Question

I’m trying to understand the "chunked" aspect of HTTP Live Streaming a static video file to an iOS device. Where does the chunking of the video file happen?

Edit: from reading HTTP LIve Streaming and a bit more of https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-07 it sounds like the video file is split into .ts segments on the server. Or the m3u8 playlists can specify byte offsets into the file (apparently using EXT-X-BYTERANGE).

Here’s what I understand of this process after reading Apple’s HLS description and https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-pantos-http-live-streaming-07:

• A static file lives on my server. It has the proper audio/video encoding (H.264 and AAC).
• I’ll pass an m3u8 playlist to the media player (MPMoviePlayer or similar) in my app.
• The app will "reload the index" during media playback. In other words the app will request additional segments to play.
• each 10 second segment is in an MPEG Transport Stream container.

My understanding of this process is incomplete (and perhaps incorrect). Any additional info is much appreciated.

Answer 1

What are you asking for?? Info???
-The app is not reloading the index but playing it… using the M3U8 file that switches the correct encoded file. That way you only have to make a connection between the mediaPlayer and the “Manifest File” for example…

NSURL    *fileURL    =   [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://techxvweb.fr/html5/AppleOutput/2012-03-10-j23-dax-smr-mt1-m3u8-aapl.ism/manifest(format=m3u8-aapl)"];
moviePlayerController = [[MPMoviePlayerController alloc] initWithContentURL:fileURL];
/* Inset the movie frame in the parent view frame. */
CGRect viewInsetRect = CGRectInset ([self.view bounds],0.0, 0.0 );
[[moviePlayerController view] setFrame: viewInsetRect ];
[self.view addSubview:moviePlayerController.view];
[moviePlayerController play];

where the NSUrl is the url to your manifestFile… note that I’m adding:

/manifest(format=m3u8-aapl)

to the original manifest file, what parses the “ISM” file to the correct M3U8 syntax

   NSURL    *fileURL    =   [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://techxvweb.fr/html5/AppleOutput/2012-03-10-j23-dax-smr-mt1-m3u8-aapl.ism/manifest(format=m3u8-aapl)"];