HLS Streaming: What it is, How it works & When to use it

HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is a widely used media streaming protocol designed to deliver audio-visual content over the internet. It facilitates content transportation from media servers to viewer screens across various devices, including mobile, desktop, tablets, and smart TVs. HLS allows distributing content and ensuring excellent viewing experiences across devices, playback platforms, and network conditions. Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR) is a key feature of HLS that enables video players to choose which segments to download and play based on the available bandwidth and network strength. Low Latency HLS (LL-HLS), an extension of HLS, significantly reduces latency by dividing segments into parts and delivering them as soon as they're available.