HLS

HTTP Live Streaming

A widely used adaptive streaming protocol developed by Apple Inc. It is designed for reliable streaming of media content, such as video and audio, over the internet. HLS works by breaking the media into smaller chunks and delivering them to the user’s device via HTTP.

The key feature of HLS is its adaptiveness, which means that it can dynamically adjust the quality of the streamed content based on the viewer’s network conditions and device capabilities. This ensures a smooth and uninterrupted playback experience, even in situations where network conditions might be unstable or bandwidth is limited.

HLS supports multiple quality levels (also called bitrates) for the same content. The user’s device can switch between these quality levels during playback to provide the best possible viewing experience based on the current network conditions. For example, if the network speed decreases, the device may switch to a lower-quality stream to avoid buffering, and if the network speed improves, it may switch back to a higher-quality stream.

HLS is widely supported across various platforms and devices, including iOS, Android, macOS, and many smart TVs, making it a popular choice for media streaming on the internet.