Configure HTTP Dynamic Streaming and HTTP Live Streaming

Delivering content over HTTP is usually called “progressive download”. The content must transfer from the server to the client in a progression from the beginning to the end of a file. A client cannot seek to a forward location until that location and all the data before it has downloaded.

Delivering content over RTMP is called “streaming”. The client creates a socket connection to the server (such as Flash Media Server) over which the content is sent in a continuous stream. The client can seek to any point in the content instantly, regardless of how much data has been transferred.

Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming combines these approaches to introduce HTTP streaming to the Flash Platform. HTTP Dynamic Streaming packages media files into fragments that Flash Player clients can access instantly without downloading the entire file. Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming contains several components that work together to package media and stream it over HTTP to Flash Player and AIR. HTTP Dynamic Streaming supports multi-bitrate streaming, DVR, and Adobe® Flash® Access™ protection.

In Flash Media Server 4.5, Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming adds support for Apple HTTP Live Streaming. Use the same HTTP Dynamic Streaming workflow to package and stream live and on-demand content to all devices that support Apple HTTP Live Streaming. Apple HTTP Live Streaming includes live and on-demand media.

The Adobe HTTP Streaming solution contains the following components:

Live Packager

Live Packager is a Flash Media Server application installed to rootinstall/applications/livepkgr. The server ingests a live stream over RTMP and the Live Packager translates it into F4F files and MPEG-2 TS files in real-time.

F4F HTTP Module

An Apache HTTP Server module that serves files to Flash Player and AIR. The F4F module (also known as the HTTP Origin Module), serves live content. It also serves on-demand content that was packaged offline with the File Packager tool.

The F4F HTTP Module installs with Flash Media Server 4 and later to rootinstall/Apache2.2/modules/mod_f4fhttp.so. The module is also available from adobe.com as a stand-alone Apache module.

HLS HTTP Module

An Apache HTTP Server module that serves files to iOS devices and Mac OS.

The HTTP HLS Module installs with Flash Media Server 4.5 and later to rootinstall/Apache2.2/modules/mod_hlshttp.so. It is not available as a stand-alone Apache module.

JIT HTTP Module

An Apache HTTP Server module that packages on-demand files just-in-time and serves them to Flash Player and AIR. “Just-in-time” means that media files are packaged in real-time when clients request them.

The JIT HTTP Module installs with Flash Media Server 4.5 and later to rootinstall/Apache2.2/modules/mod_jithttp.so. It is not available as a stand-alone Apache module.

File Packager

A command-line, offline tool that translates on-demand media into F4F fragments. The File Packager is located in the rootinstall/tools/f4fpackager folder and is available from adobe.com.

OSMF media players

There are several media players built on the Open Source Media Framework (OSMF) that support HTTP Dynamic Streaming to Flash Player and AIR. See Pre-built media players.

F4F File Format Specification

The F4F file format describes how to divide media content into segments and fragments. The Live Packager, the File Packager, and the JIT HTTP module output content based on this specification. Each fragment has its own bootstrap information that provides cache management and fast seeking. For more information, see F4F File Format Specification.

F4M File Format Specification

The Flash Media Manifest file format contains information about a package of files that the HTTP Origin Module can serve. Manifest information includes codecs, resolutions, and the availability of files encoded at multiple bit rates. Manifest information also includes DRM data. The media player uses the F4M file to play a piece of media. For more information, see F4M File Format Specification.

Flash Access

Flash Access delivers protected media to Flash Player. To use HTTP Dynamic Streaming with Flash Access, use the File Packager and Flash Media Server to both package and encrypt content. For more information, see Protecting content with Flash Access.

Flash Media Server 4.5 adds support for Flash Access level protection without using a Flash Access server. See Configure protected HTTP Dynamic Streaming (PHDS) and Configure protected HTTP Live Streaming (PHLS).

The best way to experience the workflow for live HTTP streaming is to complete a tutorial. See Stream live media (HTTP).

The following is the workflow for all Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming and Apple HTTP Live Streaming use cases:

The best way to experience the workflow for on-demand HTTP streaming is to complete a tutorial. See Stream on-demand media (HTTP).

The following is the workflow for Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming and Apple HTTP Live Streaming use cases:

When a media player requests content from the server, it passes the server a request URL. The section of the request URL following the server name (and optional port number) is defined in the Location directive path in the Apache httpd.conf file. For example, the following is the Location directive for HDS on-demand streaming:

<IfModule jithttp_module> 
<Location /hds-vod> 
    HttpStreamingJITPEnabled true 
    HttpStreamingContentPath "../webroot/vod" 
    JitFmsDirPath ".." 
    Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
</Location> 
</IfModule>

When Apache receives a request with the path /hds-vod, it uses the jithttp_module (just-in-time) to process the request. The jithttp_module uses the values of the directives nested within the Location directive.

To configure HTTP streaming for multiple tenants, or for multiple applications, add Location directives with different paths. The following table lists the syntax for request URLs, the Location directive paths are in bold:

1. Open rootinstall/Apache2.2/conf/httpd.conf in a text editor.

2. Location the Location directive for the streaming type you want to edit, copy it, and paste it.

3. For example, to create a Location for HDS on-demand streaming, copy the /hds-vod section and paste it underneath the existing section.

   <IfModule jithttp_module> 
   <Location /hds-vod> 
       HttpStreamingJITPEnabled true 
       HttpStreamingContentPath "../webroot/vod" 
       JitFmsDirPath ".." 
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
    
   # Uncomment the following directives to enable encryption 
   # for this location. 
   #   EncryptionScope server 
   #   ProtectionScheme phds 
   </Location> 
   </IfModule>

4. In the copied section, change the Location path to /flash-vod. You can also edit the HttpStreamingContentPath directive to change the location of the on-demand media on disk.

   <IfModule jithttp_module> 
   <Location /flash-vod> 
       HttpStreamingJITPEnabled true 
       HttpStreamingContentPath "../webroot/vod2" 
       JitFmsDirPath ".." 
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
    
   # Uncomment the following directives to enable encryption 
   # for this location. 
   #   EncryptionScope server 
   #   ProtectionScheme phds 
   </Location> 
   </IfModule>

   Note: To change the location of content for live streaming, see Configure the location of live HDS and HLS content.

5. Create the rootinstall/webroot/vod2 folder and copy the sample1_1500kbps.f4v file to it from the /webroot/vod folder.

6. Restart Apache HTTP Server. The service name is FMSHttpd.

7. Double-click rootinstall/samples/videoPlayer/videoplayer.html to open the Flash Media Server sample video player.

8. Enter the following in the Stream URL text box:

   http://localhost/flash-vod/sample1_1500kbps.f4v.f4m

   You can play any file from the /webroot/vod2 folder.

To configure the location of on-demand content on disk, edit the Apache httpd.conf file. Use the following directives:

1. Open rootinstall/Apache2.2/conf/httpd.conf

2. To change the location on the server where media is stored for on-demand streaming, edit the HttpStreamingContentPath directive. For example, the following changes the location to c:\hds_vod_content:

   <IfModule jithttp_module> 
   <Location /hds-vod> 
       HttpStreamingJITPEnabled true  
   #    HttpStreamingContentPath "../webroot/vod" 
       HttpStreamingContentPath "C:\hds_vod_content" 
       JitFmsDirPath ".." 
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
    
   # Uncomment the following directives to enable encryption 
   # for this location. 
   #   EncryptionScope server 
   #   ProtectionScheme phds 
   </Location> 
   </IfModule> 
    
   <Location /hls-vod> 
       HLSHttpStreamingEnabled true 
       HLSMediaFileDuration 8000 
   #    HttpStreamingContentPath "../webroot/vod" 
       HttpStreamingContentPath "C:\hds_vod_content" 
       HLSFmsDirPath ".." 
    
   # Uncomment the following directives to enable encryption 
   # for this location. 
   #    HLSEncryptionScope server 
   #    HLSEncryptCipherKeyFile "../phls/vodkey.bin" 
   #    HLSEncryptKeyURI        "https://<ServerName>/hls-key/vodkey.bin" 
    
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks</Location>

3. Restart the Apache HTTP Server. The service name is FMSHttpd.

4. Copy a sample file from /webroot/vod to c:\hds_vod_content. This task uses sample1_1500kbps.f4v.

5. (HDS) Open rootinstall/samples/videoPlayer/videoplayer.html in a browser and in the Stream URL text box, enter:

   http://localhost/hds-vod/sample1_1500kbps.f4v.f4m

6. (HLS) On a device running iOS, open Safari and enter the following:

   http://localhost/hls-vod/sample1_1500kbps.f4v.m3u8

The request URL is the same as it was before the Apache configuration change, but the content is in a different location on the disk. When Apache receives a request that start with /hds-vod, it resolves the rest of the path based on the value of HttpStreamingContentPath.

To verify that the Apache configuration took effect, try to stream a sample file that isn’t in the c:\hds_vod_content folder. For example, try to stream http://localhost/hds-vod/sample1_1000kbps.f4v.f4m. The sample video player displays an error, “We are unable to connect to the content you’ve requested. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

To configure the location of live HDS and HLS content on disk, edit the Apache httpd.conf file. Use the following directives:

Configure the location of the live content on disk

1. Open rootinstall/conf/fms.ini in a text editor. Set the VHOST.APPSDIR in parameter to one of the following:

   • (Windows) C:/applications

   • (Linux) /opt/applications

2. Restart the server.

3. Create a folder at the location in step 1 and copy the livepkgr application to it.

4. Open rootinstall/Apache2.2/conf/httpd.conf in a text editor.

5. To change the location of the HDS live content, edit the directives in bold:

   <Location /hds-live> 
       HttpStreamingEnabled true  
   #    HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "../applications"  
   #    HttpStreamingContentPath "../applications" 
       HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "C:\applications"HttpStreamingContentPath "C:\applications" 
       HttpStreamingF4MMaxAge 2 
       HttpStreamingBootstrapMaxAge 2 
       HttpStreamingFragMaxAge -1 
       HttpStreamingDrmmetaMaxAge 3600 
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
   </Location> 
   </IfModule>

   Note: On Linux, use "/opt/applications".

6. To change the location of HLS live content, edit the directives in bold:

   <IfModule hlshttp_module> 
   <Location /hls-live> 
       HLSHttpStreamingEnabled true 
   #    HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "../applications"  
   #    HttpStreamingContentPath "../applications" 
       HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "C:\applications"HttpStreamingContentPath "C:\applications" 
       HLSMediaFileDuration 8000 
       HLSSlidingWindowLength 6 
       HLSFmsDirPath ".." 
       HLSM3U8MaxAge 2 
       HLSTSSegmentMaxAge -1 
    
   # Uncomment the following directives to enable encryption 
   # for this location. 
   #    HLSEncryptionScope server 
   #    HLSEncryptCipherKeyFile "../phls/liveeventkey.bin" 
   #    HLSEncryptKeyURI        "https://<ServerName>/hls-key/liveeventkey.bin" 
    
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
   </Location>

7. Restart Apache HTTP Server. The service name is FMSHttpd.

8. Open Flash Media Live Encoder and publish a stream with the following settings:

   • Video codec—H.264

   • Audio codec—AAC

   • Keyframe Frequency—4 seconds

   • FMS URL—rtmp://localhost/livepkgr

   • Stream—livestream?adbe-live-event=liveevent

9. (HDS) Open rootinstall/samples/videoPlayer/videoplayer.html in a browser and in the Stream URL text box, enter:

   http://localhost/hds-live/livepkgr/_definst_/liveevent/livestream.f4m

10. (HLS) On a device running iOS, open Safari and enter:

    http://localhost/hls-live/livepkgr/_definst_/liveevent/livestream.m3u8

    Note: To play content in Safari 4.0 on Mac OS, create an HTML document that uses the <video> tag.

Configure the scope of the request URL

1. Open rootinstall/Apache2.2/conf/httpd.conf in a text editor.

2. To change the scope of the request URL (also called the URL sandbox level) for HDS, edit the directives in bold:

   <Location /hds-live> 
       HttpStreamingEnabled true  
   #    HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "../applications"  
   #    HttpStreamingContentPath "../applications" 
       HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "c:\applications\livepkgr" 
       HttpStreamingContentPath "c:\applications" 
       HttpStreamingURLSandboxLevel "App" 
       HttpStreamingF4MMaxAge 2 
       HttpStreamingBootstrapMaxAge 2 
       HttpStreamingFragMaxAge -1 
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
   </Location></IfModule>

   To change the scope of the request URL for HLS, edit the directives in bold:

   <IfModule hlshttp_module> 
   <Location /hls-live> 
       HLSHttpStreamingEnabled true 
   #    HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "../applications"  
   #    HttpStreamingContentPath "../applications" 
       HttpStreamingLiveEventPath "C:\applications\livepkgr" 
       HttpStreamingContentPath "C:\applications" 
       HttpStreamingURLSandboxLevel "App" 
       HLSMediaFileDuration 8000 
       HLSSlidingWindowLength 6 
       HLSFmsDirPath ".." 
       HLSM3U8MaxAge 2 
       HLSTSSegmentMaxAge -1 
    
   # Uncomment the following directives to enable encryption 
   # for this location. 
   #    HLSEncryptionScope server 
   #    HLSEncryptCipherKeyFile "../phls/liveeventkey.bin" 
   #    HLSEncryptKeyURI        "https://<ServerName>/hls-key/liveeventkey.bin" 
    
       Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks 
   </Location>

3. Restart the Apache HTTP Server. The service name is FMSHttpd.

4. Open Flash Media Live Encoder and publish a stream with the following settings:

   • Video codec—H.264

   • Audio codec—AAC

   • Keyframe Frequency—4 seconds

   • FMS URL—rtmp://localhost/livepkgr

   • Stream—livestream?adbe-live-event=liveevent

5. (HDS) Double-click rootinstall/samples/videoPlayer/videoplayer.html to open the Flash Media Server sample video player. Enter the following for Stream URL and click play:

   http://<host>/hds-live/_definst_/liveevent/livestream.f4m

6. On a device running iOS, open Safari and enter:

   http://<host>/hls-live/_definst_/liveevent/livestream.m3u8

   Because the URL sandbox level is configured to “App” instead of the default “Server”, the URL does not include the application name (livepkgr).

Server-level configurations for live HDS

Set the following directive in the Apache httpd.conf to configure fragment size for all live HDS events on the server:

Server-level configurations for live HLS

Set the following directive in the Apache httpd.conf to configure a time-based fragment size for all live HLS events on the server:

Application-level and event-level configurations for live HDS

To configure fragment size at the application-level, use the Application.xml file in the directory of the Live Packager application (livepkgr, by default).

To configure fragment size at the event-level, use the Event.xml file in the live event directory (applications/livepkgr/events/_definst_/liveevent, by default).

Use the elements in the <Recording> container to configure how the server writes files to disk. In the Application.xml file, the elements are located at //Application/HDS. In the Event.xml file, the elements are located at //Event.

Application-level and event-level configurations for live HLS

To configure fragment size at the application-level, use the Application.xml file in the directory of the Live Packager application (livepkgr, by default).

To configure fragment size at the event-level, use the Event.xml file in the live event directory (applications/livepkgr/events/_definst_/liveevent, by default).

Use the elements in the <Recording> and <HLS> containers to configure how the server writes files to disk. In the Application.xml file, the elements are located at //Application/HDS. In the Event.xml file, the elements are located at //Event/.

Specify fragment size for live HDS and HLS based on frames

Use the following elements for HDS: KeyframeIntervalsPerFragment, FrameRate, FramesPerKeyframeInterval, FramePrecision.

Use the following elements for HLS: FrameRate, FramesPerKeyframeInterval, and KeyframeIntervalPerMediaFile.

 <Event> 
    <EventID>liveevent</EventID> 
    <Recording> 
        <FrameRate>29.97</FrameRate> 
        <FramesPerKeyframeInterval>120</FramesPerKeyframeInterval>         
        <KeyframeIntervalsPerFragment>1</KeyframeIntervalsPerFragment> 
        <FramePrecision>1</FramePrecision>         
    </Recording> 
    <HLS> 
        <KeyframeIntervalPerMediaFile>3</KeyframeIntervalPerMediaFile> 
    </HLS> 
</Event> 

The server calculates the HLS media file duration according to the following formula:

MediaFileDurationInSeconds = FramesPerKeyframeInterval * KeyframeIntervalPerMediaFile / FrameRate

Specify fragment size for live HDS and HLS based on time

Use the following elements for HDS: FragmentDuration, SegmentDuration.

Use the following element for HLS: MediaFileDuration.

Use the following elements: FragmentDuration, MediaFileDuration.

<Event> 
    <EventID>liveevent</EventID> 
    <Recording> 
        <FragmentDuration>4000</FragmentDuration> 
        <SegmentDuration>400000</SegmentDuration> 
    </Recording> 
<HLS> 
    <MediaFileDuration>8000<MediaFileDuration> 
</HLS> 
</Event>

Server-level configurations for on-demand HDS

Set the following directive in the Apache httpd.conf to configure fragment size for all on-demand HDS on the server:

Server-level configurations for on-demand HLS

Set the following directive in the Apache httpd.conf to configure fragment size for all on-demand HLS on the server:

Stream-level configurations for on-demand HDS

To configure a set of on-demand media files (or a single file), copy a jit.conf file to the same directory as the media files. All media files in a directory use the same jit.conf file.

Use a jit.conf file with the following elements to configure fragment size for HDS at the stream-level:

Stream-level configurations for on-demand HLS

To configure a set of on-demand media files (or a single file), copy a jit.conf file to the same directory as the media files. All media files in a directory use the same jit.conf file.

Use a jit.conf file with the following elements to configure fragment size for HLS at the stream-level:

Specify fragment size for on-demand HDS and HLS based on frames

Use the following elements for HDS: hds:frame-rate, hds:frames-per-keyframe-interval, and hds:keyframe-intervals-per-fragment.

Use the following elements for HLS: hds:frame-rate, hds:frames-per-keyframe-interval, and hds:keyframe-intervals-per-media-file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<manifest xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/f4m/1.0" xmlns:hds="http://ns.adobe.com/hds-package/1.0"> 
    <hds:frame-rate>29.97</hds:frame-rate> 
    <hds:frames-per-keyframe-interval>60</hds:frames-per-keyframe-interval> 
    <hds:keyframe-intervals-per-fragment>2</hds:keyframe-intervals-per-fragment> 
    <hds:hls> 
        <hds:keyframe-intervals-per-media-file>2</hds:keyframe-intervals-per-media-file> 
    </hds:hls> 
</manifest> 

Specify fragment size for on-demand HDS and HLS based on time

Use the following element for HDS: hds:fragment-duration.

Use the following element for HLS: hds:media-file-duration.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<manifest xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/f4m/1.0" xmlns:hds="http://ns.adobe.com/hds-package/1.0"> 
    <hds:fragment-duration>8000</hds:fragment-duration> 
    <hds:hls> 
        <hds:media-file-duration>8000</hds:media-file-duration> 
    </hds:hls> 
</manifest>