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Why RTMP is the Backbone of HLS-Based Streaming

Why RTMP is the Backbone of HLS-Based Streaming

In the world of live streaming, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) has long been a cornerstone for delivering high-quality, low-latency streams. While HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) has taken over as the standard for playback on modern devices, RTMP remains indispensable for ingesting live video feeds. This article delves into why RTMP is still the backbone of HLS-based streaming workflows and compares the tools that make this combination so effective.

RTMP: A Proven Performer

RTMP was developed to provide a low-latency, high-quality streaming solution. Its ability to quickly transmit data made it the protocol of choice for real-time interactions like video chats and live broadcasts in the early 2000s. Although RTMP has lost its direct playback capabilities on modern browsers due to the decline of Flash, it continues to excel as an input protocol for streaming servers like NGINX and Wowza.

Take the story of a small startup in Southeast Asia, which used NGINX RTMP to build a cost-effective live streaming platform. They began with basic RTMP setups and later expanded to include HLS for playback. RTMP’s reliability during the ingestion phase ensured seamless live streaming, even as their audience grew to tens of thousands.

How HLS and RTMP Work Together

HLS is widely adopted for its compatibility and adaptability. By breaking video into small chunks and delivering them via HTTP, it ensures smooth playback on diverse devices. However, the process of creating and buffering these chunks introduces latency, which is where RTMP comes in.

In a typical workflow:

  1. RTMP captures and transmits live video to a server.
  2. The server processes the stream and converts it to HLS.
  3. Viewers access the HLS stream on their devices, benefiting from its high compatibility.

This division of labor allows broadcasters to leverage RTMP’s low-latency ingestion and HLS’s adaptive playback capabilities.

Comparing Tools: NGINX vs. Wowza

Both NGINX and Wowza are popular choices for managing RTMP and HLS workflows. Here’s how they compare:

FeatureNGINX RTMPWowza RTMP
CostFreePaid
ScalabilityHighHigh
SupportCommunity-drivenProfessional-grade
Additional FeaturesLimited to RTMP/HLSAdvanced analytics, DRM

While NGINX is a lightweight, open-source solution that works well for small-to-medium setups, Wowza offers enterprise-grade features like digital rights management (DRM) and advanced analytics, justifying its higher cost for larger-scale operations.

RTMP’s Role in Broadcasting

RTMP’s utility isn’t limited to live streaming. It plays a significant role in professional broadcasting setups, particularly for TV channels and large-scale events. For example:

  • A European TV station uses RTMP to ingest live feeds from remote correspondents, which are then converted to HLS for nationwide distribution.
  • An international music festival streams performances globally using a Wowza-based RTMP-to-HLS workflow.

These examples highlight RTMP’s robustness in handling real-time inputs while ensuring high-quality delivery via HLS.

Advantages of RTMP-HLS Workflows

The RTMP-to-HLS workflow combines the best of both worlds:

  • Low Latency: RTMP ensures minimal delay during ingestion.
  • Wide Compatibility: HLS supports playback on virtually all devices.
  • Scalability: Servers like NGINX and Wowza handle increased traffic with ease.

Overcoming Challenges

One of the challenges with this workflow is HLS’s initial latency. While not ideal for scenarios like sports betting, it’s perfectly suitable for applications where a few seconds of delay are acceptable, such as live concerts, corporate events, and TV broadcasts.

Broadcasters are also adopting low-latency HLS (LL-HLS) to reduce delays further. A gaming company in North America, for instance, managed to lower their HLS stream’s latency from 10 seconds to under 3 seconds by integrating LL-HLS with their RTMP workflow.

The Future of RTMP and HLS

While new protocols like WebRTC are gaining traction for ultra-low latency streaming, RTMP and HLS remain industry standards for their balance of performance, scalability, and accessibility. As streaming technology evolves, these protocols will likely continue to play complementary roles in delivering seamless live experiences.

Conclusion

RTMP’s enduring relevance lies in its ability to reliably ingest live streams with minimal delay. Paired with HLS, it forms a robust workflow that meets the needs of modern broadcasters. Whether you’re a small streamer or a major broadcaster, understanding and leveraging the strengths of RTMP and HLS can elevate your live streaming game.


Hashtags: #StreamingBackbone #RTMPIntegration #HLSForStreaming #WowzaVsNGINX #TechStreaming

Which is better for live streaming, RTMP vs HLS vs WebRTC?

It depends according to your streaming project.

If latency is not very critical and 8–10 seconds latency is acceptable, HLS will be the best in terms of scalability and quality.
If latency is critical, the solution may be WebRTC(0.5 – 1.0 sec) or RTMP(2–3 secs)
WebRTC is supported by browser natively and there are some WebRTC media servers. Nevertheless, it is a new technology.
RTMP is not played natively on browsers. It requires flash plugin to play and flash support isn’t available on mobile browsers and its desktop support will end. Although, RTMP is old and mature technology.
I am a developer for Ant Media Server which is open source and free media server supports WebRTC , RTMP and HLS streaming solutions. There are also other solutions on the market like rtmp Wowza, Red5pro, Kurento, etc.

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Wowza Media Server vs Adobe Flash Media Server

Hosting Marketers will start this week offering Wowza Media server as an addon to the current hosting packages with red5, with a low cost fee of $15 a month extra from the hosting plan selected by the customer we offer a first class Media server far superior to red5 and adobe flash media server. Below is a comparison guide between Wowza and Flash Media Server.

Please visit Hosting Marketers for more information, and check our fantastic Wowza Hosting packages.

Server Pricing and Licensing Wowza Media
Server 3
Adobe
FMIS 4.5
Adobe
FMSS 4.5
30-Day Trial License FREE Not Available Not Available
Monthly License $55/server/mo Not Available Not Available
Daily License $5/server/day Not Available Not Available
Perpetual License $995 $4,500 $995
Use on Amazon EC2 Yes Yes Not Available
Developer License FREE FREE FREE

Available Platform Components
Integrated Live Transcoder Yes* No No
Multi-protocol nDVR Yes* Partial No
Multi-platform DRM Yes* Partial No

* Extra cost option

Multi-Protocol, Multi-Client Streaming
Flash (RTMP) Yes Yes Yes
Flash (HTTP Streaming) Yes Yes Yes
iPhone/iPad (HTTP Streaming) Yes Yes No
Silverlight (Smooth Streaming) Yes No No
QuickTime/3GPP (RTSP/RTP) Yes No No
IPTV (MPEG-TS) Yes No No

Inbound Live Encoder Support
RTMP (Flash & H.264/AAC) Yes Yes Yes
RTSP/RTP/MPEG-TS (H.264/AAC; unicast, multicast, TCP, UDP) Yes No No
ICY (MP3/AAC; SHOUTcast/icecast) Yes No No

Multiple Server Streaming
Live Stream Repeater Origin-Edge Functionality Included Included No
On-demand Dynamic Media Caching (Edge) Included Included No

Supported Platforms
Windows Yes Yes Yes
Mac OS X Yes No No
Linux Yes Limited Limited
Solaris Yes No No
Unix Yes No No
64-bit Support Yes – all platforms No No
IPv6 Support Yes No No

Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) Support
RTMP Yes Yes Yes
RTMPT Yes Yes Yes
RTMPS Yes Yes Yes
RTMPE Yes Yes Yes
RTMPTE Yes Yes Yes

Programming Options
Client Side ActionScript ActionScript ActionScript
Server Side Java¹ ActionScript No

¹ Free Wowza IDE tool is available for simplified server-side programming

Applications Capabilities
Video Streaming (live and on-demand)
      FLV Yes Yes Yes
      H.264 Yes Yes Yes
Audio Streaming (live and on-demand)
      FLV Yes Yes Yes
      MP3 Yes Yes Yes
      AAC, LC-AAC, HE-AAC Yes Yes Yes
      Speex Yes Yes Yes
Chat (text, audio, video)
      One-to-One Yes Yes No
      One-to-Many Yes Yes No
      Many-to-Many Yes Yes No
Recording
      Remote, b/w independent Yes Yes No
      H.264/AAC to FLV container Yes Yes No
      H.264/AAC to MP4 (QuickTime)       container Yes No No
      Simultaneous,
during live stream
Yes Yes No
Action Method Format 3 (AMF3) Support
      Uni-directional Yes Yes Yes
      Bi-Directional Yes No No
SHOUTcast/Icecast2 Re-streaming
      MP3 Yes No No
      AAC Yes No No
Remote Shared Objects (RSOs) Yes Yes No

Extensibility
Plug-in architecture (custom modules) Yes Yes No
Application-specific stream types Yes No No
Customizable media writers Yes No No
Customizable media readers Yes No No

Content Management Systems Access
File-based storage systems Yes Yes No
Protocol-based storage systems Yes No No

Other Features
Playlist and ad insertion support Yes Yes No
Dynamic bandwidth detection Yes Yes Yes
Virtual hosting Yes Yes No
Fast seek Yes Yes Yes
Fast forward/rewind trick play (VP6) Yes No No
Slow play Yes No No
Dynamic streaming Yes Yes Yes

Security & Content Protection Options
SecureToken anti-ripping protection Yes No No
swf Domain/IP address validation Yes Yes Yes
Encrypted delivery (RTMPS/E/TE) Yes Yes Yes
AES-128 Encryption (Apple HTTP Streaming) Yes Yes No
User access controls Yes Yes Yes
Multi-platform DRM support Yes* Partial No

* Extra cost option

Management
WC3 compliant logging Yes Yes Yes
Interface to standards-based management tools Yes No No
Management console Yes
(via JMX)
Yes Yes
Centralized configuration management Yes No No

Scalability
Live Stream Repeater Yes Yes No
Demand-based load balancing Yes No No
Round-robin load balancing Yes Yes No
Local content caching Yes Yes No