diff --git a/doc/muxers.texi b/doc/muxers.texi
index 8e12aca..1f9f293 100644
--- a/doc/muxers.texi
+++ b/doc/muxers.texi
@@ -609,14 +609,21 @@ segmentation.
 This muxer supports the following options:
 
 @table @option
-@item hls_init_time @var{seconds}
-Set the initial target segment length in seconds. Default value is @var{0}.
+@item hls_init_time @var{duration}
+Set the initial target segment length. Default value is @var{0}.
+
+@var{duration} must be a time duration specification,
+see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
+
 Segment will be cut on the next key frame after this time has passed on the first m3u8 list.
 After the initial playlist is filled @command{ffmpeg} will cut segments
 at duration equal to @code{hls_time}
 
-@item hls_time @var{seconds}
-Set the target segment length in seconds. Default value is 2.
+@item hls_time @var{duration}
+Set the target segment length. Default value is 2.
+
+@var{duration} must be a time duration specification,
+see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
 Segment will be cut on the next key frame after this time has passed.
 
 @item hls_list_size @var{size}
diff --git a/libavformat/hlsenc.c b/libavformat/hlsenc.c
index 7f38db7..94fd505 100644
--- a/libavformat/hlsenc.c
+++ b/libavformat/hlsenc.c
@@ -196,8 +196,8 @@ typedef struct HLSContext {
     int64_t start_sequence;
     uint32_t start_sequence_source_type;  // enum StartSequenceSourceType
 
-    float time;            // Set by a private option.
-    float init_time;       // Set by a private option.
+    int64_t time;          // Set by a private option.
+    int64_t init_time;     // Set by a private option.
     int max_nb_segments;   // Set by a private option.
     int hls_delete_threshold; // Set by a private option.
 #if FF_API_HLS_WRAP
@@ -2454,9 +2454,9 @@ static int hls_write_packet(AVFormatContext *s, AVPacket *pkt)
 
     if (vs->sequence - vs->nb_entries > hls->start_sequence && hls->init_time > 0) {
         /* reset end_pts, hls->recording_time at end of the init hls list */
-        int64_t init_list_dur = hls->init_time * vs->nb_entries * AV_TIME_BASE;
-        int64_t after_init_list_dur = (vs->sequence - hls->start_sequence - vs->nb_entries) * (hls->time * AV_TIME_BASE);
-        hls->recording_time = hls->time * AV_TIME_BASE;
+        int64_t init_list_dur = hls->init_time * vs->nb_entries;
+        int64_t after_init_list_dur = (vs->sequence - hls->start_sequence - vs->nb_entries) * hls->time;
+        hls->recording_time = hls->time;
         end_pts = init_list_dur + after_init_list_dur ;
     }
 
@@ -2941,7 +2941,7 @@ static int hls_init(AVFormatContext *s)
         av_log(hls, AV_LOG_DEBUG, "start_number evaluated to %"PRId64"\n", hls->start_sequence);
     }
 
-    hls->recording_time = (hls->init_time ? hls->init_time : hls->time) * AV_TIME_BASE;
+    hls->recording_time = hls->init_time ? hls->init_time : hls->time;
 
     if (hls->flags & HLS_SPLIT_BY_TIME && hls->flags & HLS_INDEPENDENT_SEGMENTS) {
         // Independent segments cannot be guaranteed when splitting by time
@@ -3094,7 +3094,7 @@ static int hls_init(AVFormatContext *s)
                 av_log(s, AV_LOG_WARNING, "append_list mode does not support hls_init_time,"
                        " hls_init_time value will have no effect\n");
                 hls->init_time = 0;
-                hls->recording_time = hls->time * AV_TIME_BASE;
+                hls->recording_time = hls->time;
             }
         }
 
@@ -3110,8 +3110,8 @@ static int hls_init(AVFormatContext *s)
 #define E AV_OPT_FLAG_ENCODING_PARAM
 static const AVOption options[] = {
     {"start_number",  "set first number in the sequence",        OFFSET(start_sequence),AV_OPT_TYPE_INT64,  {.i64 = 0},     0, INT64_MAX, E},
-    {"hls_time",      "set segment length in seconds",           OFFSET(time),    AV_OPT_TYPE_FLOAT,  {.dbl = 2},     0, FLT_MAX, E},
-    {"hls_init_time", "set segment length in seconds at init list",           OFFSET(init_time),    AV_OPT_TYPE_FLOAT,  {.dbl = 0},     0, FLT_MAX, E},
+    {"hls_time",      "set segment length",                      OFFSET(time),          AV_OPT_TYPE_DURATION, {.i64 = 2000000}, 0, INT64_MAX, E},
+    {"hls_init_time", "set segment length at init list",         OFFSET(init_time),     AV_OPT_TYPE_DURATION, {.i64 = 0},       0, INT64_MAX, E},
     {"hls_list_size", "set maximum number of playlist entries",  OFFSET(max_nb_segments),    AV_OPT_TYPE_INT,    {.i64 = 5},     0, INT_MAX, E},
     {"hls_delete_threshold", "set number of unreferenced segments to keep before deleting",  OFFSET(hls_delete_threshold),    AV_OPT_TYPE_INT,    {.i64 = 1},     1, INT_MAX, E},
     {"hls_ts_options","set hls mpegts list of options for the container format used for hls", OFFSET(format_options), AV_OPT_TYPE_DICT, {.str = NULL},  0, 0,    E},
