Download button
• Live playlists (no end markers) → Record button

File Organization

RootDirectory/
├── StreamName.ts                          # Final concatenated output
└── StreamName_YYYY-MM-DDTHH-MM-SS_components/
    ├── StreamName_001.ts                  # Batch 1
    ├── StreamName_002.ts                  # Batch 2
    └── StreamName_NNN.ts                  # Batch N

🐛 Known Issues

Timestamp Mangling

Multi-threaded downloads can cause out-of-order segments. Solution: Set "Live Recording Threads" to 1 in settings.

Missing ENDLIST Tags

Some servers don't send #EXT-X-ENDLIST when streams end. Workaround: Manually click "Stop Recording" when the stream finishes.

Failed Segments

Network issues may cause individual segments to fail. The extension continues recording but may result in brief glitches in the final video.

📝 Changelog

v0.2.0 (2025-12-29)

• ✨ Complete UI overhaul with modern blue gradient design
• ✨ Separate thread settings for live vs VOD downloads
• ✨ Improved live stream detection (handles master playlists)
• ✨ Non-blocking toast notifications
• ✨ Scrollable table with fixed headers
• ✨ Root directory persistence via IndexedDB
• 🐛 Fixed manifest V3 warnings
• 🐛 Fixed context menu duplicate errors
• 📦 Reduced default batch size to 20 segments
• 🔒 Removed analytics/tracking

v0.1.0 - v0.1.9

• Initial development versions
• Batch download system implementation
• Live recording functionality
• Settings panel development

🙏 Credits

Original Extension: Live Stream Downloader by Chandler Stimson

liveDownload is a fork that adds:

• Modern UI redesign
• Dedicated live stream recording features
• Enhanced batch download system
• Improved settings management
• Better UX for long-running recordings

📄 License

This project is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

The original Live Stream Downloader is also licensed under MPL 2.0.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📧 Support

If you encounter issues or have questions:

• Open an Issue on GitHub
• Provide browser console logs when reporting bugs
• Include your Chrome version and OS

⚠️ Disclaimer

This extension is for personal use only. Ensure you have the right to download/record content before using this tool. Respect copyright laws and terms of service.