Why -F not listing all available video formats on Hotstar (for particular TV show, "Siya Ke Ram")? #17863

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opened 2026-02-21 09:41:55 -05:00 by deekerman · 1 comment
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Originally created by @dev-ajay on GitHub (Sep 6, 2019).

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Q: Why -F is not listing all available video formats on Hotstar (for PARTICULAR TV show, "Siya Ke Ram")? It has 1280x720 video also, which was not listed in result of "yotube-dl -F".

take any video link of this show (of any episode):
e.g. "https://www.hotstar.com/tv/siya-ke-ram/s-402/janaks-daughter-sita-arrives/1000076668"

I run below command (On Windows):
youtube-dl -F "https://www.hotstar.com/tv/siya-ke-ram/s-402/janaks-daughter-sita-arrives/1000076668"

I get below result: (It has 1280x720 video also, which was not listed in result.)
[hotstar] 1000076668: Downloading webpage
[hotstar] 1000076668: Downloading JSON metadata
[hotstar] 1000076668: Downloading m3u8 information
[info] Available formats for 1000076668:
format code extension resolution note
hls-170 mp4 320x180 170k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2
hls-327 mp4 320x180 327k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2
hls-552 mp4 416x234 552k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2
hls-960 mp4 640x360 960k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2
hls-1470 mp4 720x404 1470k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2 (best)

I know that, It has 1280x720 video also, by using firefox plugin "Video DownloadHelper". "Video DownloadHelper" list 1280x720 video also apart from rest of the results, which I am able to download. But I wish to do it using youtube-dl as it has 326 episodes.

Originally created by @dev-ajay on GitHub (Sep 6, 2019). <!-- ###################################################################### WARNING! IGNORING THE FOLLOWING TEMPLATE WILL RESULT IN ISSUE CLOSED AS INCOMPLETE ###################################################################### --> ## Checklist <!-- Carefully read and work through this check list in order to prevent the most common mistakes and misuse of youtube-dl: - Look through the README (http://yt-dl.org/readme) and FAQ (http://yt-dl.org/faq) for similar questions - Search the bugtracker for similar questions: http://yt-dl.org/search-issues - Finally, put x into all relevant boxes (like this [x]) --> - [x ] I'm asking a question - [x ] I've looked through the README and FAQ for similar questions - [x ] I've searched the bugtracker for similar questions including closed ones ## Question <!-- Ask your question in an arbitrary form. Please make sure it's worded well enough to be understood, see https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl#is-the-description-of-the-issue-itself-sufficient. --> WRITE QUESTION HERE Q: Why -F is not listing all available video formats on Hotstar (for *PARTICULAR* TV show, "Siya Ke Ram")? It has 1280x720 video also, which was not listed in result of "yotube-dl -F". take any video link of this show (of any episode): e.g. "https://www.hotstar.com/tv/siya-ke-ram/s-402/janaks-daughter-sita-arrives/1000076668" I run below command (On Windows): youtube-dl -F "https://www.hotstar.com/tv/siya-ke-ram/s-402/janaks-daughter-sita-arrives/1000076668" I get below result: (It has 1280x720 video also, which was not listed in result.) [hotstar] 1000076668: Downloading webpage [hotstar] 1000076668: Downloading JSON metadata [hotstar] 1000076668: Downloading m3u8 information [info] Available formats for 1000076668: format code extension resolution note hls-170 mp4 320x180 170k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2 hls-327 mp4 320x180 327k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2 hls-552 mp4 416x234 552k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2 hls-960 mp4 640x360 960k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2 hls-1470 mp4 720x404 1470k , avc1.66.30, mp4a.40.2 (best) I know that, It has 1280x720 video also, by using firefox plugin "Video DownloadHelper". "Video DownloadHelper" list 1280x720 video also apart from rest of the results, which I am able to download. But I wish to do it using youtube-dl as it has 326 episodes.
deekerman 2026-02-21 09:41:55 -05:00
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@Y4shSHD commented on GitHub (Oct 25, 2019):

The reason for this is Hotstar changed the way it addresses URL's, example, in this case, if you download the episode of this show, which was before 2018, and not rebroadcasted on TV recently, they're addressed as:
Example:
Episode 1- Siya Ke Ram: Public link: https://www.hotstar.com/1000076668
Stream URL (best quality chosen: youtube-dl -f best "https://www.hotstar.com/1000076668"):
https://staragvodweb1-vh.akamaihd.net/i/videos/plus/skr/1/1000076668_,16,54,106,180,400,800,1300,2000,3000,4500,_STAR.mp4.csmil/index_7_av.m3u8

See that?
the numbers in bold mention the following bitrates (in kbps)
0. 16kbps

  1. 54kbps
  2. 106kbps
  3. 180kbps
  4. 400kbps
  5. 800kbps
  6. 1300kbps
    7. 2000kbps (720p video)
  7. 3000kbps (900p video)
  8. 4500kbps (1080p video)

I've stated with 0 and not 1, because this tells the index to which the player should give.

Hotstar prefers delivering the video in 720p if not reoptimized for 2018, hence index_7.av.m3u8
If you want better, 1080p video: change index_7.av.m3u8 to index_9.av.m3u8,

try this stream url (Add Native HLS streamer extension in chrome to see the result):
https://staragvodweb1-vh.akamaihd.net/i/videos/plus/skr/1/1000076668_,16,54,106,180,400,800,1300,2000,3000,4500,_STAR.mp4.csmil/index_9_av.m3u8

@Y4shSHD commented on GitHub (Oct 25, 2019): The reason for this is Hotstar changed the way it addresses URL's, example, in this case, if you download the episode of this show, which was before 2018, and not rebroadcasted on TV recently, they're addressed as: **_Example:_** Episode 1- Siya Ke Ram: Public link: https://www.hotstar.com/1000076668 Stream URL (best quality chosen: youtube-dl -f best "https://www.hotstar.com/1000076668"): https://staragvodweb1-vh.akamaihd.net/i/videos/plus/skr/1/1000076668_,16,54,106,180,400,800,1300,2000,3000,4500,_STAR.mp4.csmil/index_7_av.m3u8 See that? the numbers in bold mention the following bitrates (in kbps) 0. 16kbps 1. 54kbps 2. 106kbps 3. 180kbps 4. 400kbps 5. 800kbps 6. 1300kbps **7. 2000kbps (720p video)** 8. 3000kbps (900p video) 9. 4500kbps (1080p video) I've stated with 0 and not 1, because this tells the index to which the player should give. Hotstar prefers delivering the video in **720p** if not reoptimized for 2018, hence **index_7.av.m3u8** If you want better, 1080p video: change **index_7.av.m3u8** to **index_9.av.m3u8**, try this stream url (Add Native HLS streamer extension in chrome to see the result): https://staragvodweb1-vh.akamaihd.net/i/videos/plus/skr/1/1000076668_,16,54,106,180,400,800,1300,2000,3000,4500,_STAR.mp4.csmil/index_9_av.m3u8
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starred/youtube-dl-ytdl-org#17863
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