Enhancing Live Streaming with LiveEdge’s Native WHIP Support

By Lionel Bringuier, Chief Product Officer

In the ever-evolving landscape of live streaming technology, the introduction of the WebRTC-HTTP Ingestion Protocol (WHIP) marks a significant advancement. At Videon, we're excited to announce that LiveEdge now has native WHIP support. This blog post delves into the technicalities of WHIP, its practical applications, and why its native support is a game-changer for live video workflows.

Understanding WHIP: The Technical Perspective

At its core, WHIP is a straightforward yet powerful protocol designed for the real-time ingestion of live video streams over WebRTC. It establishes a direct and secure connection between the video source (like a camera, encoder, or edge device, like LiveEdge^®) and the receiving server or content delivery network using WebRTC protocols. This connection facilitates the seamless transfer of live video data, significantly reducing latency, which is critical for live video.

WHIP standardizes the signaling of WebRTC connections which streamlines the process of live stream ingestion making it easier for vendors to speak the same protocol.,This eliminates the need for complex setup or specialized server-side handling. WHIP ensures compatibility and ease of integration with existing infrastructure by utilizing standard web technologies and protocols. Dolby’s Senior Director of Engineering, Sergio Garcia Murillo is the lead author on the specification and we validated our WHIP implementation with Dolby to ensure compatibility.

What’s the improvement? Well, with one of our WebRTC partners we could measure a glass-to-glass latency of 160ms, going coast-to-coast from the United States, through the Internet. At 60fps, it means less than 10 frames delay from the camera lens to the screen with the video player. This opens up new possibilities for interactive and real-time content delivery.

Key Use Cases for WHIP in Fan Engagement

• Multiview Sports Experiences: WHIP enables fans to choose from multiple camera angles in real-time during live sports, offering a personalized and immersive viewing experience akin to being at the event.
• Interactive Concerts and Performances: Fans can switch between various stages or scenes in real-time, enhancing live concerts and performances with WHIP's low-latency streaming capabilities.
• Virtual Fan Zones: Create engaging fan zones for live Q&As, polls, and interaction during events, fostering a sense of community and enhancing the fan experience with WHIP's real-time capabilities.
• Esports and Gaming Streams: WHIP supports ultra-low latency for esports, allowing for synchronized viewing and interactive commentary, making live tournaments more engaging for viewers.
• Dynamic Educational Streams: Enhance educational and workshop streams with interactive Q&A sessions and collaborative activities, making the experience more engaging with WHIP's real-time interaction.

By leveraging WHIP, live video operators can significantly boost fan engagement through personalized, immersive, and interactive live streaming experiences. And don’t forget you can take advantage of this remotely using LiveEdge^® Cloud Control.

WHIP vs. Traditional Protocols

Compared to established protocols like RTMP, HLS, or DASH, WHIP offers distinct advantages:

• Reduced Latency: By leveraging WebRTC's low-latency video transmission capabilities, WHIP ensures near-instantaneous delivery, essential for interactive live streaming.
• Simplified Streaming Process: WHIP reduces the technical barriers to live streaming, making it more accessible for content creators and broadcasters.
• Enhanced Compatibility and Scalability: Designed with the modern internet infrastructure in mind, WHIP is well-suited for scaling within current technological ecosystems.

LiveEdge^® Native WHIP Support

With native WHIP support and simultaneous multi-protocol outputs, users can do even more with their live video workflows. Adding WHIP support means LiveEdge users can now enjoy a more streamlined live streaming experience, with the added benefits of reduced latency and increased efficiency.

One notable fact with WebRTC is that the protocol is not restrictive on the video codec: even if H.264 is the vastly dominant codec for WebRTC today, the spec would let you use H.265 as well. However, on the audio side, the story is a little different: you just cannot use AAC as the audio codec for WebRTC. So, along with WHIP, we added Opus audio codec as a new option on LiveEdge devices for WebRTC streaming and WHIP outputs.

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Collaborating with Industry Leaders

Partnerships with leading real-time live video partners including Dolby.io, Red5, and Phenix bolstered our journey towards LiveEdge’s native WHIP support. These collaborations have been instrumental in refining our live streaming solutions, ensuring that LiveEdge remains at the forefront of technological advancement.

The support for WHIP in LiveEdge is a milestone in our ongoing quest to enhance live streaming technology. This new protocol elevates the user experience and sets a new standard for live video workflows. As live streaming continues to grow in importance and complexity, Videon remains committed to deploying solutions that address the needs of live video operators, developers, and content creators.

We encourage the live streaming community to explore the possibilities enabled by WHIP in LiveEdge. Your feedback and experiences are invaluable as we continue to innovate and support the evolution of live video technology.

Stay tuned for further developments and join us in shaping the future of live streaming.

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