Apple HTTP Live Streaming (HLS)

Securing your iPhone streams is easy with Encoding.com's stream encrytion option. We encrypt your TS segements using AES-128 with no need for an additional processing step. The encryption passes on delivery, as opposed to requiring additional processing time. You'll need a few things to get started, so let's lay out all the details:

1)  Create 32 character hexadecimal string. (Noted as 128 bit key below.)

     Sample encryption key: 243F6A8885A308D313198A2E03707344. Don't confuse this with API keys, as the encryption key can only contain characters A - F & 0- 9.

     Sample of encryption key that will fail immediately: COq8MA6wT3aHxEIvGy4U3VNBa3BMch29

OR

     Create a file that contains the hex string. If you choose a file, this will overrride the hex key specified in the request.

3) Request an HLS encode with the following additions:

<format>
    <!-- Format fields -->
        <output>[iphone_stream|ipad_stream]</output>
        ...
        <encryption>[yes|no]</encryption>
        <encryption_key>[128bit-key]</encryption_key>
        <encryption_key_file>[SourceURL]</encryption_key_file> <----Use a key_file or a string value. Don't use both, as the file will override the key. 
        ...
    </format>

###

Full XML:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<query>
  <action>AddMedia</action>
  <userid>[userid]</userid>
  <userkey>[userkey]</userkey> 
  <source>[source]</source>
  <notify/>
   <format>
   <output>iphone_stream</output>
  <size>480x320</size>
   <bitrate>512k</bitrate>
<destination>[URL]</destination>
   <audio_bitrate>40k</audio_bitrate>
   <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
   <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
   <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
   <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
   <profile>iphone_stream</profile>
   <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
   <two_pass>no</two_pass>
   <turbo>no</turbo>
   <cbr>no</cbr>
   <deinterlacing>yes</deinterlacing>
   <keyframe>300</keyframe>
   <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
   <rotate>0</rotate>
   <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
   <hint>no</hint>
   <bitrates>600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
   <framerates>29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
   <keyframes>90,90,45,30</keyframes>
   <pack_files>no</pack_files>
   <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
   <add_audio_only>no</add_audio_only>
   <still_image>no</still_image>
   <still_image_time>5</still_image_time>
   <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>
   <encryption>yes</encryption>
   <encryption_key>[128bit-key]</encryption_key>
   <encryption_key_file>[URL]</encryption_key_file>
   </format>
</query>

For additional information on encryption of iPhone streams: https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#qa/qa1661/_index.html

If you're interested in using Encoding.com's platform to create iPhone Streaming (m3u8) files from your source content, there's a number of ways to achieve that using the options listed below. Our new HLS encoding has better adaptive bitrate distribution within the H.264 segments!

<format>
    <output>iphone_stream</output>
    <destination>ftp://***** the output iphone index file (.m3u8) *****</destination>
    <size>400x300</size>
    <audio_bitrate>56k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>iphone_stream</profile>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <turbo>yes</turbo>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <keyframe>300</keyframe>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <rotate>0</rotate>
    <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
    <bitrates>600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
    <framerates>29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
    <keyframes>90,90,45,30</keyframes>
    <pack_files>no</pack_files>
    <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
    <add_audio_only>yes</add_audio_only>
    <still_image>first_segment</still_image>
    <still_image_time>5</still_image_time>
    <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>
  </format>

Standard iPad Streaming Template

<format>
    <output>ipad_stream</output>
    <size>640x480</size>
    <audio_bitrate>40k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>main</profile>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
    <bitrates>1200k,800k,600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
    <framerates>29.97,29.97,29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
    <keyframes>90,90,90,90,45,30</keyframes>
    <pack_files>yes</pack_files>
    <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
    <add_audio_only>no</add_audio_only>
    <still_image>no</still_image>
    <still_image_time>5</still_image_time>
    <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>
 </format>

<format>
    <output>iphone_stream</output>
    <size>400x300</size>
    <audio_bitrate>40k</audio_bitrate>
    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>
    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>
    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>
    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>
    <profile>iphone_stream</profile>
    <audio_codec>libfaac</audio_codec>
    <two_pass>no</two_pass>
    <cbr>no</cbr>
    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>
    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>
    <file_extension>tar</file_extension>
    <hint>no</hint>
    <bitrates>600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>
    <framerates>29.97,29.97,15,10</framerates>
    <keyframes>90,90,45,30</keyframes>
    <pack_files>yes</pack_files>
    <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>
    <add_audio_only>no</add_audio_only>
    <still_image>no</still_image>
    <still_image_time>5</still_image_time>
    <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>
</format>

HTTP Live Streaming allows streaming of files from the internet to specific devices. Encoding.com’s platform produces files that are chunked into many short streams. From there, you can choose many bit rates in order to adapt to the environment in which the stream is played. This allows the viewing environment to adapt to the correct data rate.

iPhone HTTP Live Streaming

Imagine a one-click setting for iPhone HTTP live streaming. We have it and an array of other cloud-based encoding solutions. Contact us today for more information.

To generate proper iPhone HTTP live streaming profiles in encoding.com, see the below xml. These settings should be used whenever the user wishes to publish the apple recommended profiles, based on this document:

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/technotes/tn2010/tn2224.html

	  <format>

	    <output>iphone_stream</output>

	    <destination>******</destination>

	    <size>400x300</size>

	    <bitrate>1024k</bitrate>

	    <audio_bitrate>40k</audio_bitrate>

	    <audio_sample_rate>44100</audio_sample_rate>

	    <audio_channels_number>2</audio_channels_number>

	    <framerate>29.97</framerate>

	    <keep_aspect_ratio>yes</keep_aspect_ratio>

	    <video_codec>libx264</video_codec>

	    <profile>iphone_stream</profile>

	    <VCodecParameters>no</VCodecParameters>

	    <audio_codec>libmp3lame</audio_codec>

	    <two_pass>no</two_pass>

	    <turbo>no</turbo>

	    <cbr>no</cbr>

	    <deinterlacing>no</deinterlacing>

	    <keyframe>90</keyframe>

	    <audio_volume>100</audio_volume>

	    <rotate>0</rotate>

	    <file_extension>tar</file_extension>

	    <bitrates>600k,400k,200k,110k</bitrates>

	    <pack_files>yes</pack_files>

	    <force_bitrate>no</force_bitrate>

	    <segment_duration>10</segment_duration>

	    <add_audio_only>yes</add_audio_only>

	    <still_image>each_segment</still_image>

	    <still_image_time>4</still_image_time>

	    <still_image_size>480x320</still_image_size>

	  </format>

 Note certain settings, which are important to meet the encoding chart from the technical note: size, framerate, audio bitrate, audio sample rate, keyframe, bitrates and still image size. These recommendations should give good results, and get working iphone streaming delivered on time, with excellent results.

HTTP Live Streaming allows streaming of files from the internet to specific devices. Encoding.com’s iPhone video encoding platform produces files that are chunked into many short streams. From there, you can choose many bit rates in order to adapt to the environment in which the stream is played. This allows the viewing environment to adapt to the correct data rate.

iPhone HTTP Live Streaming

Imagine a one-click setting for iPhone HTTP live streaming. We have it and an array of other cloud-based transcoding solutions. Contact us today for more information.

With TAR output is set to OFF, and should see .m3u8 pointers and .ts segment files populate your output directory. The trick is correctly formatting the output filepath. You have to make sure your output filepath has a filename WITHOUT a 3-character file extension. I had this same problem because I either defined only the output directory, or had an output filename with .m3u on it. In both cases that will force a TAR output even if you have set it to off. SAMPLES: To get your segments, a correct output filepath should look something like this: http://yourbucket.s3.amazonaws.com/iphonetest/outputfilename ftp://username:password@ftp.yourserver.net/iphonetest/outputfilename