Overcoming the challenges of HTTP ABR Streaming

Live Streaming CDN: HTTP adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming is a technology that can be used to deliver premium live OTT video content to a large number of different device types and networks. But it also introduces new challenges: Bandwidth and Latency.

HTTP ABR is by nature a unicast technology, i.e. each viewer receives a unique stream. As a result, the bandwidth in the networks will increase with each additional viewer, resulting in a bandwidth explosion if not properly managed. This is in contrast with traditional broadcast methods, where the same signal is sent to all viewers and the network bandwidth is not affected by the number of viewers.

The good news is that if your video distribution network is properly designed it can cost-effectively deliver big live events to large audiences using the same HTTP ABR technology used for on-demand streams. This whitepaper looks at these challenges and how to address them. It answers questions like:

• What are the best strategies for managing the bandwidth explosion of an HTTP ABR service?
• Is IP multicast a viable option for HTTP streaming?
• What causes latency, and how can it be minimized?