PLS ( .PLS ) - File Extension Information

PLS is the file extension for the MPEG PlayList file associated with WinAmp. It is also adopted by different programs as a playlist for audio files.

A list of links to files makes a valid generic playlist. The entry can be a relative (i.e. \files\song.mp3) path or a specific (i.e. c:\media\files\son.mp3) one. Also, URLs can be inserted to point to a stream or a file on the Internet. Here are a few sample generic MP3/PLS files:Extended PLS (PLSv2)

Same playlist from the M3U section in PLS format.

code:
[playlist]
File1=Alternative\everclear - SMFTA.mp3
Title1=Everclear - So Much For The Afterglow
Length1=233
File2=Comedy\Weird Al - Everything You Know Is Wrong.mp3
Title2=Weird Al - Everything You Know Is Wrong
Length2=227
File3=Weird Al - This Is The Life.mp3
Title3=Weird Al Yankovic - This is the Life
Length3=187
File4=http://www.site.com/~user/gump.mp3
Title4=Weird Al: Bad Hair Day - Gump
Length4=129
File5=http://www.site.com:8000/listen.pls
Title5=My Cool Stream
Length5=-1
NumberOfEntries=5
Version=2

Explanation of entries:
[playlist]: Signifies that this is a playlist. This is case sensitive.

File#=: Location of the file in any of the formats described above. This is also case sensitive. Also the # sign after "File" signifies what file number it is. The first file in the playlist is "File1", the second is "File2" and so on.

Title#=: Title to display. This is usually the title read from the file name or ID3 tags. Like the other fields, this is case sensitive. This also can be the name of a stream. Like "File#" the pound sign (#) is replaced by the entry number that is in the playlist.

Length#=": Length in seconds, this is also case sensitive. On the last entry there is a negative one, this is usually seen on streams, it tells the program to ignore the time entry. Like "File#" the pound sign (#) is replaced by the entry number that is in the playlist.

NumberOfEntries=#: The total number of entries in the playlist. This should match the last number on the "File#", "Title#", and "Length#" fields. Also case sensitive.

Version=2: This required entry near the bottom tells the player what format the PLS is in. Older versions of the PLS format did not include this. Like everything else, it is case sensitive.

PLS Player - Winamp

While other applications seem to work fine, we rank Winamp highest. There are many versions of Winamp available for download on the Internet. The latest versions of Winamp are popular because there are a large supply of Skins available for them. You can download Winamp from the winamp.com website.

PLS Recorder - Mini-stream Ripper

• Record live online radio streams like Windows Media, Real Audio, Winamp Shoutcast.
• Save streams as RM, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG or FLAC audio files.
• Split and name songs by stream's title automatically.
• Free drag and drop features
  
• More Features...

PLS Ripper/Downloader/Capturer - CastRipper

• Download live online radio streams like Winamp SHOUTcast, Icecast.
• Split songs by stream's title automatically.
• Automatically tag songs with title, artist, album and genre information.
• More features...

How to download/save/capture/record/rip Pls audio streams

You can select one of the above products to record PLS audio streams. Here we give an example of Mini-stream Ripper.

1. Open Mini-stream ripper.
2. If you have downloaded the pls file which you want to record, drag the file on Mini-stream Ripper(MSR)'s UI. MSR will load the stream automatically. Also you can click on the Load button on the left of MSR's screen to open the file Loading screen. Then click 'ok' to load the pls file.
   
3. If you prefer to manually enter the pls file's address directly into MSR, click on the Load button on the left of MSR's screen to open the URL Loading screen. In the "Open Location" box that opens, type in: "http://www.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=3170&file=filename.pls". Then click 'ok', MSR will load the stream for you.
   
4. If you want to record the stream which Winamp is playing, single right-click in any blank area on the Winamp interface. Choose "View file info...", Copy "http://222.122.131.25:11000" in the MP3 Stream Info Box. Paste it to the MSR's loading url box. Then click 'ok', MSR will load the stream for you.
5. If the stream has been sucessfully loaded, you'll get the message "Please press 'Start' to start ripping". If not, you'll get an error message.
6. Click on the Start button on the right of Mini-stream Ripper's screen to start ripping.