EXT-X-TARGETDURATION is missing
This tag is required on every media playlist, and players use it to size buffers and set the reload interval.
What it means
The media playlist omits EXT-X-TARGETDURATION, which declares the maximum segment length.
Why it matters
Players derive their reload cadence and initial buffer from this value. Without it, behaviour is undefined: some players guess, some refuse the playlist outright. For a live stream the reload interval is what keeps the player at the live edge, so guessing wrong means falling behind or hammering the origin.
How to fix it
- Add EXT-X-TARGETDURATION with an integer at least as large as the longest segment, rounded to the nearest second.
- Every media playlist needs it — this is not optional even for short VOD.
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 "EXT-X-TARGETDURATION is missing" mean?
- The media playlist omits EXT-X-TARGETDURATION, which declares the maximum segment length.
- Why does it matter?
- Players derive their reload cadence and initial buffer from this value. Without it, behaviour is undefined: some players guess, some refuse the playlist outright. For a live stream the reload interval is what keeps the player at the live edge, so guessing wrong means falling behind or hammering the origin.
- How do I fix it?
- 1. Add EXT-X-TARGETDURATION with an integer at least as large as the longest segment, rounded to the nearest second. 2. Every media playlist needs it — this is not optional even for short VOD.
- 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 EXT-X-TARGETDURATION with an integer at least as large as the longest segment, rounded to the nearest second.
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.