From WHIP to HLS: The Latest Innovations in Ant Media Server You Can’t Miss.
Being a community guy, I keep following a few of my favorite products/organizations on GitHub to keep an eye, on what they’re shipping, what issues/discussions are being raised, and how I can involved with those threads.
This is the first time, I decided to draft an article on what was developed recently for Ant Media Server. I must say, Ant Media Team has just rolled out some game-changing updates in its latest releases, v2.10 and v2.11.
From enhanced stability in conferencing and cluster operations to innovative features like WHIP support and interactive live streaming, these updates are designed to make your streaming experience smoother, more robust, and more engaging.
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Let’s dive into what’s new and why upgrading your Ant Media Server installation is a must for anyone serious about delivering top-notch live video streaming.
Recent Developments and Feature Enhancements in Ant Media Server
Ant Media Server has seen significant updates in its recent releases, enhancing both the Community and Enterprise editions.
Here, we will highlight the key features and improvements, organized by category for clarity.
WHIP (WebRTC HTTP Ingest Protocol) Support:
Ant Media Server Enterprise now supports ingesting WebRTC streams using the WHIP protocol, expanding its compatibility with various streaming protocols.
Conferencing Stability
High Load Stability: Fixes have been implemented to improve stability in conferencing scenarios where a large number of participants join or leave, ensuring that all participants can be heard and seen without disruptions.
Cluster Stability: Cluster Node Stability: Issues with some nodes in the cluster failing to obtain the secret key for cluster communication have been resolved. This ensures that nodes can join and leave clusters more reliably.
HLS Playback Improvements
Low-Level HLS: Add something about LL-HLS.
Better HLS in Bad Networks: Fixes have been implemented to improve stability in conferencing scenarios where a large number of participants join or leave, ensuring that all participants can be heard and seen without disruptions.
Segment Type: The `hlsSegmentType` (mpegts, fmp4) is now effective in direct muxing. AC3 Audio Codec: Support for the AC3 audio codec in HLS has been added. Segment Type Options: Users can now choose segment types (fmp4, mpegts) for HLS streams. SEI Support: Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI) is now supported in HLS. HLS Settings for Broadcasts: Specific HLS settings can be configured for broadcasts. Improved HLS Playback with WebRTC: HLS playback has been improved when ingesting streams via WebRTC.
RTMP and RTSP Enhancements
Uncommon HEVC Support: RTMP ingest now supports uncommon HEVC through the Codec Id 12 method. Apple’s Low Latency HLS: Support for Apple’s Low Latency HLS (LL-HLS) has been added through a plugin, complementing LL-DASH. HEVC Support with RTMP: Enhanced RTMP now supports HEVC. RTSPS URLs: RTSPS URLs are now enabled as stream sources alongside RTMP and RTSP.
Interactive Live Streaming
SEI Messages and ID3 Tags: SEI messages and ID3 tags can now be added to HLS streams on the fly using REST API, enabling interactive and synchronized streaming.
Multitrack Player
Conference Room Playback: A multitrack player is available to play conference rooms, useful for recording or creating PK with the MediaPush plugin. This feature is accessible in default applications.
User Management
Role-Based User Management: Enhanced user management allows for multi-application access permissions for users, improving security and control.
Analytics and Logging
Stream Analytics: Ant Media Server logs stream-related information in JSON format, including data transfer, key frame interval, used protocol, start and end times, subscriber ID, tokens, stream ID, and application name. Log Analytics for Publishers and Viewers: Analytics logs are now available for both publishers and viewers.
Media Server/Engine Specific Enhancements
Broadcast Level ABR Settings: Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) settings can now be configured at the broadcast level. Recording Subfolder Setting: Users can set recording subfolders.
Server Enhancements
GCP SDK — StorageClient Support: Support for Google Cloud Platform (GCP) SDK — StorageClient has been added. ID3 Headers Compatibility: ID3 headers are now compatible with the required format.
Webhooks
Webhooks for Subtracks: Webhooks are now available for subtracks when they are added, or removed, or when the first or last track is detected.
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Enterprise Edition Specific Enhancements
AC3 and 6 Channels AAC Support: The Enterprise Edition now supports AC3 and 6 channels AAC. Improved Quality from WebRTC to HLS/MP4: The quality of streams converted from WebRTC to HLS/MP4 has been improved, reducing artifacts.
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Ant Media Management Console Enhancements
Scheduling Playlists and VoDs: The management console now supports scheduling playlists and adding VoDs to playlists easily. PTZ Controls in Web Player: PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) controls are now enabled in the web player. Multitrack Streams in Web Panel: Multitrack streams (conference) can now be played in the web panel.
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These updates collectively enhance the functionality, stability, and user experience of Ant Media Server, making it a more robust and versatile streaming solution.
Release Notes Reference Links: Ant Media Server v2.10.0, Ant Media Server v2.10.1, Ant Media Server v2.11.0, & Ant Media Server v2.11.1