HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is a streaming protocol used to deliver video and audio content over the internet. It is a popular choice for streaming video on mobile devices and desktop computers due to its adaptive bitrate streaming technology, which adjusts the quality of the video stream in real-time based on the viewer's internet connection speed. HLS breaks down video content into small segments, typically around 10 seconds long, and serves these segments over HTTP. This makes it easy to deliver the content to a wide range of devices and networks, as HTTP is supported by nearly all internet-connected devices. Additionally, HLS is compatible with many different types of content delivery networks (CDNs), making it a flexible and scalable solution for video delivery.
There are several resources available for learning more about HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) and how to implement it:
Apple Developer Documentation: Apple developed HLS and provides extensive documentation on the protocol, including guidelines for encoding and delivering HLS content. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/http_live_streaming
VideoJS HLS Library: VideoJS is a popular open-source HTML5 video player that provides support for HLS and other video formats. The library can be used to easily embed HLS video into web pages. https://videojs.com/plugins/videojs-hls-vhs/
HTTP Live Streaming on Wikipedia: The Wikipedia page for HLS provides a detailed overview of the protocol, including its history, technical specifications, and use cases. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming
HTTP Live Streaming Tools: There are many tools available for creating and testing HLS content, including encoding tools, segmenters, and player libraries. A comprehensive list of HLS tools can be found on the HLS Github repository. https://github.com/apple/http-live-streaming
HLS Demos and Examples: There are many demo pages and code examples available that showcase how HLS works and how to implement it. A good starting point is the demo page provided by the VideoJS library. https://videojs.github.io/videojs-contrib-hls/