HLS variant is missing FRAME-RATE
Devices that cannot handle high frame rates need this attribute to rule a rendition out before downloading it.
What it means
A video variant omits FRAME-RATE, so the master playlist does not say how many frames per second it carries.
Why it matters
Plenty of devices can decode 1080p at 30 fps but not at 60. Without FRAME-RATE they cannot tell the difference in advance, so they select the rendition, fail to play it smoothly, and either drop frames or fall back after a visible stumble.
How to fix it
- Add FRAME-RATE to every video variant, as a decimal — FRAME-RATE=29.970 rather than a ratio.
- It matters most on ladders that mix frame rates, which is exactly when a device is most likely to pick wrongly.
Check your own stream
The free HLS analyzer runs this check on every analysis and links each finding straight back here.
Open the HLS analyzer →Frequently asked questions
- What does "HLS variant is missing FRAME-RATE" mean?
- A video variant omits FRAME-RATE, so the master playlist does not say how many frames per second it carries.
- Why does it matter?
- Plenty of devices can decode 1080p at 30 fps but not at 60. Without FRAME-RATE they cannot tell the difference in advance, so they select the rendition, fail to play it smoothly, and either drop frames or fall back after a visible stumble.
- How do I fix it?
- 1. Add FRAME-RATE to every video variant, as a decimal — FRAME-RATE=29.970 rather than a ratio. 2. It matters most on ladders that mix frame rates, which is exactly when a device is most likely to pick wrongly.
- How do I check an HLS playlist for this automatically?
- Paste the master or media playlist URL into the free HLS analyzer. It runs this check on every analysis alongside the ladder, timing and live-edge audits, and links each finding back to the page that explains it.
- What is the first thing to try?
- Add FRAME-RATE to every video variant, as a decimal — FRAME-RATE=29.970 rather than a ratio.
Related HLS checks
- HLS ladder has a bitrate inversionA lower-resolution variant is allocated more bandwidth than a higher-resolution one, so adaptive switching picks the wrong rendition.
- HLS variant is missing the CODECS attributeWithout CODECS, players must download a segment before they can tell whether they can play the rendition at all.
- HLS variant references an undeclared rendition groupA variant points at an AUDIO or SUBTITLES group that has no matching EXT-X-MEDIA entry, which breaks playback on strict players.
- HLS segment is longer than EXT-X-TARGETDURATIONA segment rounds to more than the declared target duration, which violates the HLS specification.
- HLS live window is shorter than three target durationsThe playlist holds too little content, so any player that falls slightly behind runs off the end of the window.
- HLS playlist has no EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIMEWithout program date-time the stream cannot be mapped to wall-clock time, which breaks DVR seeking and multi-stream alignment.