If you only want to record the next 30 minutes of a live broadcast, use the -t flag (time in seconds or HH:MM:SS). ffmpeg -i "URL" -c copy -t 00:30:00 recording.mp4 2. Fixing Connection Drops
💡 If your computer crashes while recording to MP4, the file will likely be corrupted and unplayable. If you record to .mkv , the file will be fine up until the second it crashed. You can convert it to MP4 instantly afterward. ffmpeg download live stream
Some streams have multiple languages. To ensure you grab everything, use the map flag: ffmpeg -i "URL" -map 0 -c copy output.mkv Step 4: Converting While Downloading If you only want to record the next
FFmpeg cannot record a standard website URL (like twitch.tv/user ). You need the , which usually ends in .m3u8 or .mpd . Open your browser's Developer Tools (F12). Go to the Network tab. Type m3u8 or mpd in the filter box. Refresh the page and play the video. If you record to
Sometimes the source stream is in a format your device doesn’t support (like a high-bitrate TS stream). If you need to compress the file while it downloads, swap -c copy for a specific codec: ffmpeg -i "URL" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac output.mp4