HLS & M3U8 Video Downloader - VidNeatDown

Advanced HLS & M3U8 stream saver. Merge segments locally to MP4, extract blob URLs, and resume interrupted downloads securely.

Save streaming videos, extract blob URLs, and merge HLS/M3U8 segments directly on your machine. VidNeatDown is a privacy-first, zero-server media utility built for scenarios where a standard browser download fails. Empower your browser to download and reconstruct media from complex embedded players, live streams, and fragmented web sources without relying on external software or third-party servers. 🌟 UNMATCHED TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES • Advanced HLS & M3U8 Extractor: Automatically sniffs .m3u8 playlists and downloads segmented streams seamlessly in the background. • True TS-to-MP4 Remuxing: Reconstructs and merges HLS/TS segments into high-quality, universally compatible .mp4 files locally. No format loss, no quality compression. • Local Audio/Video Muxing: Stitches separate DASH audio and video tracks together locally into a single high-quality file. • Durable Resume Engine (OPFS): Uses the browser’s Origin Private File System to write data incrementally. If your connection drops or your computer goes to sleep, VidNeatDown resumes exactly where it left off. • Resilient “Capture While Playing” Fallback: A powerful fallback mode that records visible, non-DRM playback directly from your screen buffer when no direct source URL is exposed. • Smart Download Manager: Track real-time progress, manage your local queue (pause, resume, cancel), and automatically select the best available resolution. • Universal Stream Detection: Intelligently identifies standard MP4, WebM, and fragmented media streams across the web. 🎯 OPTIMIZED FOR POPULAR PLATFORMS Our media engine features optimized site-specific adapters to reliably download videos from major platforms: • Reddit: Stitches separated audio and video DASH streams together on-the-fly so your downloads always have sound. • Twitter (X): Easily save high-resolution video streams from timelines, posts, and nested cards. • Facebook: Download content directly from Facebook Reels, stories, and videos. • Vimeo: Extract both embedded and hosted Vimeo content without needing authentication. • Bilibili: Enhanced support for Bilibili video and audio extraction. • Generic Embedded Players: Sniffs and downloads video from thousands of standard HTML5 and custom web players. (Note: YouTube downloading is strictly prohibited by Google Chrome Web Store Developer Policies and is not supported by this extension.) 🛡️ 100% PRIVACY-FIRST & ZERO-SERVER PROCESSING Unlike other video downloaders that route your data through external servers, VidNeatDown operates with a strict local-first architecture: • No Companion App Required: All segment merging, TS-to-MP4 remuxing, and file assembly happen 100% inside your browser’s secure sandbox. • Total Privacy: Your media data, downloads, and browsing history never leave your machine. • No Tracking: Zero telemetry, no remote media uploads, and completely ad-free. ⚠️ POLICY COMPLIANCE & LIMITATIONS To maintain compliance with developer guidelines: • No DRM Support: Encrypted or DRM-protected streams (such as premium subscription platforms) cannot be downloaded. • YouTube Policy Compliance: YouTube downloads are blocked in compliance with store guidelines. • Diagnostics Mode: Easily export redacted diagnostics if a download fails due to signed URL expiry or host restrictions. --- HOW IT WORKS --- 1. Open a web page featuring the video stream you want to save. 2. Click the VidNeatDown icon to review all detected media sources and resolutions. 3. Choose the optimal format (Direct MP4, HLS/M3U8 variant, or Capture While Playing). 4. Monitor the progress in the native popup or side panel, and find your finished file securely saved in your Chrome Downloads folder. What Changed: [3.0.1] - 2026-06-27 --Added • Reddit Video-Only DASH: Supported resolving Reddit video-only DASH manifests in background downloader. • Enhanced Custom Player Scanning: Added support for inspecting custom shreddit player elements, attributes, and page metadata (og:video, twitter:player) for media extraction in content scripts. --Improved • Progress Tracking & Retries: Reset task retry states upon byte progress detection. [3.0] - 2026-06-27 Changed • Brand Refresh: Unified naming to VidNeatDown inside the extension popup wordmark, titles, settings config, and background licensing definitions. [2.6.3] - 2026-06-07 -- Added • Reddit Stream Resolution and Reddit Video Support: Added support for resolving direct progressive MP4 downloads from Reddit slugs and network URLs using temporary authorization tokens. [2.6.2] - 2026-05-25 -- Fixed • Playable Resumed Downloads: Prevented MP4 and HLS retries from producing zero-prefixed corrupt files when saved resume metadata outlives its temporary media data. [2.6.1] - 2026-05-23 -- Fixed • HLS Segment Detection: Improved .ts file recognition in partial media URLs that include query strings. [2.6.0] - 2026-05-17 -- Added • Worker Modularization: Split the massive hls_worker.js into cohesive, single-responsibility modules: -- hls_downloader.js (segmented M3U8 handling) -- progressive_downloader.js (MP4/direct progressive streams) -- capture_downloader.js (canvas/tab capture engine) -- diagnostics.js (DRM and environment reporting) • Unified DASH Processing: Completed porting Vimeo adapters to run on the generic DASH/mux engine. • Enhanced Validation: Added pre-flight check validation for resolved tasks and clean duplicate handling. -- Improved • Code Maintainability: Removed over 1,400 lines of complex inline code from the core offscreen worker, distributing the responsibilities to specific isolated engines. • Test Integrity: Updated simulated test context runner to load all modular files, keeping automated fixture tests passing. [2.5.0] - 2026-05-17 -- Added • Full DASH Stream Support: Generalized the downloader from Vimeo-only JSON streams to support standard DASH manifests (.mpd), covering SegmentTemplate, SegmentList, and SegmentBase (sidx index) formats. • Local Audio/Video Muxing: Added support for fetching separate DASH audio and video tracks and merging them locally into a single high-quality MP4 file. • Video-Only DASH Mode: Added a “Download Video Only” feature to the popup for quick video track downloads. • DASH Test Fixtures: Created a robust test suite covering multiple DASH layouts to verify parser accuracy. • Durable Resume Support (OPFS): Implemented Origin Private File System persistent storage sidecars to allow both HLS and DASH downloads to resume exactly where they were paused or stopped, even after worker termination or error. • Diagnostics Bundle Export: Added support for exporting an automated redacted support diagnostics bundle for debugging. • Segment Concurrency Setting: Allowed parallel segment downloads control (1 to 8 concurrent segments). • “Best Playable” Recommendation Strategy: Introduced a smart Advisor mode that balances compatibility, codec efficiency, and resolution. [2.2.0] - 2026-05-16 -- Fixed • Resume Stuck Bug: Added a 10-second timeout to resume and restart actions to prevent the queue from getting stuck on unresponsive offscreen workers. • Offscreen Synchronization: Background script now ensures the offscreen document is active before dispatching resume commands, fixing cases where “Restart” would hang indefinitely. -- Improved • Resume Reliability: Implemented an automatic “restart from scratch” fallback when a byte-level resume attempt times out or fails to initialize. [2.1.0] - 2026-05-10 -- Added • Bilibili Support: Enhanced detection and extraction for Bilibili video streams. • HLS Partial Output: Extension now preserves and saves usable media segments even if a download is interrupted or cancelled. Improved • Worker Stability: Refined offscreen HLS worker and background listeners for better reliability during long downloads. • Queue Resilience: Improved handling of network retries and manifest refreshes. [2.0.0] - 2026-05-07 -- Added • True HLS TS-to-MP4 Remux: Implemented local remuxing of TS-based HLS streams into standard MP4 files without quality loss. • Enhanced Recovery Suite: • No Video Assistant: Interactive recovery guide when no media is detected. • Capture While Playing: Direct screen/buffer capture for resilient downloads on protected or unstable sources. • Deep Site Research: Completed comprehensive research and documentation for top 10 video sites to improve download success rates. Download Diagnostics: One-click technical report generation for easier troubleshooting. -- Improved • HLS Stability: Refined offscreen processing for large file merges. • Site Compatibility: Updated detection logic for VK, Dailymotion, and FC2. [1.2.0] - 2026-04-13 -- Fixed HLS Messaging: Updated marketing and UI copy to accurately reflect local merging behavior for M3U8/HLS streams. DASH Labeling: Added explicit labeling for unsupported DASH manifests (segmented/separate-audio) to guide users clearly. Pro Cleanup: Hard-disabled and removed dormant Pro feature affordances to maintain a clean free-build experience. -- Improved Popup Performance: Replaced the high-frequency 250ms polling loop with a push-first update model, significantly reducing background worker overhead. [1.1.0] - 2026-04-10 -- Improved Filename Generation: Implemented smart, word-boundary-aware filename truncation to prevent excessively long or broken filenames. [1.0.0] - 2026-04-03 -- Added Universal Video Detection: Engine for identifying MP4, WebM, and fragmented media streams across the web. Advanced HLS & M3U8 Support: Automatic detection of M3U8 manifests and segment-based downloading. Zero-Server Video Merging: Client-side merging of video segments into high-quality MP4 files using browser-native APIs and offscreen processing. Site-Specific Parsers: -- Twitter (X): Recognition of high-resolution video streams on timelines and individual posts. -- Vimeo: Extraction of embedded and hosted Vimeo content without authentication. -- Facebook: Experimental support for Facebook Reels and Watch video detection. Smart Download Manager: -- Real-time progress tracking with download speed indicators. -- Persistent local queue management (pause, resume, cancel). -- Automatic quality selection where multiple resolutions are detected. Modern UI Suite: -- Premium dark-themed Popup interface. -- Chrome Side Panel integration for persistent download monitoring. -- Responsive design for all browser window sizes. Privacy-First Architecture: -- 100% local processing; no media data or metadata ever leaves your machine. -- Zero telemetry and no external analytics. Blob URL Handling: Support for extracting and downloading media from blob-based player sources. -- Changed Initial release preparation—shifting from internal prototype to production-ready extension. -- Security Implemented Manifest V3 security standards using Declarative Net Request for media header handling. Sandboxed offscreen processing for merging large media files securely. Made with ❤️ for video enthusiasts.