The Fundamentals of Online Video

Live video is a constant trade-off between latency, stability, and scalability. Learn the fundamentals of HLS and how to build a robust, end-to-end streaming pipeline.

#1about 4 minutes

Understanding the new demand for online video

The COVID-19 pandemic forced sectors like fitness, e-learning, and virtual events to adopt video streaming to continue operating.

#2about 3 minutes

Choosing the right video platform for your application

Compare different approaches for integrating video, including social media platforms, traditional OVPs, developer-focused video APIs, and a complete DIY solution.

#3about 4 minutes

The four core components of a video service

A video streaming service is broken down into four essential stages: capture, processing, delivery, and playback.

#4about 4 minutes

How adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming works

Adaptive bitrate streaming solves bandwidth fluctuation issues by encoding video into multiple quality levels and segmenting them for dynamic playback.

#5about 3 minutes

Demo: Inspecting an HLS stream in the browser

Use browser developer tools to inspect the network requests for an HLS stream, revealing the M3U8 manifest and individual TS video segments.

#6about 8 minutes

Setting up a live stream with OBS and Mux

Configure the open-source OBS software for video capture and use the Mux API to create a live stream endpoint and obtain a stream key.

#7about 5 minutes

Creating a professional live coding layout in OBS

Enhance your stream's visual presentation by creating a custom scene in OBS that combines a webcam feed, screen capture, and graphic overlays.

#8about 8 minutes

Live coding a web video player with HLS.js

Embed a live stream into a webpage using a standard HTML video element and HLS.js, including logic to fall back to native HLS support where available.

#9about 5 minutes

Exploring advanced live streaming features

Go beyond basic streaming by enabling features like instant on-demand replays, MP4 downloads, reduced latency, social media simulcasting, and watermarks.

#10about 5 minutes

Q&A: Streaming directly from a web browser

Learn how to stream from a browser by bridging WebRTC or WebSocket video into an RTMP feed using a server-side tool like FFmpeg.

#11about 5 minutes

Q&A: Latency versus reliability in video streaming

Understand the trade-offs between latency and reliability, and explore the evolution of low-latency HLS and DASH standards for near real-time delivery.

#12about 6 minutes

Q&A: GDPR compliance and video security

Address privacy concerns by understanding how a video platform can be GDPR compliant by not storing PII, and compare security methods like signed URLs versus DRM.