HTTP streaming methods

Description

HTTP streaming training course description

This course looks at the delivery of video streams using HTTP adaptive streaming. Both MPEG DASH and HLS are investigated. Hands on sessions primarily involve using Wireshark to analyse streams.

What will you learn

• Use Wireshark to analyse and troubleshoot HTTP video streams.
• Explain HTTP adaptive streaming works.
• Evaluate and compare MPEG DASH and HLS.
• Use tools to create HTTP adaptive streams.

HTTP streaming training course details

HTTP streaming training course contents

• What is HTTP streaming?

The old way. Progressive downloads versus streaming. Why not UDP and RTP for delivery? Adaptive bit rate streaming. Standards.
Hands on Base network setup. Using WireShark for HTTP streams.

• HTTP protocol stack

IP, TCP, IPv6. HTTP. HTTP 1.0, HTTP 1.1, HTTP 2.0, HTTP header fields. HTML 5.
Hands on Analysing HTTP.

• Adaptive bitrate streaming principles

Chunks, fragments, segments. Manifest files. Encoding, resolution, bitrates. Addressing, relative and absolute URLs, redirection. When does the client switch streams? Switch points.
Hands on Walk through of client behaviours on a stream.

• HTTP streaming architecture

Server components, distribution components, client software. CDN, caching, multiple servers.
Hands on Analysing CDN and Internet delivery.

• TCP and HTTP streaming interactions

TCP ACK, TCP connections, unicast only. TCP flow control, TCP and performance.
Hands on TCP window sizes.

• MPEG DASH

Stakeholders, DASH architecture and model, codec agnostic, XML, Media Presentation Description, Media Presentation, segment formats.
Hands on MPEG DASH analysis.

• HTTP Live Streaming and others

Stakeholders. Media segments, media playlists, master playlists. Adobe HTTP dynamic streaming, Microsoft smooth streaming.
Hands on Analysing HLS.

• Tools

mp4dash, mp4fragment, libdash. Apple developer tools for HLS.
Hands on Creating segmented content.

• Security

HTTPS, encryption, content protection.
Hands on Encryption analysis.

• Summary

Choosing a streaming method. Impact of live versus VoD. Web sockets.