M3U vs M3U8: what is the difference
M3U and M3U8 are the same playlist format. The practical difference is not how they are written but what they are usually used for: a list of channels or a single streamed channel.
What they have in common
Both are text files with a list of addresses. They start with #EXTM3U and describe each item with #EXTINF lines. A player that understands one understands the other.
The difference in name: encoding
The .m3u8 extension was introduced to signal that the file is encoded in UTF-8, which allows channel names with accents or non-Latin alphabets without garbled characters. Older .m3u playlists could use other encodings.
In practice it is a convention rather than a strict rule: the HLS streaming specification accepts both extensions and requires UTF-8 for both.
The difference you will notice: playlist or channel
| Aspect | Channel playlist | HLS stream |
|---|---|---|
| Usual extension | .m3u (sometimes .m3u8) | .m3u8 |
| What it contains | Many channels, with name, logo and group | The video segments of a single channel |
| How it is used | Added as a playlist in the player | The address of one specific channel |
So if someone gives you an .m3u8 link and, when you add it as a playlist, only one channel appears or none at all, it is most likely a single channel stream rather than a full playlist.
Which to use in Chlyra TV
To add your playlist, use the playlist URL your provider gives you, whether it ends in .m3u or .m3u8. If your provider offers Xtream details, you can use those instead of the URL.