Six tips for optimal live video delivery

Live streams are increasingly in demand.Despite advances in video streaming technology, delivering high-quality live video is still a challenge for providers. In Akamai's experience, the key to success is to ensure the best possible video quality at all stages of the workflow, whether broadcasting global or local events, and interest in online video - whether live streaming or video on demand - continues to grow. This year's major international sporting events in particular attracted significantly more viewers to the screen than on-demand videos. Firstly, viewers expect live videos to be presented in television quality and secondly, they expect the broadcast to offer the interaction and personalization options they are accustomed to on the Internet. These high expectations are putting TV broadcasters, OTT specialists and telecommunications companies under increasing pressure. Akamai Technologies uses six best practices to illustrate how providers can ensure high quality.1. start planning at an early stage.In order to provide high-quality live online videos, providers have to plan the quality long before the first byte is transmitted. This applies to both major sporting and musical events. Planning covers four areas: firstly, an estimate of the potential number of viewers; secondly, consideration of the devices used by viewers; thirdly, a calculation of peak times; fourthly, the development of a plan for the reliability of all components during delivery.2. use fast capture technologies.Quality starts with the capture. Providers should ensure that the capture points of the live stream are as close as possible to the encoders. To ensure an optimal viewer experience, video streams should be dynamically and automatically assigned to capture points. A CDN should support any media format. This reduces operational complexity and the risk of errors. Hybrid HTTP/UDP (User Datagram Protocol) capture combines the reliability and stability of TCP with the higher bit rates of UDP and enables fast capture.3. implement security measures for the transmission.The delivery of online videos also repeatedly attracts hackers who can tap into live streams; targets include pay-per-view events, for example. For some time now, movie and music piracy has shifted from file sharing and downloads to video streams. As the protection of video streams is of great importance, providers should use SSL encryption on the "first mile" so that hackers cannot access the content. In addition, the appropriate DRM technology should be used for the devices to which the content is delivered, for example FairPlay Streaming for iOS devices.4. technically secure cooperation with advertising partners.Another challenge is posed by video streams, some of which consist of advertising messages from third parties. This can lead to further complexities and new sources of error at the transfer points. By integrating advertising clips on the server side and combining them in the streaming workflow as services of the CDN provider, TV broadcasters, for example, have the opportunity to deliver revenue-relevant and high-quality advertising to a large number of viewers.5. support adaptive bit rates.A CDN should be able to support streaming with adaptive bit rates (ABR) to ensure the highest quality playback in fixed and mobile networks and at different connection speeds. In addition, the CDN should be able to handle a wide range of streaming formats: HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) for iOS devices; HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) for devices running an Adobe AIR runtime; Microsoft Smooth Streaming (MSS) for devices running Microsoft Silverlight; and Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH).6. measure transmission quality during a live event.In order to ensure consistently high quality, providers of live video should measure and evaluate the entire workflow, from planning, capture and feed through to transcoding and delivery to the devices. By analyzing data directly, buffer times or problems with bitrate quality, for example, can be identified and rectified very quickly. In addition, providers receive important information for planning future major sporting or musical events.