A streaming protocol that enables high-quality media delivery over the internet. Developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), it was published as an international standard in 2011. Like HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), DASH breaks media content into smaller chunks and delivers them via HTTP. Its key feature is adaptiveness, dynamically adjusting the quality of the streamed content based on the viewer’s network conditions and device capabilities. This ensures smooth and uninterrupted playback.
How DASH Works
DASH works by breaking media content into a sequence of small segments. Each segment contains a short interval of playback time. The content is made available at various bit rates, with alternative segments encoded at different bit rates covering aligned short intervals of playback time. While the content is being played back by a DASH client, the client uses a bit rate adaptation (ABR) algorithm to automatically select the segment with the highest possible quality that can be delivered without buffering.
- Bit rate adaptation (ABR): The algorithm that automatically selects the segment with the highest possible quality that can be delivered without buffering.
- Codec-agnostic: DASH can work with various audio and video codecs, allowing content providers to choose the codecs that best suit their needs.
Advantages of DASH
DASH offers several advantages for media streaming:
- Adaptiveness: Dynamically adjusts the quality of the streamed content based on the viewer’s network conditions and device capabilities.
- Wide support: Supported across various platforms and devices, making it a popular choice for media streaming on the internet.
- Codec flexibility: Works with various audio and video codecs, allowing content providers to choose the codecs that best suit their needs.
