RTMP to HLS Conversion System for Edge Caching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) streams face challenges in scaling due to inability to cache at edge servers and are often blocked by firewalls, limiting their effectiveness in live streaming.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that converts RTMP streams into HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) format, allowing caching at edge servers and bypassing firewall blocks by using a publisher module to authenticate and transcode data packets, and a streamer module to serve cached content over HTTP.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RTMP stream is used for live streaming, then real-time transmission is achieved, but caching at edge server level is not possible and firewall blocking occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary conversion system that translates RTMP streams into HLS format. This mediator component receives RTMP input, performs format conversion, and outputs HLS-compatible streams, thereby allowing the content to bypass firewall blocks while maintaining real-time transmission capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the protocol parameter from RTMP to HLS, transforming the stream format to one that is compatible with edge server caching and not blocked by firewalls. This parameter transformation enables the stream to be served over standard HTTP ports while maintaining streaming functionality
2Productivity
If RTMP stream is used for live streaming, then real-time transmission is achieved, but scaling in production is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The conversion system acts as a mediator that transforms RTMP into HLS format, enabling the stream to be cached at edge servers. This intermediary layer simplifies scaling by allowing content to be distributed through standard CDN infrastructure rather than requiring complex RTMP-specific scaling solutions
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary conversion of RTMP streams to HLS format before distribution. By pre-converting the stream into a cacheable format, the system enables scalable delivery through edge servers without requiring complex real-time processing at each distribution point
3Adaptability or versatility
If RTMP stream is converted to HLS format, then caching at edge server level is enabled and firewall blocking is prevented, but additional conversion process is required
Solution Approach 1:
The conversion system is designed to handle multiple input streams and configurations through a unified HLS output interface. This universal approach allows the same conversion infrastructure to serve diverse streaming needs, reducing overall system complexity despite the conversion process
Data Source
AI summary
Present disclosure relates to system and method for converting RTMP stream into HLS format for live stream. The solution architecture can include three main components: a Publisher, a Streamer and an API server. The publisher manages incoming RTMP streams and converts RTMP stream into multiple (resolutions) HLS streams with an adaptive bit rate. The streamer manages end users consuming HLS feed. As publisher can be busy doing transcoding, the streamer can serve HLS format to an end user. At streamer level, caching is done instead of sending all requests to publisher. The API server manages load on the publishers and the streamers, and makes sure that the servers are available all the time. Live stream API server keeps record of the streams which are available as well as the corresponding publishers having the streams.