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HLS troubleshooting

An HLS feed stops updating after the last segment

Compare two snapshots of an authorized HLS media playlist to tell an ended stream from a live playlist that stopped refreshing.

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Find the media playlist before deciding it is stale

An HLS multivariant playlist can stay the same throughout a live programme. It points to rendition playlists. Inspect the media playlist for the rendition that is actually playing. The media playlist contains segment entries. RFC 8216 defines EXT-X-ENDLIST as the signal that no more segments will be added.

An ENDLIST in an archived presentation is expected. If it appears in a media playlist that should remain live, the publishing or routing team can check why a completed or wrong presentation is being served. If there is no ENDLIST, look at whether the media window advances over multiple refreshes.

What two snapshots can show

First snapshotLater snapshotInterpretation
Sequence 120, last segment 124Sequence 121, last segment 125The sliding window is moving forward.
Sequence 120, last segment 124Same sequence but a later segment is presentAn event-style window may append without removing earlier items.
Same sequence and last segmentStill unchanged after the expected refresh windowInvestigate stale delivery or a stopped encoder or packager.
Final playlist with ENDLISTUnchanged playlist with ENDLISTThe playlist declares a finished presentation.

Avoid changing the wrong layer

For an authorized operator test, record retrieval time, media sequence, final segment reference without private tokens, target duration and ENDLIST presence. Compare at a reasonable interval for the feed rather than requesting repeatedly in a tight loop. Check whether a second authorized player receives the same current playlist.

If both clients see an advancing playlist but the newest segment fails to arrive, investigate segment delivery separately. If the playlist ends and only one app tries to wait indefinitely, share the app version and final marker with the publisher. A screen that freezes on its last frame can look similar in both cases.

Sources and further reading