x9k3

x9k3 Injects SCTE-35 Into HLS

x9k3 News

<s>I'm trying add support for injesting SRT streams. I have SRT working with threefive.the issue I'm having with x9k3 is disconnecting and reconnecting takes about 5 seconds longer that I want it to, and I'm ironing that out.</s> SRT support for input videos is now working.
<s>Expect a new release with SRT support by February.</s> x9k3 v1.0.13 was released 01/31/2026.
python 3.14 makes changes to the default multiprocessing spawn method, I fixed that in x9k3 on 01/14/2026.
x9k3 runs perfectly on python3, but x9k3 runs best on pypy3. It's all about the JIT man.

Adrian

</samp>

Current Version: `v1.0.21`

Updated threefive to 3.0.83
Fixed adbreak3
Auto-Enabbled Program Date Time tags when EXT-X-DATARANGE tags are used.
other top secret Jmes Bond type stuff.

`Features`

All SCTE-35 HLS Tags are Supported.
Add SCTE-35 Tags to ABR HLS
Segment MPEGTS streams into HLS and transfer SCTE-35 or add new SCTE-35 Tags
SCTE-35 Cues in Mpegts Streams are Translated into HLS tags.
SCTE-35 Cues can be added from a Sidecar File.
Segments are Split on SCTE-35 Cues as needed.
Segments Start on iframes.
Supports h264 and h265 .
Multi-protocol. Input sources may be Files, Http(s), Multicast, SRT, or Unicast UDP streams.
Supports Live Streaming.

Want to see something cool?

I'm working with a friend of mine on his HLS analyzing web app. This is why he made threefive.js, which is pretty damn good actually. Stay tuned for details! <img width="1187" height="529" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a3987808-b48e-4402-a750-8bf229770d17" />

Documentation

Q.

What`s up with all the releases?

A.

Whenever I figure something out or fix a bug, I make a new release. I'm not going to make you wait for a bug fix. This way, releases are incremental, rather than brand new software. Unless I have a really really good reason not to, I maintain backwards compatibilty and the interface, and by interface I mean function and method calls and such. New releases are designed to work with your existing code.<BR> Sometimes I just make a stupid mistake doing the build and have to do a new one.

Install
Use
- Cli
  - Switches ( --this and --that)
  - Usage Examples
- Lib (how to use x9k3 as a library)
  - ABR in Code
- Sidecar Files (these are how you add the SCTE-35, super important)
  - Adding SCTE-35 in real time
  - SCTE-35 Splice Immediate (not the same as real time)
  - SCTE-35 Generation with adbreak3
- Playlists (make a playlist of MPEGTS or M3u8 files and feed it to x9k3 as input)
HLS Stuff
- HLS as Input
- ABR HLS (there are some terms and conditions)
  - ABR in Code (in less than ten lines)
- Byterange HLS
- Live HLS (sliding windows, deleting segments, all that jazz)
- Looping videos (play the same thing over and over)
Cues
- CUE-OUT
- CUE-IN
SCTE-35 Tags

`Install`

Use pip to install the x9k3 lib and the executable scripts x9k3, adbreak3, and adinterval3.

# python3

python3 -mpip install x9k3

# pypy3 

pypy3 -mpip install x9k3

Both OpenBSD and Debian now require '--break-system-packages' to be appended to the pip install command if you are not using a venv.

⇪ top

`Details`

X-SCTE35, X-CUE, X-DATERANGE, or X-SPLICEPOINT HLS tags can be generated. set with the --hls_tag switch.
reading from stdin now available
Segments are cut on iframes.
Segment time is 2 seconds or more, determined by GOP size. Can be set with the -t switch or by setting X9K3.args.time
Segments are named seg1.ts seg2.ts etc...
For SCTE-35, Video segments are cut at the the first iframe >= the splice point pts.
If no pts time is present in the SCTE-35 cue, the segment is cut at the next iframe.
SCTE-35 cues with a preroll are inserted at the splice point.
x9k3 can continue an existing m3u8 file. You can switch or resume streams, x9k3 handles the details.

`How to Use`

`cli`

`do the simplest thing that can possibly work`

There are a lot of command line switches available, but you do not have to use them all. <BR>

Try it like this first

x9k3 -i video.ts -o output_dir

later you can add as many switches as you like.

Switches

a@fu:~/x9k3$ x9k3 --help

usage: x9k3 [-h] [-i INPUT] [-b] [-c] [-d] [-l] [-n]
            [-no_adrian_is_cool_tags_at_splice_points_because_I_suck] [-N]
            [-o OUTPUT_DIR] [-e] [-p] [-r] [-s SIDECAR_FILE] [-S] [-t TIME]
            [-T HLS_TAG] [-w WINDOW_SIZE] [-v]

optional arguments:

  -h, --help            show this help message and exit

  -i INPUT, --input INPUT
                        The Input video can be mpegts or m3u8 with mpegts
                        segments, or a playlist with mpegts files and/or
                        mpegts m3u8 files. The input can be a local video,
                        http(s), udp, multicast or stdin.

  -b, --byterange       Flag for byterange hls [default:False]

  -c, --continue_m3u8   Resume writing index.m3u8 [default:False]

  -d, --delete          delete segments (enables --live) [default:False]

  -l, --live            Flag for a live event (enables sliding window m3u8)
                        [default:False]

  -n, --no_discontinuity                 
                        Flag to disable adding #EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY tags at
                        splice points [default:False]

  -no_adrian_is_cool_tags_at_splice_points_because_I_suck
                        Flag to disable adding #EXT-X-ADRIAN-IS-COOL tags at
                        splice points [default:False]

  -N, --no-throttle,             
                        Flag to disable live throttling [default:False]

  -o OUTPUT_DIR, --output_dir OUTPUT_DIR
                        Directory for segments and index.m3u8(created if
                        needed) [default:'.']

  -e, --exclude_mpegts  Flag to exclude parsing SCTE-35 from MPEGTS.
                        [default:False]

  -p, --program_date_time
                        Flag to add Program Date Time tags to index.m3u8  [default:False]

  -r, --replay          Flag for replay aka looping (enables --live,--delete)
                        [default:False]

  -s SIDECAR_FILE, --sidecar_file SIDECAR_FILE
                        Sidecar file of SCTE-35 (pts,cue) pairs.
                        [default:None]

  -S, --shulga          Flag to enable Shulga iframe detection mode
                        [default:False]

  -t TIME, --time TIME  Segment time in seconds [default:2]

  -T HLS_TAG, --hls_tag HLS_TAG
                        x_scte35, x_cue, x_daterange, or x_splicepoint
                        [default:x_cue]

  -w WINDOW_SIZE, --window_size WINDOW_SIZE
                        sliding window size (enables --live) [default:5]

  -v, --version         Show version

`Example Usage`

`local file as input`

   x9k3 -i video.mpegts

`multicast stream as input with a live sliding window`

x9k3 --live -i udp://@235.35.3.5:3535 -o output_dir

Live mode works with a live source or static files.

x9k3 will throttle segment creation to mimic a live stream.

x9k3 --live -i /some/video.ts -o output_dir

`live sliding window and deleting expired segments`

x9k3  -i udp://@235.35.3.5:3535 --delete -o output_dir

`https stream for input, and writing segments to an output directory`

directory will be created if it does not exist.

  x9k3 -i https://so.slo.me/longb.ts --output_dir /home/a/variant0

`https hls m3u8 for input, and inserting SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, and continuing from a previously create index.m3u8 in the output dir`

  x9k3 -i https://slow.golf/longb.m3u8 --output_dir /home/a/variant0 -continue_m3u8 -s sidecar.txt

`using stdin as input`

cat video.ts | x9k3   -o output_dir

`live m3u8 file as input, add SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, change segment duration to 3 and output as live stream`

x9k3 -i https://example.com/rendition.m3u8 -s sidecar.txt -t 3 -l -o output-dir

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`Programmatically`

`Up and Running in three Lines`

        from x9k3 import X9K3            # 1
        x9 = X9K3('/home/a/cool.ts')     # 2
        x9.decode()                      # 3

Writing Code with x9k3

you can get a complete set of args and the defaults like this

from x9k3 import X9K3
x9 = X9K3()

>>>> {print(k,':',v) for k,v in vars(x9.args).items()}

input : <_io.BufferedReader name='<stdin>'>
continue_m3u8 : False
delete : False
live : False
no_discontinuity : False
no_throttle : False
output_dir : .
program_date_time : False
replay : False
sidecar_file : None
shulga : False
time : 2
hls_tag : x_cue
window_size : 5
version : False

or just

X9k3

Install / Use

README

x9k3

x9k3 Injects SCTE-35 Into HLS

x9k3 News

Current Version: `v1.0.21`

`Features`

Want to see something cool?

Documentation

Q.

A.

`Install`

`Details`

`How to Use`

`cli`

`do the simplest thing that can possibly work`

Switches

`Example Usage`

`local file as input`

`multicast stream as input with a live sliding window`

Live mode works with a live source or static files.

`live sliding window and deleting expired segments`

`https stream for input, and writing segments to an output directory`

`https hls m3u8 for input, and inserting SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, and continuing from a previously create index.m3u8 in the output dir`

`using stdin as input`

`live m3u8 file as input, add SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, change segment duration to 3 and output as live stream`

`Programmatically`

`Up and Running in three Lines`

Writing Code with x9k3

X9k3

Install / Use

README

x9k3

x9k3 Injects SCTE-35 Into HLS

x9k3 News

Current Version: v1.0.21

Features

Want to see something cool?

Documentation

Q.

A.

Install

Details

How to Use

cli

do the simplest thing that can possibly work

Switches

Example Usage

local file as input

multicast stream as input with a live sliding window

Live mode works with a live source or static files.

live sliding window and deleting expired segments

https stream for input, and writing segments to an output directory

https hls m3u8 for input, and inserting SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, and continuing from a previously create index.m3u8 in the output dir

using stdin as input

live m3u8 file as input, add SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, change segment duration to 3 and output as live stream

Programmatically

Up and Running in three Lines

Writing Code with x9k3

Current Version: `v1.0.21`

`Features`

`Install`

`Details`

`How to Use`

`cli`

`do the simplest thing that can possibly work`

`Example Usage`

`local file as input`

`multicast stream as input with a live sliding window`

`live sliding window and deleting expired segments`

`https stream for input, and writing segments to an output directory`

`https hls m3u8 for input, and inserting SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, and continuing from a previously create index.m3u8 in the output dir`

`using stdin as input`

`live m3u8 file as input, add SCTE-35 from a sidecar file, change segment duration to 3 and output as live stream`

`Programmatically`

`Up and Running in three Lines`