How do I play m3u8 files?

Solution 1:

m3u8 files are m3u files encoded in utf8.
m3u files are a text based playlist format. You can open the file with any text editor and see the that it contains a list with files to be played.
if you open the file with vlc, it has to download every single video before playing it. Vlc does not seem to preload the files, this is why the gaps occur.

HLS-Player is the way that works for me!