What is streaming protocol? Knowledge in 3 minutes

Streaming” is, simply put, a type of downloading method in which video and audio files are downloaded while also being played back,

In these days when video services on the Web have become mainstream, we would like to explain in three minutes about the two current mainstream HTTP-based streaming protocols, HLS and MPEG-DASH, that support this “streaming” technology.

What is HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)?

It is an HTTP-based streaming protocol developed by Apple Inc. and standardized by the IETF as RFC 8216.

It uses the HTTP protocol by splitting video files into smaller HTTP files.

One feature of HLS is that it is easy to implement because devices connected to the Internet basically support HTTP.

In addition, video quality can be lowered when network conditions are poor, and conversely, video quality can be increased when network conditions are not a problem.

What is MPEG-DASH?

It is an HTTP-based streaming protocol developed by MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group).

Incidentally, DASH stands for Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP.

Like the aforementioned HLS, it allows adaptive bit-rate streaming with high or low quality depending on the communication conditions.

Other Streaming Protocols

HLS and MPEG-DASH are the most popular these days, as mentioned above,

However, other streaming protocols also exist.

There are other streaming protocols such as RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol) created by Adobe, RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) standardized by IETF, and many others.

However, some of these require plug-ins for playback in the browser.

That’s all for this 3-minute explanation of streaming protocols.