HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)

What is HLS?

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) is a streaming protocol developed by Apple. It enables the transmission of audio and video files via the internet. HLS is particularly suitable for streaming live events and on-demand streaming of videos on various devices such as computers, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs.

How does HLS work?

The main mechanism of HLS is to divide the video or audio data stream into small segments and then transmit these segments to the client via HTTP protocol. Each segment has a fixed duration, typically between 2 and 10 seconds.

When a user opens an HLS stream URL, the client loads the so-called playlist file (M3U8), which contains information about the available video and audio streams. The playlist also contains the URLs of the segment files. The client selects the appropriate stream and starts to download and play the segment files.

Advantages of HLS

HLS offers several advantages over other streaming protocols:

  • Adaptive streaming: HLS dynamically adapts the quality of the stream to the user’s network conditions. If the internet connection is weak, HLS can reduce the bit rate to avoid interruptions and buffering.
  • Compatibility: HLS is supported by most modern web browsers and operating systems, including iOS and Android. This makes it accessible to a broad user base.
  • Scalability: By dividing the stream into segments and using HTTP, HLS can provide content efficiently via content delivery networks (CDNs). This enables high scalability to serve a large number of users.
  • Reusability: HLS enables the storage and archiving of segment files so that users can retrieve content at a later date.

Note on the use of HLS in SPCast

HLS should be used with caution. There are scenarios that cannot yet be implemented with HLS.

  • Fallback functions are not available.
  • A seamless transition between AutoDJ and Live Source does not work.
  • Wenn Sie über den AutoDJ senden, funktionieren auch die Ãœbergänge, da der Mount nicht gewechselt wird. Der Wechsel des Mountpoints ist das eigentliche Problem, das HLS zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt noch hat.

In jedem Fall empfehlen wir dringend, HLS-Verweise nicht als Standardverweise für externe Radioverzeichnisse zu verwenden, sondern Ihre Nutzer gezielt darauf hinzuweisen, wann sie die HLS-Verweise nutzen sollten.

All in all, however, HLS is too useful for us to do without it.