PLS (file format)

Playlist
Filename extension	`.pls`
Internet media type	`audio/x-scpls`
Type of format	Playlist

PLS is a computer file format that stores multimedia playlists, originally used by SHOUTcast and Icecast for streaming media over the Internet. PLS is a more expressive playlist format than basic M3U, as it can store (cache) information on the song title and length (this is supported in extended M3U only). With PLS version 2, playlists also include a PLS version declaration.

File format

The format is essentially that of an INI file structured as follows:

Header

[playlist] : This tag indicates that it is a Playlist File

Track Entry
Assuming track entry #X

FileX : Variable defining location of stream.
TitleX : Defines track title.
LengthX : Length in seconds of track. Value of -1 indicates indefinite (streaming).

Footer

NumberOfEntries : This variable indicates the number of tracks
Version : Playlist version. Currently only a value of 2 is valid.

Examples

Example of a radio station streaming audio PLS file, complete

[playlist]
NumberOfEntries=1
Title1= Here enter name of the station
File1=http://stream2.streamq.net:8020/

Software

iTunes, VLC media player, Totem, RealPlayer, Winamp, Yahoo! Music Jukebox, MediaMonkey, Windows Media Player, AIMP, XBMC, XMPlay, Rhythmbox, foobar2000, and more than 30 others are able to interpret (open) PLS files.^[1] Media Player Classic with the K-Lite codec installed does work with PLS format but still requires the appropriate MIME or file extension associations.

References

↑ http://www.pcpitstop.com (computer diagnostics) in May, 2013, ...lists more than 40 programs that open PLS and their "prevalence."

External links