Driving Success Through Partnership: The Core of Bitmovin Innovators Network

Our “Better Together” approach is rooted in a simple yet powerful idea: collaboration drives innovation. At NAB 2024, this shone through in the way our partner network delivered solutions that not only met but exceeded the needs of our customers. Together, we are tackling key challenges—reducing streaming costs, generating new revenue streams, retaining and growing subscribers.

As we gear up for IBC 2024, these themes remain at the forefront of our collective efforts. Our partners are prepared to showcase how they are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in streaming, ensuring that our customers can deliver exceptional experiences while optimizing their operations.

The Power of Partnership at IBC 2024

Joint Customer Success Stories: A Testament to Collaboration

At IBC 2024, we will highlight the tangible outcomes of our partnerships, showcasing how “Better Together” translates into real-world successes of solving customer challenges. On Thursday, September 12 from 3:30-6:00 PM, we are once again hosting our exclusive Bitmovin Innovators Network Partner Executive Networking Event. We have an exciting lineup of customer success stories planned for this year’s event, including Alpha Networks presenting a “better together” customer success story featuring Ligue Nationale de Volley, Insys Video Technologies highlighting their “better together” success with ORF, and a “Voice of the Customer” session lead by BBC. We will wrap up the afternoon with the inaugural Bitmovin Social Hero Awards, followed by the executive happy hour.

On the Bitmovin Stand: Discovering the Future of Media Search

At IBC 2024, the Bitmovin stand (5.H48) will be a hub of innovation, featuring a dedicated demo station from our partner, Nomad Media. Nomad will be unveiling their new advanced Generative AI search capability that enables business users to find and discover their media that otherwise could never have been found – with the ability to identify locations, people, activities and more. Visit Nomad’s demo station to see this innovative solution in action and learn how it can transform your media workflows.

“Better Together” Solutions on the IBC Floor

The IBC floor will be buzzing with activity as our partners present a range of “Better Together” solutions designed to address some of the most pressing challenges in the streaming industry. Here is a preview of what you can expect:

Accedo, in partnership with Humans Not Robots, is co-leading the ECOFLOW project under the IBC Accelerator Program to measure and reduce the environmental impact of streaming. The initiative, featuring Bitmovin Player’s ECO Mode, collaborates with industry leaders – including BBC, ITV, Bitmovin, RTL Nederland, Quanteec, Cognizant, the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Fraunhofer Fokus, Greening of Streaming, DIMPACT, and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – to assess energy consumption across the streaming supply chain, starting with CDNs, encoding, and end-user devices.

Join the presentation with Accedo & ITV on Friday at 11:15 in the Accelerator Zone, and meet with our Product Managers for Playback, James Varndell on Friday 10:30-12:00, and Jacob Arends on Sunday 3:30-5:00, for in-depth discussions.

2Coders [5.H96] will be showcasing Velvet, an SDK-based front-end app, integrating Bitmovin Player and Bitmovin Analytics for optimized, multi-device streaming, delivering high-quality content with cost efficiency and fast time to market.

At Elicium Meeting Room [13.D301], learn about Akamai Connected Cloud, a massively distributed edge computing cloud platform and how Bitmovin Live and VOD Encoding SaaS on Akamai Connected Cloud helps Media & Entertainment customers reduce streaming expense by up to 90% by reducing compute and data transfer costs.

Alpha Networks [1.A59] will showcase a joint solution for live streaming that optimizes costs without compromising video quality, featuring Alpha Networks’ PaaS and SaaS products, Gecko and Bee, and modular video software Tucano, integrated with Bitmovin Live Encoding on Akamai Connected Cloud.

Visit the Amazon Web Services (AWS) stand [5.C90] to learn about Bitmovin’s SaaS products running on the AWS cloud, including Bitmovin Live Encoding, Bitmovin VOD Encoding, and Bitmovin Analytics. Customers can learn how Bitmovin integrates with AWS services, like AWS Elemental MediaPackage, AWS Elemental MediaTailor, Amazon CloudFront, and others, as well as integrations with partner SaaS products, including anti-piracy solutions, content and asset management systems, ad monetization platforms, data visualization products, and more – to solve for every live and on-demand use case. Bitmovin Live Encoding, Bitmovin VOD Encoding, and Bitmovin Analytics are available in the AWS Marketplace.

At Broadpeak’s stand [1.F83], learn about transitioning to an ad-supported HVOD (Hybrid VOD) model and enhance your monetization strategy with mid-roll ad management via Broadpeak.io Ad Proxy, premium UX, integrating Bitmovin VOD Encoder with clean transitions for mid-roll ad break, and revenue protection with anti-ad-skipping through Bitmovin Player and Broadpeak Smartlib SDK integration.

Edgio [5.A68] will demonstrate their Smartplay technology, a component of Edgio’s Uplynk Streaming Media Platform, which integrates seamlessly into Bitmovin VOD Encoding SaaS workflows generating new revenue through personalized sessions.

EZDRM [5.A50] is showcasing a cost-effective live video streaming solution where content captured by a Videon Edgecaster appliance is routed to Bitmovin Live Encoder, converted to DASH and secured by EZDRM DRAMaaS in an Akamai Connected Cloud instance.

Learn how PallyCon’s [5.G56] DRM License Cipher and Key Rotation prevent software-level vulnerabilities, like DRM license hijacking. Seamlessly integrated with Bitmovin Player, it ensures robust content protection and secure streaming experiences for global audiences.

MainStreaming [5.H30] will demonstrate its new implementation of Common Media Client Data (CMCD), working with Bitmovin Player, that provides advanced Stream Delivery Routing Decisioning to further enhance Playback Quality of Experience (QoE) and help streamers retain and grow subscribers.

MediaKind [1.D71] demonstrates how to stream flawless video and build iconic sports apps with Bitmovin Player and Bitmovin Analytics as part of an end-to-end solution for D2C streaming and monetization.

NAGRAVISION [1.C81] will showcase its streaming security and consumer engagement solutions including OpenTV Video Platform, integrated with Bitmovin Player for secure, high-quality streaming across multiple devices, ensuring seamless delivery and protection of premium content.

Synamedia [1.B33] is partnering with Bitmovin to showcase several cutting-edge solutions. At the Innovation pod, you will see how content steering, integrated with Bitmovin’s Playback capabilities, works seamlessly with Synamedia’s CDN solutions to optimize content delivery. At the Ad Insertion and Monetization pod, Bitmovin and Synamedia team up for ad insertion with precise HLS interstitials, driving more effective monetization strategies. Finally, at the D2C Streaming pod, you can discover how Bitmovin Player ensures low latency streaming, delivering an unmatched viewer experience for Synamedia’s D2C solutions for sports.

Hosted at the EZDRM stand [5.A50], Videon is demonstrating a live end-to-end secured stream, encrypted from the video source with a Docker container running on the Videon LiveEdge® platform, sent to the Bitmovin Live Encoder running on Akamai Connected Cloud, and distributed over the Akamai Content Delivery Network (CDN), then played back on Bitmovin Player in a cost-effective and scalable fashion.

Discover how Yospace’s [5.C77] dynamic ad insertion solution recently delivered four billion one-to-one addressable ads during Paris 2024. Yospace, with Bitmovin Live Encoding, delivers maximum ad revenues for media owners at scale for the streaming age.

Zixi [5.A85] is showing how customers use the native integration of Zixi with Bitmovin Live Encoding for secure, reliable, and cost-effective ultra-low latency live IP video streaming of sports, news, and events.

Engage, Connect, and Celebrate: Social Activities at IBC

IBC isn’t just about showcasing technology; it’s also about connecting with peers and partners in the industry. We are excited to invite you to a range of social activities designed to foster collaboration and innovation.

Lunch and Learn, Hosted by Akamai: On Saturday, 14 September, from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM in room G109 at the RAI, Akamai is hosting a lunch and learn session “How distributed cloud is driving innovation in digital media.” Bitmovin’s EVP of Product, Reinhard Grandl, and other industry leaders will be discussing Akamai’s vision for media and share real-world customer success stories. Please register in advance to attend this event.

Bitmovin and Akamai IBC Reception: We at Bitmovin are proud to be partnering with Akamai for their exclusive reception on Saturday, 14 September, from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM at The Beach at Strandzuid. This invite-only event offers a chance to connect with industry peers, discuss the latest innovations, and enjoy a relaxed evening in a vibrant setting. To secure your invite, please speak to your Bitmovin representative.

Bitmovin & Nomad Media Happy Hour: Nomad Media and Bitmovin are co-hosting a networking reception and happy hour on Friday, 13 September, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM at the Bitmovin Stand, 5.H48. This happy hour is the perfect chance to unwind and connect with fellow attendees. Visit Nomad or Bitmovin for an exclusive invite!

Breakfast with Synamedia: Synamedia and Bitmovin co-host a breakfast with coffee and pastries at the Synamedia Stand, 1.B33, at 10:00 AM. We invite you to meet our teams for casual conversations about the latest industry trends.

Irdeto Happy Hour: On Sunday, 15 September, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM, join us at the Irdeto Stand, 1.D51, for a joint happy hour. It is a great way to wrap up the weekend, reflect on the insights gained at IBC, and win some awesome giveaways.

MainStreaming & Bitmovin Presentation and Happy Hour: Join MainStreaming and Bitmovin for a presentation followed by Happy Hour at MainStreaming’s booth [5.H30] on Saturday, 14 September, from 4:30 – 6:00 PM. Discover how MainStreaming’s CMCD+ and Bitmovin Player improve performance, enhance QoS, and maximize ROI. Hear from Sergio Carulli, CPO at MainStreaming, and Reinhard Grandl, Executive VP of Product at Bitmovin.

We can’t wait to see you in Amsterdam and continue building on our joint success stories!

The post “Better Together” at IBC 2024: Elevating Streaming Experiences with Bitmovin Innovators Network appeared first on Bitmovin.

What is RDK?

RDK stands for Reference Design Kit. It’s an open source software bundle for video, broadband and IoT devices. It’s commonly used in consumer devices which include video streaming apps, for example, set top boxes and is a popular development platform for service providers in the cable, satellite and OTT industries.

What is the RDK Tech Summit?

The RDK Tech Summit is a live gathering for RDK members worldwide to discuss technical advancements, new releases and innovations. It consists of presentation sessions grouped into themes, with regular networking breaks for discussions. This year’s summit was in Amsterdam, hosted by Liberty Global and Infosys.

Highlights from RDK Tech Summit 2024

Sessions were themed on the topics of:

• Connectivity: Next-Gen Networking
• Entertainment: Cloud Strategies and Firebolt
• Device Operations: Operational Monitoring & Test Automation
• Sustainability

Highlights included:

• The keynotes focused on collaboration, finding common challenges and working to solve them together. Liberty Global gave insight into how they build for, and support, a vast range of devices, across many years of manufacture. They highlighted the need for collaboration where there’s commonality and thinking about what’s common compared to differentiating your service.
• There was a deep dive on Automatics which is a test automation platform for RDK. This can handle the automation of running tests across many different test cases. During networking discussions, this was a hot topic and we learnt that Automatics is in use by a major telco.
• The Lightning team highlighted Lightning 3.0 with enhancements focused on performance, quality and a better developer experience. They also noted that Lightning was designed for lower power devices from the beginning, so it can achieve better performance than other recently popular development frameworks.
• Comcast introduced a layered build system for RDK, allowing component layers to be built independently, including application, middleware and vendor layers. This can speed up development & build times compared to a single monolithic build.
• Details about Firebolt 2.0 were shared together with Firebolt certifications and Firebolt Connect which is an automated test harness for apps running on RDK. 

Separately in the demonstration area Irdeto were showing their App Watch solution running on RDK. This aggregates apps and provides app launching functionality on RDK. 

Bitmovin’s RDK support

Bitmovin’s Playback supports the widest range of devices on the market today. This includes set top boxes. Bitmovin provides a common Player SDK which can be used across these platforms, enabling adaptive bitrate playback. 

A key challenge highlighted by many presenters & attendees was supporting the wide range of devices which consumers use today, some of which date back 5-7 years or more. It’s also not economically viable to scale engineering teams linearly with the growing number of devices that streaming services need to support. Leveraging a common video player across each device can increase the number of platforms which engineering teams can support, allowing them to focus on differentiating features ahead of common, core functionality. A vision which Bitmovin supports among the RDK community.

The data from Bitmovin’s annual Video Developer Report also illustrates the challenge of supporting multiple generations and a constant stream of new playback devices. When asked about the challenges video developers are facing, “Playback on all devices” is a mainstay near the top of the list, coming in at #3 in our most recent survey. 17% of respondents said they are currently supporting playback on RDK-powered set top boxes and another 9% said they planned to begin supporting them in the coming year. 

Bitmovin are a member of the RDK Open-Source Community and regularly attend RDK events including Tech Summits & Global Summits.

If you’d like to learn more about RDK and how Bitmovin can help, you can let us know in the comments, ask questions in the Bitmovin Community or contact us here. 

Related Links

RDK website

RDK Tech Summit 2024 website

Bitmovin Player SDK – RDK support

Bitmovin Player SDK – set top box support

The post Highlights from RDK Tech Summit 2024 appeared first on Bitmovin.

Developers know that a lot goes into video streaming. The content must be produced, encoded, transcoded, and distributed globally. For this reason, delivering seamless over-the-top (OTT) video experiences often requires piecing together a handful of technology components. The addition of a paywall or ads to monetize the content only complicates this further.

For viewers, though, the process is simple. Simply press play and voilà. As far as end users are concerned, the HTML5 video player is the only piece of the streaming tech stack that matters. 

Video players act as the face of streaming platforms, giving viewers control over what they watch, which devices they watch it on, and when the content plays. Players also tie everything together. All viewer requests to control video playback originate from the media player, making player API access critical to the entire workflow.

In this Ultimate Guide to HTML5 Video Players, we cover what to look for when choosing a player, when to go with a free or open-source option vs. a premium paid solution, and the best HTML5 video players to build on top of in 2024.

What is an HTML5 video player?

HTML5 video players are the online interfaces through which viewers access, control, and view streaming content. The FuboTV video player that pops up on subscribers’ smart TV and the ClassPass player that participants use to stream fitness classes on their mobile devices are both examples of this.

Because streaming devices now take many different forms, HTML5 video players ensure a consistent experience no matter what screen the content is being consumed on. Online video players also add additional functionality to the viewing experience — such as content recommendations and call-to-action buttons.

History of HTML5 video players

First, there was Flash

Let’s zoom in on the HTML5 part of the HTML5 video players. Back in the day of HTML4, platform developers needed plugins to embed audio and video content into web pages. This is when Adobe Flash Player reigned supreme. Because native video playback wasn’t possible, more than 98% of browsers had Flash installed.

But this changed as the internet became more open. This first draft of HTML5 was published in January 2008, making browser-based multimedia support a possibility. Shortly thereafter, Steve Jobs published his infamous Thoughts on Flash, making it known that Apple’s products would never support Flash as a means to play video. 

Jobs explained:

“[We] strongly believe that all standards pertaining to the web should be open. Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript — all open standards…

Adobe has repeatedly said that Apple mobile devices cannot access “the full web” because 75% of video on the web is in Flash. What they don’t say is that almost all this video is also available in a more modern format, H.264, and viewable on iPhones, iPods and iPads. YouTube, with an estimated 40% of the web’s video, shines in an app bundled on all Apple mobile devices, with the iPad offering perhaps the best YouTube discovery and viewing experience ever. Add to this video from Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, NPR, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, People, National Geographic, and many, many others. iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video.”

Then came the push for plugin-free video technologies

As a result of this memo, companies like Netflix began working on several HTML5 Premium Video Extensions to power a plugin-free future of video streaming. This was important: While HTML5’s support for <video> and <audio> tags was a welcome addition, this still didn’t natively support live and on-demand streaming within the browser. Specifically, the video element lacked the video controls users need to stream videos, as well as the logic to switch between different renditions to avoid buffering.

As such, web developers needed a way to control how streaming video would load and play when embedded on a webpage. HTML5 also had limitations around digital rights management (DRM), subtitle switching, and including multiple audio files so industry leaders worked to lay the groundwork for browser-independent player technology with standards like Media Source Extensions (MSE). 

This made it possible to move away from proprietary media players like Flash and Silverlight. But the online video world still needed a player technology to tie it all together.

The HTML5 video player became the future of streaming

Once HTML5 became a standard, OTT platforms quickly made the move to HTML5 video players. Netflix, YouTube, and our team at Bitmovin helped drive this transformation. 

While Netflix and YouTube built their own proprietary media players from the ground up, we at Bitmovin launched our HTML video player to make it easy for platform developers to stream content to their audiences.

Since then, organizations ranging from Periscope to fuboTV have built their platforms using our media player. And today, HTML5 video players like ours are the reason why video experiences are prevalent and seamless on every device.

“Bitmovin gives us greater control over the video player than any other player in the market. We were able to get our implementation to production with markedly better experience than our previous player. We’re looking forward to exploring more ways to work together.”

– Sung Ho Choi (Co-founder, fuboTV)

Benefits of video streaming with an HTML5 video player

HTML5 video players aren’t just a necessity to embed videos onto websites. They’re also key to delivering flawless viewer experiences. Ensuring playback quality on any screen is a key benefit of media players. Beyond that, though, web video players offer additional capabilities that boost viewer engagement.

Here’s a look at the key benefits of video players for content providers and viewers:

1. Scalable delivery. HTML5 video players enable content distributors to build cross-platform experiences that power online video streaming on a wide range of devices and browsers. Whether your viewers are on a desktop computer, smartphone, tablet, or smart TV, video players help you overcome compatibility issues.
2. User-friendly interface. We’ve all come to expect intuitive digital experiences. With the right online video player, you make it easy for viewers to interact with your content using video controls. The play button, pause button, volume adjustment, seek bar, and different modes like full-screen all enhance the user experience.
3. High-quality playback. Intelligent video players ensure smooth and uninterrupted playback with adaptive bitrate streaming. Called ABR, this technology allows the video content to adapt on the fly based on each user’s bandwidth and device resources. For instance, if a viewer’s internet connection changes for the worse, the player can downgrade video quality — thus reducing buffering and disruptions.
4. Accessibility. Video players ensure that your content is accessible to the largest audience possible with features like closed captions, subtitles, and multiple audio tracks. This also helps with compliance.
5. Interactivity. Whether you’re looking to build low-latency live streaming experiences or want to display 360° video with VR, today’s video players make the internet more interactive by supporting these capabilities.
6. Enhanced engagement and personalization. Content recommendations are now a standard part of video consumption. But that’s not the only way a web video player can boost engagement. OTT fitness platforms like ClassPass integrate information about the viewer’s performance and heart rate into the video content to create fully personalized experiences.
7. Content monetization. Whether the platform you’re building uses ad-based monetization, subscription-based, or a combination of both, video players make monetization possible. Support for DRM, client-side and server-side ad insertion (CSAI and SSAI), and even static overlays help achieve this.
8. Content and audience insight. Because most streaming workflows are made up of disparate systems and vendors, it can be difficult to pinpoint the source of streaming issues and drill into the user experience. But video players that also offer analytics make it easy to troubleshoot errors and gain actionable insight into viewer behavior.

How to choose an HTML5 video player: 10 Key features

The sheer number of open-source and proprietary video players out there can make it difficult to select the right one. The feature sets vary with each provider, so we’d recommend considering the following to help narrow down your options.

Integration effort 

The ease of integrating an online video player into your workflow will significantly impact your development timeline and the associated costs. Teams looking to get their services to market fast should pick a solution with developer tools to make it easy to embed the HTML5 player into their application.

Look for a video player that provides:

• API documentation
• Dedicated software developer kits (SDKs)
• Support for popular programming languages
• Development guides
• Code samples
• Community forums
• 24/7 technical support
• Automated testing solutions

Launching cross-platform video experiences is already complex. So any opportunity to simplify things will speed up time to market — which translates to new subscribers and reduced churn. You’ll also want to find an online video player with preset configurations for different use cases to minimize headaches when your dev team is getting started.

Customization

Your video player is a primary customer touchpoint. So your brand’s identity needs to shine through it. As such, you should look for an HTML5 player that allows extensive customization over the user interface (UI). 

The ability to adjust the appearance, control buttons, and add interactive elements will help maintain your branding and deliver the differentiated experience you’re aiming to build. Additional playback features like preview thumbnails and variable playback speeds only further enhance your UI.

That said, when speed-to-market is a priority, you don’t want to start from scratch. Finding a flexible HTML5 video player that can be tweaked without having to build the entire UI is a great middle ground. 

Device and browser coverage

Don’t lose sight of all the devices that we stream content on today. Smart TVs, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, web browsers, and smartphones all have different requirements. For this reason, you’ll want to find a web video player that’s compatible with a variety of devices and browsers to maximize your audience. 

HTML5 video players with frequent releases are better equipped to support the many devices out there. You’ll also save a ton of time if you go with a video player that offers dedicated SDKs for individual devices.

Performance

When evaluating different media players, you should demand more than just smooth streaming. The performance of a video player is also defined by things like fast video startup time, seamless source switching, and seeking. 

Here’s a closer look at each:

• Startup time: You want to ensure immediate playback without any perceived delay when your viewers click play. Why? It’s simple. The longer a viewer has to wait for video assets to load, the more likely they are to tune out. 
• Seeking: Not only do today’s viewers lack patience, they also demand full control. The time it takes for video content to resume playback after the user jumps to a random position in a timeline should also be a consideration when comparing video players.
• Source switching: Finally, you’ll want to make it easy for users to switch between channels. With the rise of FAST channels, this is critical for OTT providers looking to recreate the experience of linear TV over cable.

See how Bitmovin Player compares to leading open-source video players in terms of these metrics in this blog. 

DRM support

Digital rights management (DRM) is essential to protect your video content from unauthorized access — especially if you’re distributing premium shows and movies to subscribers. DRM technologies encrypt the video files and control access to decryption keys. When users attempt to access the content, the HTML5 video player communicates directly with the DRM server to confirm that the license is valid. Once the license is authenticated, the video player obtains the decryption key, granting access to play the content securely.

You’ll want to double-check that the HTML5 video player you select supports industry-standard DRM technologies like Widevine, PlayReady, FairPlay, and Adobe Primetime.

“DRM is often framed as a suite of technologies for protecting against content piracy, but its role is much broader than that. DRM is at the heart of the revenue side of a streaming services business, ensuring that an operator can set up a series of business rules that permit different viewing rights at different price points or monetization models.”

– Olga Kornienko (COO & Co-founder, EZDRM)

Advertising support

If you’re monetizing your video content with ads, you’ll want to make sure that they render in an efficient and high-quality manner. Support for the ad formats you’re using, seamless integration with ad partners, and flexibility for different types of ads (pre-, mid-, and post-roll; overlays; increasingly interactive formats, etc.) are all key capabilities to look for.

According to our annual Video Developer Report,server-side ad insertion (SSAI) and client-side ad insertion (CSAI) are both prevalent in the video streaming industry. Not all online media players support the latter, so that’s something to take into account if you’re implementing CSAI.

What ad architecture are you using today?

It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on ad performance. Because OTT advertising is often purchased in terms of cost per 100 impressions, measuring this is crucial. Impressions, click-through rates, and quick load times all indicate a good viewer experience. Better ad performance leads to more revenue, so you’ll want a video player that pre-integrates with an analytics tool for insight into these metrics.

Adaptive bitrate (ABR) playback

One of the key benefits of HTML5 players is the ability to dynamically adapt the content based on each individual viewer’s device and internet speed. Called adaptive bitrate streaming or ABR, this is why you sometimes notice a stream you’re watching switch from fuzzy to sharp in a matter of seconds.

While content must be encoded and prepared to enable ABR, the video player plays a crucial role. As shown in the diagram above, ABR players switch between different video renditions as connectivity changes. Users with poor connections get an uninterrupted experience despite resource constraints; whereas those with speedier connections enjoy the highest-quality file available.

Subtitle and audio tracks

Subtitles and multi-audio tracks aren’t just for accessibility. Many viewers prefer to consume video content with closed captions today. And delivering the flexibility for viewers to enjoy your content in their preferred language is a no-brainer.

For this, you’ll want to look for an online video player that lets viewers instantaneously switch to alternate audio tracks and toggle through subtitle options during playback. 

Third-party integrations

Consider the player’s compatibility with third-party tools and services. Whether you need analytics capabilities, interactive overlays, or content security solutions, ease of integration with your favorite tools should be a key criterion when researching video players.

Finding an HTML5 player with an extensive partner network will also accelerate the time to market. And beyond just speeding up your deployment, these integrations can help offset development costs.

Testing and analytics

A reliable HTML5 video player is essential for ensuring a high-quality viewing experience. Unfortunately, when it comes to streaming, content distributors often fail to catch errors until it’s too late.

The best tactics for preventing errors are testing in advance and monitoring in real time. For that, you’ll want to look for a video player that integrates with testing and analytics solutions. At Bitmovin, we developed Stream Lab to ensure the quality of experience (QoE) when using Bitmovin Player, and also offer Bitmovin Analytics for additional insights for error debugging and quality of experience improvements.

Free and open-source vs. paid video players

When building an OTT platform — or any software application — the consideration between free and open-source vs commercial tech is bound to pop up.

And here at Bitmovin, we’re major proponents of an open internet. Our CTO Christopher Mueller co-created the open MPEG-DASH standard as an alternative to proprietary technologies, and he regularly contributes to open-source tools.

Open-source video players make it possible to build bespoke end-user experiences nearly from scratch. But that means a bigger time investment, not to mention a burden on in-house resources.

Both free and paid video players have their advantages. So the right choice comes down to your unique requirements. Here’s a quick side-by-side of how the two compare.

What’s more common: open-source vs. commercial video players

In this year’s Video Developer Report, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of participants choosing to build an in-house HTML5 video player with open-source code. We also learned that 25% of development teams spend 7+ days each month maintaining their video player solution.

How many hours per month does your development team spend on maintaining your video player solution?

And this is really at the crux of the consideration between an open-source and a commercial video player. While builders love extensibility, businesses often require turnkey solutions that can be deployed quickly.

Luckily, though, it’s not always an either/or consideration. We’ve been enhancing the Bitmovin Player to deliver both speed and the flexibility to create your own solution. 

Our Lead Engineer Tom Macdonald explains:

“in order to allow our customers to support their own use cases, we will be releasing an open-source plug-in template. This template will enable our clients, partners, and developer community to create their own plug-ins for Player Web X and enhance their service to achieve an optimal and unique viewer experience. This is particularly powerful for teams that want to have the flexibility of an open-source web player with the performance and stability of a commercial player.”

Let’s dive into some of the other areas to evaluate in the buy vs. build debate. 

Evaluating Quality of Experience (QoE)

Insight into the quality of experience (QoE) is crucial when delivering OTT video. Plus, your video streaming platform’s data belongs to you, so it should be easy to access. Unfortunately, though, QoE monitoring can be a challenge when using open-source video players. Most lack out-of-the-box integrations with video analytics solutions, and it’s often difficult to test how streams will perform on real devices.

Measuring ROI of your online video player

Infrastructure investment, development costs, maintenance expenses, content performance, and user retention all affect your bottom line. For this reason, you should find an online video player that makes it easy to cut costs across the streaming pipeline.

Open-source HTML5 video players lacking pre-integrations or technical support can eat into profits. Afterall, both time-to-market and ongoing maintenance impact the total cost of ownership (TCO).

When comparing the Bitmovin Player with open-source HTML5 video players, it’s clear that proprietary video players deliver cost savings both in the short- and long-term.

Video player security issues

Open-source software can present security risks ranging from vulnerabilities to targeted attacks. Because the code of these HTML5 video players is inherited from a community of contributors, there’s less organization and standardization to how new features are added. 

As such, companies relying on open-source applications are more vulnerable to attacks. If you do go the open-source route, proper implementation and maintenance are necessary safeguards.

Video player software development kits (SDKs)

Video player SDKs make it easy to deploy your solution on different devices, ensuring flawless playback on every screen. This helps organizations reach additional viewers with ease and can save hundreds of hours of development time. 

Commercial HTML5 video players with SDKs also provide access to the latest features in their code set — ensuring a unified viewer experience regardless of how your audience streams the content.

With open-source HTML5 video players like Shaka Player, SDKs to ensure native playback on different devices are limited. This leaves engineering teams open to development issues and setbacks.

Branding and customizing your video player

Open-source HTML5 video players can be branded and customized, but it’ll require more effort than a paid solution with easy-to-configure UI styling. Additional support for branding elements like overlays is also hard to come by, and many open-source players lack the breadth of codec and protocol support that HTML5 video players like Bitmovin deliver. 

When is an open-source video player the best option?

If you’re unwilling to spend money on your media player or need limitless flexibility, then open-source may be the way to go. Just know that launching your solution and customizing the HTML5 video player will take time and effort on your part — and your TCO will likely be higher. 

Here are a couple of scenarios where opting for an open-source HTML5 video player may be the right choice:

Flexibility requirements:

• Scenario: Your development team requires extensive customization and wants to modify the player’s code to meet specific requirements.
• Reasoning: Open-source HTML5 video players provide the flexibility to tailor the experience to your unique use cases and requirements — assuming you have the time and money to invest.

Budget constraints:

• Scenario: Your project has budget constraints, and you’re unable to make any HTML5 video player investments upfront.
• Reasoning: Open-source players are generally free to use and deploy, making them an attractive option when financial resources are limited.

Top 4 free and open-source video players in 2024

So, what are the best HTML5 video players for developers searching for a free solution or choosing to go the open-source route? Our list below details the features, pros, and cons of our favorite free options. Keep reading or use the list below to navigate to a specific section.

Best free and open-source HTML5 video players

• Shaka Player
• Video.js
• dash.js
• HLS.js

Free to use mobile players

• ExoPlayer
• AVPlayer

Shaka Player

As an open-source JavaScript library, Shaka Player enables adaptive streaming for media playback. Because Shaka Player is built on web APIs, it only runs in the browser.

Shaka Player has a large feature set and robust error handling. The Google-created online video player has a large community behind it and can be customized for specific use cases.

Key features:

• Supports any browser.
• Protocol support across adaptive bitrate formats like DASH, HLS, and Microsoft Smooth Streaming.
• Supports FairPlay, Windvine, and PlayReady DRM.

Pros:

• Easy to deploy into most projects but may require additional development and maintenance costs.
• Can be customized extensively.
• Supports offline storage and playback using IndexDB.

Cons:

• Doesn’t support native playback on iOS, Android, or Roku; can only support browser-based playback.
• Lacks professional-grade features like watermarking.
• Player logic can cause a poor viewing experience when switching to HD.

[Compare Shaka Player and Bitmovin]

Video.js

Video.js is a widely adopted open-source framework that uses basic JavaScript and CSS for easy customization. As the technology behind more than 450,000 websites, Video.js stands out for its versatility. 

The Brightcove-sponsored video player is renowned for its straightforward integration and additional features like Google Analytics tracking. It also offers plugins for YouTube and Vimeo support, making it an excellent option for social media integrations. 

Like ShakaPlayer, Video.js is an HTML5-only player — meaning it can’t power native video playback on devices like mobile phones.

Key features:

• Supports MP4 and WebM files, along with adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) via HLS and MPEG-DASH. 
• Vast codec support.
• Dedicated UI for live streams.
• Seamlessly integrates with popular platforms like Vimeo and YouTube.

Pros:

• The framework offers a rich ecosystem of plugins for advanced functionalities like Chromecast and virtual reality (VR).
• Includes hundreds of plugins for adding features like playlist management, analytics, DRM, and advertising.
• Looks great out of the box, and is also easy to style with CSS.
• Extensive documentation, guides, blog, and community.
• Lightweight and easy to use.
• Can fall back on legacy technologies like Flash.

Cons:

• Lacks frame-accurate seeking and cuepoint features.
• Doesn’t support native playback on iOS, Android, or Roku; can only in power browser-based playback.

[Compare Video.js and Bitmovin]

Dash.js

As the DASH Industry Forum’s HTML5 video player, dash.js was designed to establish a production quality framework for building audio and video players for the DASH protocol. The player uses cutting-edge ABR algorithms and also supports low-latency CMAF for DASH.

Unlike most open-source HTML5 video players, dash.js keeps its roadmap public. This provides insight into improvement and bug fixes being prioritized. Even so, the roadmap is much more limited than that of a commercial HTML5 player and dash.js’s documentation isn’t always up to date.

Key features:

• Support for DASH and low-latency CMAF for DASH
• Support for Widevine and PlayReady DRM.
• Supports closed captions and subtitles. 

Pros:

• Public product roadmap provides transparency into bug fixes and improvements.
• Customizable and comes with a lot of features.
• Enables a live playback catch-up mechanism to support low-latency streaming and synchronization between two videos.

Cons:

• Doesn’t support HLS, the most common streaming protocol in use today.
• As an HTML5-based player, it can not support native playback on iOS, Android, or Roku. 
• Lacks professional-grade features like watermarking and video overlays.

HLS.js

HLS.js is a JavaScript library for browser-based streaming that relies on the <video> element and Media Source Extension (MSE). It’s one of two HTML5 video players on our list that supports all major DRMs — the other being Shaka Player. That said, the HLS video player doesn’t support DASH and is limited to browser-based streaming.

Key features:

• Supports the HLS protocol (as you’d expect from a HLS video player)
• Supports FairPlay, Widevine, and PlayReady DRM.
• Timed metadata support for HTTP Live Streaming, including ID3 format carried in MPEG-2 TS, Emsg in CMAF/Fragmented MP4, and DATERANGE playlist tags.
• Built-in analytics with the ability to monitor internal events, network events, video events, and exposed playback session metrics.

Pros:

• Accurate seeking on both VOD and live streams, not limited to fragment or keyframe boundaries.
• Provides error resiliency with retry mechanism for recovery from fatal media or network errors.
• Flexible quality switching modes provide a smooth user experience under varying network conditions.
• Comprehensive support for timed metadata enhances the potential for interactive and dynamic content.

Cons:

• HLS.js is not supported on iOS Safari for iPhone due to the absence of MediaSource API support.
• As an HTML5-only player, it can not support native playback on iOS, Android, or Roku. 
• Doesn’t support DASH

While these next 2 players are not HTML5-based, if your preference is to use free and open-source players on all platforms, ExoPlayer and AVPlayer are the free-to-use native players for iOS and Android devices.

ExoPlayer

ExoPlayer is a free-to-use application-level media player for Android devices. ExoPlayer (soon to be Media3) is open-source, and the native player shipped with Android — and thus the best free option for creating a playback experience on Android apps. 

As an alternative to Android’s MediaPlayer API, it can be effortlessly updated along with Android applications. ExoPlayer also offers extensive customization options and boasts a large and responsive community.

This is the built-in native Player for Android platforms only. That means that developers have to use a separate video player for streaming on other devices, like AVPlayer for Apple devices.

ExoPlayer can play back multiple protocols, including RTSP. This makes it possible to stream live content directly from an IP camera without having to repackage it in an HTTP-based format like HLS.

Key features:

• Supports HLS, DASH, Smooth Streaming, RTSP, Low-Latency HLS, and low-latency CMAF for DASH.
• Customizable player skin for branded streaming experiences.
• Supports Widevine and PlayReady DRM.
• Supports closed captions and subtitles. 
• Support for playlists.

Pros:

• Less variation and issues across different devices than Android’s built-in MediaPlayer.
• Easy to update to newer versions through Play Store application updates.
• Can be customized extensively.
• Offers official extensions with additional libraries for monetization, etc. 

Cons:

• Lacks professional-grade features like watermarking.
• Consumes more battery than Android’s MediaPlayer for audio-only playback on some devices.
• Has device compatibility issues with FireOS, Nexus Player, and some Android emulators.
• Requires maintenance and architectural updates.
• Isn’t ideal for lightweight mobile apps.
• No offline playback.
• Android only.

[Compare ExoPlayer and Bitmovin]

AVPlayer

Developed by Apple, AVPlayer is the native player for iOS streaming. Similar to what ExoPlayer is to Android, it’s the best free player for enabling playback on Apple devices.

The player provides developers with a robust toolset for controlling multimedia content streamed via HLS as a .m3u8 file, ensuring an optimal experience on Apple devices.

Key features:

• Customizable video player skin for branded streaming experiences.
• Supports subtitles.
• Supports FairPlay DRM.

Pros:

• Tightly integrated into the Apple ecosystem, ensuring cohesive experiences across desktop and mobile devices.
• Supports AirPlay, which allows users to share videos wirelessly and extend the viewing experience to larger screens.
• Provides high-performance video playback leveraging Apple’s hardware and software optimizations.
• Can be customized extensively.

Cons:

• Lacks professional-grade features like watermarking.
• iOS only

[Compare AVPlayer and Bitmovin]

Bonus: A look at Bitmovin Video Player

Bitmovin Player ensures the highest-quality video experiences across the most devices and platforms on the market. Our HTML5 video player is flexible and easy to deploy, with dedicated SDKs for every device imaginable.

Bitmovin Player can be used for any monetization model (SVOD, AVOD, FAST, and HVOD) and it can be easily deployed on any device. It offers DRM, optimal adaptive bitrate streaming settings, UI design, and quick integration with a vast ecosystem of OTT streaming tools. 

For ad-supported streaming, the Bitmovin Player supports server-side and client-side ad insertion (SSAI and CSAI) and can be integrated with any ad server using standard formats like CAST, VPAID, IMA, and VMAP. It’s also easy to create different types of ads with code examples — whether overlay, interactive, or clickable.

What’s more, with the Bitmovin Player, streaming platform developers gain access to a full suite of OTT infrastructure solutions for live and VOD encoding, streaming analytics, and more. Bitmovin’s products provide API coverage and full SDKs across the workflow, making it easy for anyone to build an end-to-end streaming solution. Plus, relying on a single vendor for multiple video streaming capabilities helps eliminate complexity and maximize value.

The Bitmovin Player can be customized to a T — providing a unique branded experience to your audience. In addition to adjusting the styling and adding preview graphics, you can apply CSS styles to its video player controls, progress bars, and overlays. Our HTML5 video player also enables additional functionality like Chromecast, fast channel switching, and picture-in-picture.

Finally, the Bitmovin Player is supported by documentation, a global community, and a team of video experts — helping to guide developers through integration, upgrades, and optimizations.

Key features:

• Support for HLS, MPEG-DASH, Low-Latency HLS, and low-latency CMAF for DASH.
• Out-of-the-box integration with Bitmovin Analytics.
• Supports a variety of video and audio codecs, including H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AAC, and MP3.
• Multilanguage audio and subtitles.
• SLAs and support from video experts
• Displays 360° video with VR, 4K, and 8K.
• Casting support.
• Offline playback.

Compatibility:

The Bitmovin HTML5 Video Player is a highly versatile media player that’s compatible with a wide range of platforms, devices, and browsers, including:

• Web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, and Internet Explorer
• Mobile devices: iOS (iPhone, iPad), Android (smartphones, tablets), and Windows Mobile
• Smart TVs: Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Hisense, and Vizio
• Game consoles: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch

Pros:

• Pre-integrated support for countless gaming consoles, Smart TVs, consoles, browsers, and mobile devices.
• A wide range of features to make it easy to get started and integrate into your workflows.
• Reduces the need for obligatory player maintenance and architectural updates.
• Over 1000 player tests performed on real devices daily to ensure stability.
• Extensive advertising and monetization capabilities.
• Patent-pending low-latency ABR algorithm to ensure broadcast-like latency in the highest quality possible.
• Supported by Stream Lab testing and Birmovin Analytics to guarantee quality.
• 200+ customizable features and partner integrations to tailor the player to any use case.
• Frequent releases ensure device support and feature compatibility.
• Up-to-date product roadmap.

Cons:

• After 10k free impressions per month, the pay-as-you-go plan charges $1.5 for every additional 1k impressions.

Conclusion

HTML5 players influence every aspect of an OTT platform. Your ability to generate ad revenue, reach users across different devices, and deliver an unmatched experience all starts with the video player that you build upon. That’s why it’s key to make sure that the solution you choose plays well with the rest of your tech stack. 

Delivering the same experience across living room TVs, mobile screens, and web pages requires a flexible HTML5 video player that can be deployed anywhere. It’s also important to stream videos in multiple file formats to ensure scalable playback. For that, you’ll either need a video player like Bitmovin that offers broad protocol support or you’ll have to combine several open-source options in your workflow.

Whether opting for the extensibility of open-source or the turnkey efficiency of a commercial video player like Bitmovin, the goal is the same: Deliver an unparalleled viewing experience that captivates audiences and drives success in the competitive landscape of online video streaming. 

This is where additional mechanisms for boosting viewer engagement come into play. You want to give users the ability to adjust playback speed, use casting devices, select the video size, turn full-screen mode on, and intuitively use player controls. Both open-source video players and commercial solutions can be configured to this end, but free options like Shaka Player will require a lot more elbow grease to elevate beyond the basic playback options.

By using Bitmovin as your HTML5 player, you won’t just benefit from professional-grade technology. We also deliver dedicated customer support and seamless integration across our partner network. 

Our video player guarantees playback quality on any screen and is backed by the world’s first stream QoE testing service, Stream Lab. What’s more, the pre-integrated Bitmovin Analytics provides actionable insights to identify cost-saving and engagement-boosting opportunities.

That’s not all though. Bitmovin Streams helps simplify VOD and live streaming, serving as a single platform for transcoding, CDN delivery, video playback, security, and more. As an all-in-one solution that’s built for the cloud, it eliminates the complexity of building your infrastructure in-house. Alternatively, Bitmovin’s encoding, playback, and analytics products provide API access and full SDKs across the workflow, making it easy to pick and choose the best products for your OTT platform.

So what are you waiting for? Start your free trial today.

HTML5 video player FAQs

What does it mean for an HTML5 player to be open source?

An open-source HTML5 player is a media player that offers its source code to the public for use, modification, and redistribution. This makes it easy and free for anyone to download the source code and use it for any purpose. Open-source HTML5 video players can be modified and customized endlessly and are supported by a community of independent developers. That said, they require a lot of development and maintenance time and must be self-hosted. 

What are the benefits of using a premium video player?

Premium HTML5 video players like Bitmovin Player are maintained and hosted by a third-party team and often offer better performance and stability than an open-source solution. Because these commercial HTML5 video players are delivered by a service provider, they come with SLAs and dedicated technical support. Premium players are also quicker to integrate and launch, which can reduce time-to-market and total cost of ownership (TCO) by over 60%.

What factors should I consider when choosing an online video player for my business?

When choosing an online video player, you want to consider the ease of integration, ability to quickly customize the technology, device coverage, player performance, DRM and advertising support, third-party integration, and accessibility through subtitle and audio tracks.

Depending on how you’re monetizing your video content, integration with different vendors will be required. It’s a good idea to research how easily each HTML5 player you’re considering can be combined with the rest of your tech stack. From there, we’d recommend familiarizing yourself with the development tools and technical support available, as that varies with each media player.

How do OTT platforms manage the costs of delivering content to users in different regions around the world, given differences in internet infrastructure and bandwidth?

Next-generation video encoding is key to cost-effectively delivering video content to users across the globe. Because end-user devices and connectivity vary, it’s become common to prepare the content in such a way that it can adapt to each viewer’s resources. This is called adaptive bitrate streaming, and it’s an essential capability that’s become standard across the best HTML5 video players.

Additionally, multi-codec delivery allows you to match each user with the highest-performing codec available. This maintains support for legacy devices, while also expanding 4K coverage for users with AV1-compatible devices.

Finally, per-title encoding can help reduce the bandwidth of your content by customizing the encoding ladder to each video. This yields additional opportunities to reduce bandwidth while still exceeding your audience’s expectations.

Many of the capabilities above are enabled earlier in the streaming workflow — when the video content is being transcoded and prepared for end-user delivery. Nonetheless, you’ll want to consider how your HTML5 player supports different codecs, protocols, and more.

Should I just use the standard video player element?

While the standard <video> tag makes it easy to add video to your website, it doesn’t allow you to control streaming content. Rather, the <video> element only supports embedded videos. Advanced features like ABR, live streaming, ad insertion, and DRM all require going beyond the standard video tag and using an HTML video player. Players also ensure a consistent experience across different browsers and devices.

Will new technology — such as 5G and improvements in video compression algorithms — impact the cost of running a video platform over time?

The cost of running a video platform is dynamic and impossible to forecast. Improvements in compression algorithms and encoding technology yield cost savings, but end-user demands for higher resolution and complex workflows supporting low-latency live delivery can drive costs up. Balancing quality with costs is key to OTT success, making your backend infrastructure a crucial factor when approaching monetization.

Per-title encoding capabilities, video analytics, and sustainability-focused playback features can all curb wasteful practices and deliver cost savings. For these, you’ll want to find an infrastructure provider like Bitmovin that’s focused on making it easier for OTT platforms to monetize their content.

Which criteria did you use to evaluate the online video players listed above?

If you search ‘video player’ on GitHub in 2024, you’ll see 31.5k+ repositories pop up. Because there’s no shortage of online media players, we created this guide to make it easier to compare all the options when building a professional streaming platform. 

Our list of the best HTML5 video players was created by evaluating:

• Streaming performance
• Integration effort and availability of developer tools (e.g., API access, mobile SDK support, documentation, etc.)
• Range of features (e.g., tools for secure streaming, video controls like multiple playback speeds, full-screen displays, etc.)
• Compatibility across devices and browsers
• Protocol and codec support
• Ability to support additional requirements like low latency, VR, etc.

Because many of the online video players out there are tailored to a specific protocol (HLS vs. DASH) or operating system (Android vs. OS), compatibility across devices and browsers is limited. Additionally, the integration effort will always be greater with an open-source solution, so we focused more on the availability of plugins and documentation to extend these video players.

The post The Ultimate Guide to HTML5 Video Players [2024] appeared first on Bitmovin.

In this blog, we will go into the essentials of ABR streaming, how WISH ABR is changing that methodology, and what Bitmovin has done to make it available on the Bitmovin Player.

What is adaptive bitrate streaming, how does it work, and what are the benefits?

Adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming refers to the logic that a video player uses to dynamically adjust the quality of the video stream based on the available bandwidth. It ensures that users receive the best possible viewing experience by continuously adapting the video bitrate to match the network conditions. For example, if the user has a poor connection, it will request lower-quality packets from the edge, and when the connection is healthy again, it will request the highest quality available. 

It works by encoding the video content into multiple renditions, each with different bitrates and quality levels. These renditions are further divided into small segments or packets. The video player then evaluates and monitors the network conditions and selects the appropriate rendition for each segment, optimizing for quality and smooth playback. You can read more on the general aspects of Adaptive bitrate streaming in our recent blog.

Diagram of how ABR works per connection type

The Benefits of ABR

• Seamless playback:
  • ABR ensures viewers experience minimal buffering and interruptions, even in challenging network conditions.
    
• The highest quality possible:
  • By dynamically adjusting the video bitrate, ABR delivers the best possible quality while avoiding buffering issues.
    
• Bandwidth efficiency and cost savings:
  • ABR optimizes bandwidth usage by adapting the video quality to match the available network capacity, reducing data consumption.
    
• Device compatibility:
  • ABR can be utilized across a wide range of devices, including mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes, and browsers.

What is WISH ABR and how is it different?

First developed by Minh Nguyen and the Athena Team and focused on mobile device playback, WISH stands for Weighted Sum model for HTTP Adaptive Streaming and takes the ABR logic one step further. Instead of just adapting it to network conditions, WISH ABR enables the personalization of the ABR to fit specific use cases. This essentially gives platforms the tools to improve QoE by customizing their ABR logic to specific device settings, configurations, types, and other variables that may be common to a streaming platform’s audience. Proving this concept works, in WISH’s testing evaluation, it was able to enhance QoE by up to 17.6% and reduce data usage by 36.4%.

WISH’s logic is based on a mathematical model consisting of three distinct components /cost factors:

• Bandwidth cost
  • “How much data will it be used for the download?”
• Buffer cost
  • “How much will the buffer level decrease?”
• Quality cost –
  •  “How much will the video quality decrease?”

The mathematical model that WISH is based on.

The algorithm evaluates each video rendition, judging each value from the “costs” listed above, and selects the one that balances them all the best with the lowest overall cost. WISH lets users adjust this balance based on their preference, like choosing between better video quality or less buffering, depending on their settings.

An example of WISH selecting the perfect rendition at that moment as it evaluates the total cost of the variables (image from the Athena publication)

How did we implement it for the Bitmovin Player?

Seeing how well it performed with mobile devices, we wanted to expand its capabilities and leveraged our collaboration with the Athena team to implement it for our Web SDK. This is important as it could then be used across smart TVs, game consoles, browsers, set-top boxes, and more. After some minor adjustments and refinements, we deployed it successfully. Now, anyone using the Bitmovin Player can test it out for themselves and apply it to their workflow by accessing our API documentation for AdaptationConfig, AdaptationLogicType, and TweaksConfig.

Ongoing Improvements and Testing

We are still defining specific attributes around the new logic before making it a default functionality. However, from our initial testing, we’ve already seen pretty good results, specifically regarding rebuffering (Stall time) and overall QoE (Mean ITU score). In the future, we are looking to list “presets” that enable specific behaviors by device, giving streaming companies an expectation of what they can achieve with each setting, easily enhancing the QoE for their audience. Additionally, the WISH ABR can be utilized with the Bitmovin Player for any industry and will also be the main ABR logic for our latest video player, Player Web X.

Conclusion

ABR functionality has revolutionized the video streaming landscape by making it possible for streams to adapt the video quality to match network conditions dynamically. WISH ABR takes this concept a step further by introducing a user-centric approach to adaptive bitrate selection and optimizing the streaming experience to align with the preferences of individual viewers. The integration of WISH ABR into the Bitmovin Player further enhances the capabilities of our powerful solution, empowering content providers to deliver a superior quality of experience. Now, we can definitely say the future of video streaming is poised to be more personalized, efficient, and immersive.

The post Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Evolved: WISH ABR and Bitmovin’s Player Integration appeared first on Bitmovin.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The story of Bitmovin began with video research and innovation back in 2012, when our co-founders Stefan Lederer and Christopher Mueller were students at Alpen-Adria-Universität (AAU) Klagenfurt. Together with their professor Dr. Christian Timmerer, the three co-founded Bitmovin in 2013, with their research providing the foundation for Bitmovin’s groundbreaking MPEG-DASH player and Per-Title Encoding. Five years later in 2018, a joint project between Bitmovin and AAU called ATHENA was formed, with a new laboratory and research program that would be led by Dr. Timmerer. The aim of ATHENA was to research and develop new approaches, tools and evaluations for all areas of HTTP adaptive streaming, including encoding, delivery, playback and end-to-end quality of experience (QoE). Bitmovin could then take advantage of the knowledge gained to further innovate and enhance its products and services. In the late spring and summer of 2023, the first cohort of ATHENA PhD students completed their projects and successfully defended their dissertations. This post will highlight their work and its potential applications. 

Video Research Projects

Optimizing QoE and Latency of Live Video Streaming Using Edge Computing and In-Network Intelligence

Dr. Alireza Erfanian

The work of Dr. Erfanian focused on leveraging edge computing and in-network intelligence to enhance the QoE and reduce end-to-end latency in live ABR streaming. The research also addresses improving transcoding performance and optimizing costs associated with running live streaming services and network backhaul utilization. 

1. Optimizing resource utilization – Two new methods ORAVA and OSCAR, utilize edge computing, network function virtualization, and software-defined networking (SDN). At the network’s edge, virtual reverse proxies collect clients’ requests and send them to an SDN controller, which creates a multicast tree to deliver the highest requested bitrate efficiently. This approach minimizes streaming cost and resource utilization while considering delay constraints. ORAVA, a cost-aware approach, and OSCAR, an SDN-based live video streaming method, collectively save up to 65% bandwidth compared to state-of-the-art approaches, reducing OpenFlow commands by up to 78% and 82%, respectively.
2. Light-Weight Transcoding – These three new approaches utilize edge computing and network function virtualization to significantly improve transcoding efficiency. LwTE is a novel light-weight transcoding approach at the edge that saves time and computational resources by storing optimal results as metadata during the encoding process. It employs store and transcode policies based on popularity, caching popular segments at the edge. CD-LwTE extends LwTE by proposing Cost- and Delay-aware Light-weight Transcoding at the Edge, considering resource constraints, introducing a fetch policy, and minimizing total cost and serving delay for each segment/bitrate. LwTE-Live investigates the cost efficiency of LwTE in live streaming, leveraging the approach to save bandwidth in the backhaul network. Evaluation results demonstrate LwTE processes transcoding at least 80% faster, while CD-LwTE reduces transcoding time by up to 97%, decreases streaming costs by up to 75%, and reduces delay by up to 48% compared to state-of-the-art approaches.

Slides and more detail

Video Coding Enhancements for HTTP Adaptive Streaming using Machine Learning

Dr. Ekrem Çetinkaya

The research of Dr. Çetinkaya involved several applications of machine learning techniques for improving the video coding process across 4 categories:

1. Fast Multi-Rate Encoding with Machine Learning – These two techniques address the challenge of encoding multiple representations of a video for ABR streaming. FaME-ML utilizes convolutional neural networks to guide encoding decisions, reducing parallel encoding time by 41%. FaRes-ML extends this approach to multi-resolution scenarios, achieving a 46% reduction in overall encoding time while preserving visual quality.
2. Enhancing Visual Quality on Mobile Devices – These three methods focused on improving visual quality on mobile devices with limited hardware. SR-ABR integrates super-resolution into adaptive bitrate selection, saving up to 43% bandwidth. LiDeR addresses computational complexity, achieving a 428% increase in execution speed while maintaining visual quality. MoViDNN facilitates the evaluation of machine learning solutions for enhanced visual quality on mobile devices.
3. Light-Field Image Coding with Super-Resolution – This new approach addresses the data size challenge of light field images in emerging media formats. LFC-SASR utilizes super-resolution to reduce data size by 54%, ensuring a more immersive experience while preserving visual quality.
4. Blind Visual Quality Assessment Using Vision Transformers – A new technique, BQ-ViT, tackles the blind visual quality assessment problem for videos. Leveraging the vision transformer architecture, BQ-ViT achieves a high correlation (0.895 PCC) in predicting video visual quality using only the encoded frames.

Slides and more detail

Policy-driven Dynamic HTTP Adaptive Streaming Player Environment

Dr. Minh Nguyen

The work of Dr. Ngyuen addressed critical issues impacting QoE in adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming, with four main contributions:

1. Days of Future Past Plus (DoFP+) – This approach uses HTTP/3 features to enhance QoE by upgrading low-quality segments during streaming sessions, resulting in a 33% QoE improvement and a 16% reduction in downloaded data.
2. WISH ABR – This is a weighted sum model that allows users to customize their ABR switching algorithm by specifying preferences for parameters like data usage, stall events, and video quality. WISH considers throughput, buffer, and quality costs, enhancing QoE by up to 17.6% and reducing data usage by 36.4%.
3. WISH-SR – This is an ABR scheme that extends WISH by incorporating a lightweight Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to improve video quality on high-end mobile devices. It can reduce downloaded data by up to 43% and enhance visual quality with client-side Super Resolution upscaling. 
4. New CMCD Approach – This new method for determining Common Media Client Data (CMCD) parameters, enables the server to generate suitable bitrate ladders based on clients’ device types and network conditions. This approach reduces downloaded data while improving QoE by up to 2.6 times

Slides and more detail  

Multi-access Edge Computing for Adaptive Video Streaming

Dr. Jesús Aguilar Armijo

The network plays a crucial role for video streaming QoE and one of the key technologies available on the network side is Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC). It has several key characteristics: computing power, storage, proximity to the clients and access to network and player metrics, that make it possible to deploy mechanisms at the MEC node to assist video streaming.

This thesis of Dr. Aguilar Armijo investigates how MEC capabilities can be leveraged to support video streaming delivery, specifically to improve the QoE, reduce latency or increase savings on storage and bandwidth. 

1. ANGELA Simulator – A new simulator is designed to test mechanisms supporting video streaming at the edge node. ANGELA addresses issues in state-of-the-art simulators by providing access to radio and player metrics, various multimedia content configurations, Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) algorithms at different network locations, and a range of evaluation metrics. Real 4G/5G network traces are used for radio layer simulation, offering realistic results. ANGELA demonstrates a significant simulation time reduction of 99.76% compared to the ns-3 simulator in a simple MEC mechanism scenario.
2. Dynamic Segment Repackaging at the Edge – The proposal suggests using the Common Media Application Format (CMAF) in the network’s backhaul, performing dynamic repackaging of content at the MEC node to match clients’ requested delivery formats. This approach aims to achieve bandwidth savings in the network’s backhaul and reduce storage costs at the server and edge side. Measurements indicate potential reductions in delivery latency under certain expected conditions.
3. Edge-Assisted Adaptation Schemes – Leveraging radio network and player metrics at the MEC node, two edge-assisted adaptation schemes are proposed. EADAS improves ABR decisions on-the-fly to enhance clients’ Quality of Experience (QoE) and fairness. ECAS-ML shifts the entire ABR algorithm logic to the edge, managing the tradeoff among bitrate, segment switches, and stalls through machine learning techniques. Evaluations show significant improvements in QoE and fairness for both schemes compared to various ABR algorithms.
4. Segment Prefetching and Caching at the Edge – Segment prefetching, a technique transmitting future video segments closer to the client before being requested, is explored at the MEC node. Different prefetching policies, utilizing resources and techniques such as Markov prediction, machine learning, transrating, and super-resolution, are proposed and evaluated. Results indicate that machine learning-based prefetching increases average bitrate while reducing stalls and extra bandwidth consumption, offering a promising approach to enhance overall performance.

Slides and more detail

Potential applications for Bitmovin products

The WISH ABR algorithm presented by Dr. Nguyen is already available in the Bitmovin Web Player SDK as of version 8.136.0, which was released in early October 2023. It can be enabled via AdaptationConfig.logic. Use of CMCD metadata is still gaining momentum throughout the industry, but Bitmovin and Akamai have already demonstrated a joint solution and the research above will help improve our implementation.

Bitmovin has experimented with server-side Super Resolution upscaling with some customers, mainly focusing on upscaling SD content to HD for viewing on TVs and larger monitors, but the techniques investigated by Dr. Çetinkaya take advantage of newer models that can extend Super Resolution to the client side on mobile devices. These have the potential to reduce data usage which is especially important to users with limited data plans and bandwidth. They can also improve QoE and visual quality while saving service providers on delivery costs. 

Controlling costs has been at or near the top of the list of challenges video developers and streaming service providers have faced over the past couple of years according to Bitmovin’s annual Video Developer Report. This trend will likely continue into 2024 and the resource management and transcoding efficiency improvements developed by Dr. Erfanian will help optimize and reduce operational costs for Bitmovin and its services. 

Edge computing is becoming more mainstream, with companies like Bitmovin partners Videon and Edgio delivering new applications that take advantage of available compute resources closer to the end user. The contributions developed by Dr. Aguilar Armijo address different facets of content delivery and provide a comprehensive approach to optimizing video streaming in edge computing environments. This has the potential to provide more actionable analytics data and enable more intelligent and robust adaptation during challenging network conditions. 

Conclusion

Bitmovin was born from research and innovation and 10 years later is still breaking new ground. We were honored to receive a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for our efforts and remain committed to improving every part of the streaming experience. Whether it’s taking advantage of the latest machine learning capabilities or developing novel approaches for controlling costs, we’re excited for what the future holds. We’re also grateful for all of the researchers, engineers, technology partners and customers who have contributed along the way and look forward to the next 10 years of progress and innovation.

The post PhD video research: From the ATHENA lab to Bitmovin products appeared first on Bitmovin.

In this blog, we will do a deep dive into Flutter, showcasing what it is, its benefits and drawbacks, its use cases, and more, along with how Bitmovin’s dedicated Player SDK for Flutter plays a significant role in making it easier to stream video in applications.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is a UI software toolkit created by Google that has gained much traction with its user-friendly functionality. It is an open-source framework made for cross-platform development, so developers can use it to build apps with a native-like experience on different devices, such as Android, iOS, and Web. You can read more about it in our other blog on the 5 Ways React Native & Flutter Can Simplify Video Streaming Workflows.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of Flutter for app development and video streaming?

Like any technology, Flutter has its pros and cons. Understanding these can help developers make informed decisions when choosing Flutter for their video streaming workflows.

Benefits

• Cross-Platform Development
  • Flutter was literally built for this purpose, allowing developers to write code once and use it across multiple platforms. This helps drive a faster time-to-market as teams can reduce development time and effort.
    
• App Performance 
  • Known to be highly performant, applications built with Flutter are compiled directly into native code, offering better performance than other hybrid solutions.
    
• Hot Reload 
  • To check out app updates in real-time, developers can utilize Flutter’s hot reload feature, which enables developers to see changes without losing the current application state. This helps speed up the development process and make it more dynamic, as modifications can be made as needed.
    
• Customizable UI
  • With many widgets and extensive UI customization options, Flutter provides developers the tools to create better, visually appealing interfaces.
    
• Strong Community Support
  • Since it has a robust and active community thanks to it being developed by Google, Flutter provides developers with access to numerous resources, libraries, tools, and the ability to ask questions directly to the community if/when needed.

Drawbacks

• Limited Libraries
  • Although Flutter’s library support is growing, it’s still not as extensive as older frameworks such as React Native. Also, depending on the solution and tool, they might not support Flutter, limiting developers and forcing them to take additional time and effort for implementation.
    
• Large File Size
  • Flutter apps tend to have a larger file size than native apps, which could affect the download and installation process, especially for users with limited device storage.
    
• Learning Curve
  • While Dart is potentially easier for developers familiar with JavaScript or Java to pick up, it’s less widely used than other programming languages, which could make the learning curve higher and the language harder to grasp.

How Flutter compares to other Frameworks

Regarding cross-platform mobile app development, React Native is another popular choice for developers that you can read more about in Bitmovin Launches Support for React Native. It, along with the native Android and iOS frameworks, have advantages and potential drawbacks.

React Native

React Native was developed by Facebook and allows developers to build mobile apps using JavaScript and React. Like Flutter, it provides features such as hot reloading and offers access to plenty of plugins created and used by its large community and third-party providers. However, compared to Flutter, React Native may fall short in performance as it uses a JavaScript bridge to communicate with native modules, which can slow down an app’s performance.

Traditional Native Framework Development

To develop apps natively on specific platforms, teams will need expertise in that specific native development language. For Android, this would mean Java or Kotlin, and for iOS, Objective-C or Swift. Native apps perform better as they are built specifically for that platform in its code, have a more natural user experience, and have access to all device features. However, the apps will only be able to be used for that platform and have no cross-platform capabilities, which can increase development time and cost. Additionally, teams must maintain both codebases, which can further strain development resources.

In comparison, Flutter offers a balanced mix of high performance, rapid development, and cost efficiency, making it a viable choice for many developers and businesses.

Which industries and use cases does Flutter fit well with?

Depending on a company’s specific needs, Flutter can be utilized across any industry, especially when it involves streaming video. These industries and use cases include:

• E-commerce 
  • Develop engaging shopping experiences showcasing products with video, customizable widgets, and animations.
    
• Social Media
  • With its cross-platform development and rich UI components, Flutter is ideal for building interactive social media apps.
    
• Education & eLearning
  • Create interactive and user-friendly eLearning apps with high-quality video, enhancing the learning experience for users.
    
• Entertainment & OTT 
  • Build out high-performance applications for video playback and a seamless user experience across devices.
    
• Health & Fitness 
  • Fitness apps can be created with a range of features such as video workouts, live sessions, health tracking, and more.
    
• Religion and House of Worship
  • Enables apps to connect congregations, facilitate donations, and offer seamless video streaming experiences across devices.
    
• News and Publishing
  • Flutter fits well with news organizations as it can facilitate real-time updates, multimedia integration, and seamless video streaming capabilities.
• Online Events
  • With user-friendly and interactive interfaces and the ability to stream high-quality video content directly to users, online event apps benefit from Flutter.
     
• Esports and Gaming
  • Flutter enables gaming communities to connect with real-time updates and seamless video streaming, enhancing the gaming experience.

Community and Support

Flutter has a growing developer community and as it’s affiliated with Google, it gets a good amount of attention. With access to plenty of tutorials, libraries, tools, and other items, development teams can leverage multiple resources as well as tap into community knowledge to overcome app and video streaming challenges. The community support, ensuring platform updates, bug fixes, and performance optimizations. Additionally, Google and others host regular events that include topics on Flutter or are focused solely on it, giving developers opportunities to learn, network, and stay up to date on the latest Flutter trends and updates.

For more on Flutter and video streaming, check out Bitmovin’s developer community, which focuses on video workflow aspects and questions on deploying Bitmovin’s solutions across devices.

Getting Started with Bitmovin’s Flutter SDK

Bitmovin’s dedicated Flutter SDK is an open-source wrapper for our native mobile SDKs, making integrating our Player into Flutter apps built for iOS and Android devices easier. We’re focused on simplifying the streaming process and making our existing developer-friendly APIs available for Flutter. The SDK offers a range of features that concentrate on streamlining deployment for developers and delivering the highest quality of experience for viewers during video playback. 

These features include live and on-demand video playback, UI customization, adaptive streaming, content protection with DRM integration, and more, reducing the time it takes to get to market and helping development teams focus on other items for their apps. You can access it all on our dedicated Flutter GitHub repository.

Conclusion

Flutter has emerged as a robust and efficient framework for building high-quality video streaming apps in the ever-evolving landscape of video streaming. Its cross-platform capabilities, performance, and customizable UI make it an ideal choice for developers. Moreover, with dedicated SDKs like Bitmovin’s Flutter SDK, developers can further optimize their video streaming workflows, deliver a superior viewing experience, and bring their apps to market faster.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting, test out the Bitmovin Player across all the devices you want to cover, especially on Flutter, by signing up for our 30-day free trial. Trial users also get complete access to our other solutions, such as VOD and Live Encoding, Analytics, and Streams. 

The post Streamlining Video Playback: Unveiling Bitmovin’s Player SDK for Flutter appeared first on Bitmovin.

As video workflows get more detailed, companies face numerous challenges in delivering a seamless viewing experience to their audiences. One of the biggest hurdles is the ability to make sense of disjointed sets of information from different points in the video delivery workflow. When a client experiences buffering or other playback issues, it can be difficult to pinpoint the root cause within a workflow. Do You rack your brain wondering if it’s a problem with the manifest, the client’s Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) algorithm, or the Content Delivery Network (CDN)? To create a clearer picture for streaming platforms and the CDNs delivering the content, this is where Common-Media-Client-Data (CMCD) comes into play.

What is CMCD and Why is it Important?

CMCD is an open specification and tool developed by the Web Application Video Ecosystem (WAVE) project launched by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Its focus is to allow media players to communicate data back to CDNs during video streaming sessions. It provides a standardized protocol for exchanging information between the client and the CDN, bridging the gap between client-side quality of experience (QOE) metrics and server-side quality of service (QOS) data. By providing the transmission of this detailed data and information, CMCD-enabled video streaming services can facilitate better troubleshooting, optimization, and dynamic delivery adjustments by CDNs.

With CMCD, media clients can send key-value pairs of data to CDNs, providing valuable insights into the streaming session. This data includes information such as encoded bitrate, buffer length, content ID, measured throughput, session ID, playback rate, and more. By capturing and analyzing this data, CDNs can gain a deeper understanding of the client’s streaming experience and make informed decisions to improve performance and address any issues.

What data is tracked and how is data sent and processed with CMCD?

The data points for CMCD are thorough, giving you the detailed metrics you need to verify your viewer’s experience along with how to optimize it. The metrics include:

• Encoded bitrate
• Buffer length
• Buffer starvation
• Content ID
• Object duration
• Deadline
• Measured throughput
• Next object request
• Next range request
• Object type
• Playback rate
• Requested maximum throughput
• Streaming format
• Session ID
• Stream type
• Startup
• Top bitrate

There are three common methods for sending CMCD data from the client to the CDN: custom HTTP request headers, HTTP query arguments, or JSON objects independent of the HTTP request. The choice of method depends on the player’s capabilities and the CDN’s processing requirements and could also differ by platform. In browsers, HTTP query arguments are preferred over HTTP request headers as headers would cause OPTIONS requests in addition to see if the CDN allows the usage of these headers, adding additional round-trip times. Other platforms like Android don’t have this limitation.

It is recommended to sequence the key-value pairs in alphabetical order to reduce the fingerprinting surface exposed by the player. Additionally, including a session ID (sid) and content ID (cid) with each request can aid in parsing and filtering through CDN logs for specific session and content combinations.

The Role of CMCD in Video Streaming Optimization

CMCD plays a crucial role in optimizing video streaming by enabling comprehensive data analysis and real-time adjustments. Combining client-side data with CDN logs, CMCD allows for the correlation of metrics and the identification of issues that affect streaming performance. This holistic view empowers CDNs to take proactive measures to address buffering, playback stalls, or other quality issues.

With CMCD, CDNs can segment data based on Live and Video on Demand (VOD) content, monitor CDN performance, identify specific subscriber sessions, and track the journey of media objects from the CDN to the player and screen. This level of insight enables CDNs to optimize content delivery, manage bandwidth allocation, and ensure a smooth and consistent streaming experience for viewers.

Adoption of CMCD in the Industry

Akamai and Bitmovin CMCD Workflow

The adoption and implementation of CMCD in video workflows are still developing. Many in the video streaming industry are evaluating it at the moment but haven’t made significant moves. However, there are notable players in the market who have taken the lead in incorporating CMCD into their platforms. One such example is Akamai, a prominent CDN provider. Akamai has been actively working on CMCD in collaboration with the Bitmovin Player.

Live Demo

Together, Akamai and Bitmovin have developed a demo presenting the capabilities and benefits of CMCD. The demo shows how CMCD data can be sent by the Bitmovin Player to the CDN.

What are the benefits of CMCD and how can it be implemented on the Bitmovin Player?

As listed above, there are clear benefits to implementing CMCD for video playback. Some of the benefits of CMCD that can be achieved with the Bitmovin player are: 

• Troubleshooting errors and finding root causes faster
  • CMCD makes Player sessions visible in CDN logs so you can trace error sessions through the Player and CDN to quickly find the root cause, reducing the cost associated with users experiencing errors on your platform.
    
• Combine Playback sessions and CDN logs with common session & content identifiers 
  • Improve your operational monitoring by giving a clearer view of content requests from Player and how those are handled by the CDN.
    
• Improve the quality of experience and reduce rebuffering by enabling pre-fetching 
  • Through CMCD, the CDN is aware of the Player’s current state and the content it most likely needs next. This allows the CDN to prepare and deliver the next packet the Player needs faster, reducing the time your viewers are waiting.
    
• Integration with Bitmovin’s Analytics
  • Monitor every single user session and gain granular data on audience, quality, and ad metrics that ensure a high quality of experience for viewers while helping you pinpoint error sessions rapidly with CMCD data.

As Bitmovin is continuing to explore CMCD’s capabilities, we’ve made it easy to set up and deploy into video workflows through our Github. If you’re wondering how it should be working or want to see it before taking the steps to implement it, you can check out our Bitmovin Web Player Samples. 

Additionally, if you have any questions or have any feedback on our experience using it, join our Bitmovin Developer community and comment on the running dialog around our CMCD implementation.

Future Implications and Industry Outlook

While CMCD is still in its early stages of adoption, its potential impact on the video streaming industry is significant. As more embrace CMCD, the ability to gather and analyze comprehensive data will become a standard practice and its benefits will become increasingly evident. This data-driven approach will enable continuous improvements in streaming performance and video workflows. This was a major reason that we at Bitmovin took this project on as transparency is key and CMCD makes the issues easier to find and address, increasing viewer and client satisfaction. 

Interest in CMCD will continue to grow with new implementations and use cases, leading the industry to realize the gains from reducing buffering and delivering better, streams to viewers. Our partnership with Akamai is just one step in how we are committed to advancing video streaming technology for content providers and providing a seamless viewing experience for audiences worldwide.

The post Unlocking the Highest Quality of Experience with Common-Media-Client-Data (CMCD) – What Is It and What Are the Benefits appeared first on Bitmovin.

Live streaming has solidified its role as a pivotal component of modern video workflows, enabling platforms and media companies to captivate audiences with that sense of witnessing events as they happen. This trend has gained even greater momentum during and after the pandemic, as users craved live experiences that spanned a variety of interests – from sports enthusiasts catching their favorite games to at-home yoga classes on fitness platforms or students enrolling in online courses. To meet this demand, users sought the closest thing to real-time immersion, and this is where WebRTC came into play (pun intended).

What is WebRTC?

WebRTC is an open-source streaming technology that enables real-time data transport, whether that’s video, audio, or other data channels. Initially developed by Google in 2011, it has found widespread adoption in various industries that benefit from real-time communication, such as video conferencing, education, and gaming. The open-source, peer-to-peer technology allows for end-to-end encryption over an HTTPS connection and is compatible with all major browsers and platforms. The use of WebRTC skyrocketed through the use of video conferencing tools that have continued to grow in popularity since the pandemic, as well as in online gaming, where thousands of avid viewers could engage with their favorite content at near real-time latency.

Where does WebRTC fit in the OTT streaming industry?

The OTT streaming industry is currently dominated by 2 streaming protocols: Dash & HLS. However, DASH & HLS are not ideal for achieving lower latency live streaming. Typically, viewers experience between 8-30 seconds of latency due to the need to download segments before playback, meaning the closer to the live edge, the more potential for issues with video buffers and ABR (adaptive bitrate) decisions.

WebRTC takes streaming services a step further by enabling real-time (sub-second latency) streaming experiences. For live events, such as sports or education, it allows services to provide an opportunity for interactivity and contribution without fear of introducing latency in data transfer. Unlike DASH and HLS, WebRTC does not buffer; it prioritizes low latency so viewers can be assured that what they are seeing is happening in real-time.

To summarize the key benefits of WebRTC:

• Ultra-Low Latency – WebRTC enables sub-second playback, ideal for live events, online gaming, and other interactive applications.
  
• Cross-Platform Compatibility – WebRTC is supported by all major web browsers and platforms, ensuring broad compatibility and ease of adoption.
  
• End-to-end Encryption –  WebRTC incorporates robust security features, including end-to-end encryption, which ensures the privacy and security of communications.
  
• Open Source – WebRTC benefits from a growing developer community that collaborates and innovates to bring continuous improvement to the technology.

However, WebRTC’s benefits come with a drawback: the inability to rewind or start the event from the beginning. This limitation affects many industries and their applications that require content review or replay, particularly in sports, where users want the ability to review and relive key moments.

What industries does WebRTC affect with this issue?

As streaming technology evolves and viewer expectations shift, low and real-time latency become more important, along with the ability to go back and see what they saw a few seconds before. This major playback feature affects many of the industries where real-time streaming is already crucial to the viewer experience, including:

• Sports Broadcasting and Betting – Viewers often want to rewatch critical moments, goals, or plays during a live event, which can also affect micro-betting and in-game wagering. 

• Live selling and auctions – Buyers may want to check what was said about the product or previous items that were listed, requiring the need to browse back through the stream.
  

• Webinars and Conferences – Webinars and virtual conferences may involve important presentations and discussions that can’t be revisited.
  
• Gaming – Fans like to watch gameplay, or players can strategize by rewinding and analyzing previous actions.
  
• Live Events and Performances – Live events, such as concerts or theater performances, need to provide instant replays of key moments or highlights.
• Online Education – Students may need to rewind and review parts of a lecture or lesson for better understanding.
  
• Emergency Services and Video Surveillance – Being able to analyze real-time video footage is crucial for making informed decisions and investigations.
  
• Telemedicine – Medical professionals may need to go back to previous portions of a patient’s session to make accurate diagnoses or treatment recommendations.

This list highlights the importance of considering the specific requirements of an application when choosing a streaming technology. To address the replay/rewind issue, Bitmovin and Dolby.io collaborated to build a solution to enable these industries and use cases to dramatically improve the playback experience their viewers want and demand.

How we developed it – Dolby.io x Bitmovin Hackathon Project

During Bitmovin’s quarterly Hackathon in August 2023, Bitmovin engineers partnered with the team at Dolby.io to achieve the following objective:

Create a single live video player experience with real-time streaming and full rewind/review capabilities.

What tools did we use?

Bitmovin’s Player enables countless viewers to experience top-quality playback on all devices across the globe. With its rich feature set, streaming services can deliver their unique experience without compromising on quality.  

Bitmovin’s Live Encoder is a resilient live streaming software platform that takes RTMP, SRT, or Zixi inputs and outputs to HLS and DASH for delivery to digital streaming services. Paired with Bitmovin CDN for delivery and storage.

Dolby.io’s Real-time Streaming (formerly Millicast) delivers a WebRTC-based CDN for large-scale streaming that is fast, easy, and reliable for delivering real-time video.

Videon EdgeCaster EZ Encoder is a portable appliance that brings cloud functionality on premises with LiveEdge. In this way, it combines the flexibility of software encoders with the power and reliability of hardware solutions. Regular software updates ensure support for the most advanced features and the latest industry standards.

What did we do?

Workflow diagram showing the source journey from Videon Edgecaster, to Dolby.io & Bitmovin Live Encoder, to Bitmovin Player

Using a Videon Edgecaster to create a dual RTMP output of a live source input, one RTMP output was delivered to Dolby.io’s service to create a real-time WebRTC stream, while the other was delivered to Bitmovin’s Live Encoder to create a standard Live HLS stream.

Dolby.io’s Real-time Streaming service accepts SRT, RTMP, and WHIP/WebRTC, making it easy to convert broadcast-grade streams into WebRTC for sub-second distribution around the globe and at scale.

The stream URLs from both Dolby.io and Bitmovin Live Encoder are now available to the demo page hosting the Bitmovin Player. From here, the player can then choose to load the Dolby.io stream as a WHEP/WebRTC source or the Bitmovin Live Encoder stream as a Live HLS source. 

The Bitmovin Player’s open-source UI framework and extensive developer-friendly APIs allow development teams to create unique experiences. So, for the viewer experience, when the user selects the ‘LIVE’ control in the player UI and moves playback to the live edge, they would be viewing the WHEP/WebRTC source from Dolby.io. The user could then drag the timeline marker backward or use the custom “skip” control configured to timeshift back 30 seconds, in which case they would be viewing the live HLS source from the Bitmovin Live Encoder.

This gives the viewer the option to view their content in real-time with full review capability right back to the beginning of the live session. Additionally, by using Dolby.io’s Simulcasting solution, the viewer experience is always at the highest available quality, with advanced ABR logic working for both sources.

Example of how playback on the Bitmovin Player works with Dolby.io

What’s Next?

At Bitmovin, we are currently evaluating official support for WebRTC in the Bitmovin Player. While we’ve been able to address key playback issues, there is room for improvement and clear steps to elaborate on this very successful skunk-works project with Dolby.io. For example, we did not extend the project to use accurate timing information from the segments (like `prft` boxes) or playlists, so the solution could be more accurate and adaptive in understanding where the live edge of the live HLS stream was in comparison to the live encoding time to correctly synchronize with the real-time WebRTC stream. Using the Bitmovin Live Encoder, we could also extend the solution to include live-to-VOD workflows to allow users to watch the replay of a live event after it has ended or even reuse the content while a live event is still running.

Bitmovin and Dolby.io will continue the alliance to address market needs for live workflows where real-time streaming can provide an opportunity for services to enhance their viewers’ experience.

The post Completing the WebRTC Playback Experience – Enabling Rewind During Real-Time Live Streams appeared first on Bitmovin.

• The benefits of supporting the PS4 far outweigh the negatives
• Bitmovin’s Player’s Web SDK V8 now enables playback on PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 5 (PS5). 
• The main differences between PS4 and PS5 are mainly in the development environment and device capabilities. PS4 only supports PlayReady for DRM and can only play 4K content on PS4 Pro, while PS5 supports both Widevine and PlayReady for DRM and can play 4K on all devices.
• Our previous experience with PS5 integration greatly facilitated our work with the PS4, allowing a faster iteration and more efficient collaboration with Sony.
• Certain features are not supported on PS4, including client-side advertising with Google IMA, tweaking the playback rate during adaptive streaming playback, and CMAF Low Latency.
• As the PS4 is now listed in Bitmovin’s supported and compatible device matrix, we will continue to work closely with Sony to maintain stability and address any additional non-blocking issues.

Let’s get started

Over a year and a half ago, we made our first strides into looking at supporting PlayStation gaming consoles. After evaluating both PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PlayStation 4 (PS4), we prioritized PS5, pushing PS4 to the back burner with no real intention of touching it.

This decision wasn’t just because PS5 is a newer device or due to a lack of interest from our customers for playback support on the PS4. We were well aware that many people are still actively using PS4, but due to device capabilities and certain missing features, we did not find it a fit for V8 of the Bitmovin Player’s Web SDK.

However, a few months later, this changed when Sony released a few updates for the PS4, and it was in a state where we could work on it. We promptly re-evaluated the PS4, gaining a clearer understanding of how it would fit within our supported and compatible devices. Through a thorough investigation, we were able to detail the main differences and similarities between the PS5 and PS4, the known benefits and limitations of the console, and how our Player could support playback on both.

The similarities and differences when developing between the PS4 and PS5

When it comes to the development environment and the possibilities for web launchers and video players, there are some differences between the PS4 and PS5. Still, they are very similar to each other.

The PS4 and PS5 support HDR and HDCP, which are enabled by default on both consoles. The browser engine used on both platforms is WebKit. Both platforms are loaded with the API, which is used as a bridge to native application API, allowing us to get device information such as resolution, PlayStation Network, commerce, system information, etc.

They also support the same streaming protocols (MP4, HLS, DASH) and codecs (H.264 and H.265), CDN integrations, Subtitles, closed captions, and DRM to an extent.

On the PS4, the only supported DRM key system is PlayReady, and you can play 4K content only when on PS4 Pro. On the other hand, PS5 supports both Widevine and PlayReady for DRM and can play 4K on both pro and non-pro devices. PS4’s Pro version also is the only one of the two that supports the AV1 codec.

One of the most significant differences between the PS4 and PS5 is the speed and power of the latter. The PS5’s more modern hardware allows faster processing and better overall performance, resulting in a smoother and more responsive user experience.

For further insight into the differences between PS4 and PS5, their limitations, and supported features, please reach out to Sony via their Partners Portal.

An overview of the devices / device types that the Bitmovin Player enables playback on

How we got here – partnering, Stream Lab, and workarounds

Partnering

Our previous experience integrating the PS5 into our officially supported devices greatly facilitated our work with the PS4. We had a clearer idea of the device’s limitations and how to iterate faster for such a device. Having previously worked with Sony on PS5 integration, our communication was more streamlined, resulting in more efficient collaboration regarding PS4.

As with all platforms by Sony, you will need to enter into a partnership with them to start the development. Doing this will give you more insights into platform limitations and supported features.

Stream Lab

We began testing once we read through the PS4 documentation and familiarized ourselves with the development environment. After manually testing different assets to get an idea of what worked, we ran our automated testing suite.

This entailed running over 1000 system tests (with more added every deployment) covering features such as:

• Timeshifting 
• Adaptive bitrate
• Subtitles 
• DRM and more

As we have access to many older and newer device models, our automated testing cadence lets us see how specific use cases work during playback in real streaming environments, giving us a clear picture of where issues may occur.

Bitmovin has also made a portion of this automated testing publicly available, along with the ability to see how your streams playback on certain devices through one of our latest player features, Stream Lab. You can test it yourself and see how your stream URLs function on different devices today.

Issue Workarounds

We identified some issues and limitations quickly as we experienced them on the PS5, and they were also observed on the PS4, which allowed us to get a couple of easy wins and apply some of the same workarounds.

As we continued testing, we found new issues that were brought to our attention due to the work we’ve done on other devices, and were able to apply workarounds. Since the Bitmovin Player team is used to working on a wide range of supported devices, it means we’ve been able to encounter many unique platform-specific issues over the years, enabling us to know where to look and what may impact different parts of the video workflow, accelerating the testing process. This has helped us expand our workflow knowledge and empower the development teams of streaming platforms that use the Bitmovin Player to reduce their development time significantly across different devices.

We halved the number of failing tests once the first few iterations were complete.

Then we began encountering intriguing underlying video issues for which we could not find workarounds, despite substantial effort. However, with the submission of a few detailed support tickets with reproduction cases to Sony, these issues were resolved.

After the testing, we substantially improved the playback experience with the Bitmovin Player for the PlayStation 4 and have now added it to our compatible device list. We are still planning to continue iterating on the platform for the foreseeable future and enhancing its stability.

Known limitations for specific features and benefits

Limitations

Regarding the player, for the PS4, a few device limitations force us to consider certain features unsupported. Here are the most significant ones:

• Client-side advertising with Google IMA is not supported. However, the Bitmovin Advertising module can achieve the same features, which works as expected.
• Tweaking the playback rate during adaptive streaming playback via the player.setPlaybackSpeed API is disabled internally. This is because it can lead to unpredictable behavior.
• CMAF Low Latency is currently not supported

The list of major limitations that may affect playback is short. For the Bitmovin Player specifically, we can guarantee the functionality of most of our features, ensuring a unique and high-quality viewing experience for users on this device.

The Benefits

For streaming platforms, even with the known limitations, the benefits of supporting PS4 still outway the negatives, as you’ll gain access to:

• Exposure to a considerable active and large user base
• Enablement of the development of interactive features for immersive viewing experiences 
• Consistency between supporting the PS5 and PS4, making it easier on your development team
• Support and tools from either Sony or a player provider like Bitmovin that helps streamline the development process
• Monetization methods that enable platforms to earn from their content
• The PlayStation’s ecosystem, which ensures PS4 and PS5 are worth supporting since they have the most users 

How the PS4 is set for the Bitmovin Player

The PS4 is a great console to support, and for streaming platforms looking to engage viewers on it, we see it as a worthwhile expansion to reach a larger audience. It has been added to our matrix of supported devices as a compatible device, and it is included in our nightly runs to ensure close monitoring. We will continue to work closely with Sony to maintain the device’s stability and iterate on some additional non-blocking issues we discovered. 

If you want more information on setting up the Bitmovin Player on the PS4, check out our PS4 getting started guide.

Also, if you’d like to see how Bitmovin’s solution stack can benefit your streaming workflow – sign up for our 30-day free trial.

The post Streaming Video on the PlayStation 4 (PS4): Our Approach to Supporting it with the Bitmovin Player appeared first on Bitmovin.

This page provides digital content creators with everything they need to understand how DRM works today to protect video content from unauthorized users.

As the digital media landscape evolves, challenging copyright laws and threatening intellectual property like never before, DRM solutions play an increasingly vital role in protecting copyright infringement of digital assets.

Start at the beginning, or use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant chapter:

What is Digital Rights Management?

The meaning of DRM

Digital Rights Management refers to the algorithms and processes that were created to enforce copyright compliance when consuming digital content.

Without DRM, your content can be easily copied by the end-user. A process typically referred to as pirating.

It is, therefore, necessary in an online video distribution architecture, but it is not visible to the consumer.

DRM is also used offline to provide the copyright holder with protection for CDs, DVDs, and BluRays.

The benefits of digital rights management

The necessity for streaming capabilities amongst the media industry and video content distributors at large is at an all-time high.

Consumers and developers are racing to find and distribute the best content at their disposal.

Unfortunately, this high demand for video content is often undermined by a lack of security around original digital assets.

As a result, creators and distributors are finding themselves in positions where they need to protect themselves and their copyrighted material from unauthorized users; enter DRM technologies.

How DRM works to protect streaming services

Currently, Digital Rights Management can be implemented as both a software and/or hardware solution; and in most instances it’s implemented as a combination of both.

Regardless of DRM hardware or software implementation types, all providers seeking to protect their digital content will see their files pass through an encryption & decryption cycle.

Here’s an example of that process:

The Encryption Cycle

To begin the “security” cycle, communications between the requesting encoding software and the licence server are encrypted.

Each segment is encrypted according to the MPEG Common Encryption (CENC) specification for ISO-BMFF.

What is ISO-BMFF?

ISO-BMFF is a standardized file format and serves as a container for audio and video content. A well-known implementation of ISO-BMFF (and often used synonymously with it) is the MP4 or fragmented MP4 (fMP4) file format. In the DRM workflow, the multimedia content is encrypted and the ISO-BMFF container is enhanced by DRM-specific metadata and encryption algorithms.

DRM systems utilize ISO-BMFF to store and transport encrypted media data, and enables the association with a DRM license. When users attempt to access the protected media, the DRM system verifies if the user is allowed to based on the associated license.

In short, it enables secure storage, delivery, and control of digital media within DRM frameworks.

Segments can either be fully encrypted, or partially encrypted, where only some frames, or even only parts of frames are encrypted.

The MPEG-CENC standard defines how a segment is encrypted and maps which decryption key needs to be used for which segment (or parts of it) by associating a key id to it. MPEG-CENC is used for DASH and HLS streams if the segments are in the fMP4 container format.

Standard content encryption is done using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm, using 128-bit keys. Depending on the DRM system being used, it is either used in the Counter (CTR) or the Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode.

These two modes differentiate how a payload is encrypted.

It’s important to note that only the raw audio and video data within a segment is encrypted, but the metadata added in the container is not.

There are three main DRM providers: Google Widevine, Apple FairPlay, and Microsoft Playready.

Their application can vary greatly based on many unique factors – having to select a provider that matches the content distributor’s delivery & playback needs (based on which devices are supported) can introduce a lot of complexity to the DRM implementation process.

In order to improve security and decrease the risk of reverse engineering DRM systems, there are typically no clear log messages.

In fact, parts of the process are treated as a black box – and as a result, debugging can be even harder on devices (for example SmartTVs or Set-Top Boxes) with older versions of DRM software.

In the browser or operating system, the content will then be decrypted by a Content Decryption Module (CDM), which decrypts each encrypted audio and video segment.

The Decryption Cycle

When a web player identifies DRM-protected content, it calls on processes and interfaces defined by Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), which are used in browsers to initiate a license request process.

The EME is used to interface with the Content Decryption Module (CDM) that is implemented in the browser and may or may not rely on operating system features like HDCP.

When DRM protected content is played back, license requests are generated by the CDM and passed to the player through the EME.

All of the decryption work is done by the CDM. Crucially, the decrypted content stays within the  CDM – it is not, and must not be, accessible to the playback software as otherwise it would be possible to create decrypted copies of the content.

In order to playback protected content, upon detecting that the content is protected, the player or playback software issues a license request to the licensing server.

If the license is cached locally, this request can be skipped and the cached license can be used instead.

The license request sent by the player of playback software always includes metadata that uniquely identifies the content being played back, and the format of that metadata depends on the used DRM solution.

This DRM metadata can be contained either in the manifest (like MPEG-DASH or embedded in HLS), in a player’s configuration, or within the individual segments.

Although it is not a requirement, the request typically includes additional data from the requesting device, like an ID that can be used to uniquely identify it.

If all mandatory information is provided, the server may grant a license to the player or playback software with the decryption keys necessary to allow secure playback of the requested content on the client. 

The returned license agreement may include information about the content’s required decryption security level, for example: decrypting content using software is significantly less secure than decrypting over hardware. 

From the perspective of the player – the license acquisition using the EME starts from the playback client creating a so-called key session. Using that key session and the DRM metadata taken from the segments, manifest or other sources, the player starts the license request process using the EME.

The CDM then generates a signed key message which is sent to the license server by the player or payback software.

The license server returns the requested license – with the resulting decision of whether or not the client is granted playback rights to the requested content; if not, playback is halted and an error is shown. 

Alternatively, the license server can also determine, that e.g. the player is only allowed to play back SD representations of the content.

If the license request was successful, the client updates the key session with the returned license. 

The content decryption is then handled fully by the CDM. 

In some circumstances, the license is cached for a set time and can be used to playback protected content offline (ex: Netflix). 

The workflow is very similar for non-Web platforms, such as native Android, iOS, or tvOS apps. Each platform has their own set of APIs, similar to the EME on Web, to interact with the underlying, integrated CDM.

The license and the decrypted data must not be accessible to clients other than the licensed content user. 

Therefore, the private keys and decrypted data are kept in a secure environment within the browser, operating system, or even hardware (if supported), like Trusted Execution Environments.

The usage of different container formats, like fMP4 and MPEG-2 TS, made it hard to distribute the same content across all platforms. 

However, the rapid adoption of CMAF and the standardization of CENC across hardware manufacturers and software developers are reducing the complexity of implementation for the industry. 

Although CMAF and CENC still allow AES CTR and AES CBC usage, DRM providers are gradually converging towards the use of AES CBC.

DRM Technologies in use today

Here are some of the most common DRM technologies :

Apple Fairplay: Cipher Block Chaining encryption, the only option for Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, and for the Safari browser, and is also used by iTunes. 

Widevine: Developed by Widevine Technologies, bought by Google. Used on Android Devices natively, in Chrome, Edge, Roku, Smart TVs. Widevine uses protobuf format for metadata.

Microsoft PlayReady: Developed and maintained by Microsoft. Supported on Windows, XBox gaming consoles, most set-top boxes and TVs, uses XML-based WRMHEADER tag objects as metadata format.

Additional DRM vendors can be seen in Irdeto’s graphic below:

This segmented market of DRM providers is equally represented by a highly fragmented application. 

The following graph from the latest Bitmovin Video Developer Report shows the current distribution in the application of DRM systems within the video developer community:

Preventing copyrighted content being copied from other rights-holders

Suppose you are hosting an online video on demand platform that can be used to watch all kinds of different Hollywood movies. The right holder of the content you’re distributing wouldn’t want your users to be able to just create copies of that content.

The provider of the platform may therefore be contractually required to use some form of content protection to honor the rights of the content right holder.

This is often the case for broadcasters that not only host their own content, but for example live TV or other movies or series. DRM systems can be used to protect the content from being copied by the users of that service illicitly.

Choosing the best DRM services 

There are a number of options when looking to control access to your digital content, restricting it only authorized users. When we asked our video developer community how they were implementing digital rights management into their workflow, 52% said they were using a commercial DRM provider:

DRM provider’s offer solutions and services to content creators, publishers, and distributors. 

They specialize in developing and implementing technologies, tools, and systems that enable the protection, distribution, and management of your digital content. They also ensure compliance with licensing terms and copyright laws. 

Solutions like encryption, access control, license management, content protection, and monitoring can all be provided by a good DRM partner. 

Choosing a DRM provider

There are a number of high quality partners out there. So make sure that the one you choose covers all of the bases when it comes to DRM. 

A typical suite of services will look something like this: 

DRM System Integration: DRM providers integrate their technologies into existing content distribution platforms, websites, or streaming platforms, enabling seamless DRM functionality and protection for digital content.

Content Encryption: Encryption solutions safeguard digital content from unauthorized users and online piracy. A good partner will apply robust encryption algorithms to protect your content during storage, transmission, and playback.

License Management: License management systems handle the creation, issuance, and management of DRM licenses. These systems ensure that users have the necessary permissions and rights to access your protected content.

Rights Enforcement: These mechanisms enforce usage rights defined by DRM licenses. This may involve restricting the number of devices on which your content can be accessed, enforcing time-limited access, or controlling the ability to copy or share content.

Analytics and Monitoring: DRM providers offer analytics and monitoring tools to track content usage, detect potential breaches, and gather insights into user behavior.

Recommended DRM providers from our partner network

Irdeto

Irdeto is a global industry leader in digital platform security, catering to businesses in video entertainment, video games, connected transport, and IoT connected industries. They empower customers to safeguard their revenue, innovate with new offerings, and combat cybercrime effectively. 

With 50 years of security expertise, Irdeto currently protects over 5 billion devices and applications for renowned brands worldwide. Their stated mission is to create a secure future, enabling people to embrace connectivity without compromising on safety and trust.

NAGRA

NAGRA, the digital TV division of the Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S), specializes in offering comprehensive security and multiscreen user experience solutions for the monetization of digital media. 

Their expertise lies in equipping prominent content providers and digital TV operators across the globe with secure, open, and seamlessly integrated platforms and applications for broadcast, broadband, and mobile platforms.H4: Verimatrix

Verimatrix

Verimatrix stands as a global provider of trusted security and analytics solutions, dedicated to safeguarding devices, services, and applications across a wide range of markets.

Countless service providers and industry innovators place their trust in Verimatrix to protect the essential systems that people rely on every single day. 

Verimatrix offers user-friendly software solutions, cloud services, and advanced silicon IP, ensuring robust security measures and empowering businesses with valuable insights and intelligence.

PallyCon

PallyCon, powered by INKA ENTWORKS, is a pioneering industry leader providing the first cloud-based SaaS solution for comprehensive content security.

Their end-to-end solution encompasses a wide range of features including Multi DRM, Forensic watermarking, Visible watermarking, Anti screen capture, Anti-piracy services, and App security, all seamlessly integrated into a single workflow. 

With over 20 years’ of experience in content security, PallyCon empowers customers to safeguard their revenue with a scalable, globally accessible, reliable, and cost-effective solution.

Intertrust ExpressPlay

Intertrust ExpressPlay provides a suite of protection and anti-piracy services designed for rights owners and distributors of both live and VOD content. 

Their cloud-based ExpressPlay Media Security Suite offers solutions such as the ExpressPlay multi-DRM service, ExpressPlay XCA broadcast security solution, and ExpressPlay Anti-Piracy and Watermarking services. 

They are known for their scalability and are trusted by major OTT streaming platforms worldwide. Additionally, ExpressPlay DRM Offline ensures secure streaming of premium content through an offline multi-DRM platform.

EZDRM

EZDRM is an expert in Digital Rights Management as a Service (DRMaaS), providing all-in-one solutions for safeguarding and monetizing video content. They have been around since 2001. 

They use a hosted and managed multi-DRM offering designed to simplify the support for live, on-demand, downloadable, and offline video delivery services. They are very flexible when it comes to accommodating various business models. 

Their Universal DRM combines Google’s Widevine and Microsoft’s PlayReady using Common Encryption (CENC) over DASH, alongside EZDRM’s Apple FairPlay Streaming. 

BuyDRM

BuyDRM is a prominent provider of Content Security Services, catering to industries such as entertainment, education, enterprise, and hospitality. 

Operating under OVHcloud, BuyDRM’s KeyOS content security platform is used widely by well-known brands in the media and technology sectors. 

They are very experienced at implementing commercial content security solutions and media technologies and have a good track record with major brands including ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), AMPAS (The Academy), Blizzard Entertainment, Cinedigm, Crackle, Crunchyroll, Daily Rounds, Deluxe Digital, EPIX, FuboTV, POPS Worldwide, Rakuten Viki, Redbox, SBS Belgium, Sinclair Digital, and Zee5.Crunchyroll, Daily Rounds, Deluxe Digital, EPIX, FuboTV, POPS Worldwide, Rakuten Viki, Redbox, SBS Belgium, Sinclair Digital, and Zee5.

Axinom

Axinom is a well-known provider of digital solutions, catering to major brands in the media and entertainment industry. 

Their OTT portfolio encompasses content management (CMS), DRM, and pre-built reference applications (Apps) for on-demand, live event, and live linear content. 

Axinom can deliver a comprehensive solution that covers the entire workflow, from video acquisition to delivery across various devices such as HTML5, iOS, Android, Windows 10, Xbox, set-top boxes, and Smart TVs. 

Axinom’s focus is on building the next generation of OTT video solutions that ensure a swift time-to-market.

Friend MTS

Friend MTS is a trusted provider of content security solutions for media and entertainment companies. 

Their advanced services encompass comprehensive measurement, monitoring, detection, and disabling of content piracy. By offering a holistic approach to combating online piracy, Friend MTS provides businesses with a clear understanding of the constantly evolving piracy landscape. 

They proactively stay ahead of sophisticated online piracy behavior and technologies, ensuring that revenue can grow and creativity can flourish in a secure environment.

DRM Case Study: fuboTV Enhances Viewer Experience and Content Security with DRM Integration

Client Background

fuboTV, a prominent Live Sport OTT provider with over 65 channels, competes with traditional pay TV offerings by streaming highly demanded sports content. In an intensely competitive marketplace, fuboTV prioritizes delivering a high-quality viewing experience to retain their valued viewers.

Challenge

To safeguard their valuable content and maintain superior streaming quality, fuboTV recognized the critical need for robust DRM solutions. Their objectives included implementing DRM technologies, managing encryption key initialization, protecting content across multiple IP addresses, and ensuring seamless playback regardless of the number of times viewers accessed the content.

Solution

fuboTV partnered with Bitmovin, a leading video technology company, to address their DRM requirements comprehensively. Bitmovin provided a cross-platform Video Player, cloud-based encoding, and encryption services through the Bitmovin Encoding Service. The integration involved utilizing BuyDRM’s KeyOS Encryption Key API for encryption key initialization and the KeyOS MultiKey multi-DRM service for content protection. To securely deliver content across nine Showtime channels, fuboTV leveraged Zixi Feeder technology.

Collaboration and Implementation

The collaboration between fuboTV and Bitmovin was characterized by close cooperation and efficient communication from the first time their development teams came together.

Bitmovin’s engineering team seamlessly integrated with fuboTV’s internal team, resulting in streamlined workflows and rapid implementation. The use of Bitmovin’s Video Player provided unparalleled control and flexibility, surpassing competing players in the market. With careful attention to detail, the implementation ensured a significant improvement in user experience compared to the previous player used by fuboTV.

fuboTV Testimonial

Through the successful integration of DRM solutions provided by Bitmovin and BuyDRM, fuboTV significantly improved the viewer experience, ensured robust content security across multiple IP addresses, and addressed the challenge of initializing encryption keys. Moreover, the implementation enabled seamless playback, regardless of the number of times viewers accessed the content.

“Bitmovin’s engineering team has been great to work with. We were able to rely on them to become an extension of our engineering team. Bitmovin gives us greater control over the player than any other player in the market. We were able to get our implementation to production with markedly better experience than our previous player. We’re looking forward to exploring more ways to work together.

– Sung Ho Choi (Co-founder, fuboTV)

Source

As a result, fuboTV strengthened their position in the OTT market and continued to deliver exceptional sports streaming services to their loyal audience.

Conclusion

Clearly, digital rights management is a complex subject with no one-size-fits-all approach. But it is an essential part of the video workflow for anyone looking to protect or monetize their digital video content. It’s an area of continuous development as those intent on piracy look for new ways to circumvent your content protection for their own gain.

Fortunately, Bitmovin has the experience, expertise, technology and network of partners to keep you several steps ahead. Get in touch with us to discuss your specific requirements and let us do some of the heavy lifting when it comes to DRM.

Originally published June 2019, this blog was updated July 2023 with the latest information.

DRM FAQS – Commonly Asked Questions About Digital Rights Management 

How does a DRM work?

DRM prevents unauthorized use of works by encrypting the segments of a stream so that they can not be played back without acquiring an authentication license first.

Who uses DRM?

DRM is widely used across various industries to protect digital content from unauthorized copying and distribution. Industries such as media and entertainment, gaming, publishing, software, education, and government agencies rely on DRM to safeguard their content and intellectual property rights.

What still uses DRM?

DRM is used in almost all major online video platforms, but also on CDs, DVDs or BluRay Discs.

Does Netflix use DRM?

Yes, Netflix uses DRM, most likely Widevine, PlayReady and Fairplay.

What does DRM mean?

DRM stands for Digital Rights Management.

What is an example of DRM?

One example of DRM is the copy protection used on DVDs or the protection used by Netflix.

What is DRM licensing?

DRM licensing refers to the process of obtaining licenses from DRM (Digital Rights Management) providers to utilize their technology and services for digital content protection and distribution.

What is the problem with DRM Software?

DRM (Digital Rights Management) has faced criticism due to concerns around restrictions on user rights and limiting the ability to enjoy purchased content. It can lead to compatibility issues and vendor lock-in, limiting user choices. Digital rights management systems can also become obsolete, making it difficult to access purchased content in the future. Balancing the need for content protection with user rights and freedoms remains a challenge in the ongoing DRM discussion.

What is DRM technology used for?

Digital Rights Management technology is used to prevent content from being multiplied without the permission of the content’s right holder.

What are the pros and cons of DRM?

DRM systems can be used to prevent unauthorized copying of protected content. But it adds additional complexity in the encoding, distribution and playback of the content.

How do you get DRM?

DRM workflows are usually implemented in the encoding process.

What are some reasons why DRM is not effective?

DRM systems usually require some hardware support. If those DRM systems are implemented in hardware, and that hardware cannot easily be updated, once a system is broken, it can’t easily be patched. This is why you can easily copy a DVD nowadays. As web based players must be online to function, and can therefore usually be updated easily, that is not a big concern for video playback on the web.

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