An introduction to streaming at low latency

A lot of us are acquainted with the delays when it comes to video data transmission.

So what exactly is low latency? Are you looking to cut down on the latency of all live occasions? Find out all the answers and more with this article.

An introduction to low latency

Low latency is the minimal delay in video data transfer between your player and your viewers' screens.

The lower time to transmit data results in a better watching experience as well as facilitating interaction. Here's the thing to get low latency: you need to compromise with reduced video resolution or quality.

Luckily, no live event requires low latency.

You need it for live streamed activities to allow for real-time interaction and viewing experience. If you're doing this, your audience expects to see what's going on or participate in the live stream throughout the events. Therefore, you cannot afford to pay for excessive latency, and have to stream in lower than 4K video resolutions.

This is low latency streaming Let's get deep into the particulars of how and how you can achieve it.

What is low latency

Translated, the term "latency" literally is a term that means "a delay in the transfer.'

In the context of video latency, that's the length of amount of time that it takes for the moment you capture your video on your camera to play on your players' viewers.

Thus, low latency means less time in transferring video data from point A (your stream's headquarter) to point B (your audience's players).

Similarly, a high latency will take longer for streaming video data from the live streamer's viewers.

What constitutes as a low latency?

In accordance with industry standards the minimum latency for live streaming is less than 10 seconds while broadcast television streaming is between 2- 6 seconds. Depending on your use case, it's even possible to reach ultra-low latency that lies between 2 and 0.2 seconds.

But why do you need low latency in video streaming? There is no need for the same level of latency for each live stream that you host. You do require it for each active live streaming.

The key here is how much interaction and interaction your live event needs.

So if your event involves, for example a live auction, you'll need the lowest latency to stream your event. Why? In order to make sure that every interaction is in real-time - not with delay, as this could give some participants an unfair advantage.

Let's take a look at some of these use cases next.

Do you really need streaming with low latency?

The greater participation in live streaming your event needs, the shorter transmission duration you require. In this way, guests can enjoy the experience in real-time without delay.

Below are some scenarios where you'll need low latency streaming:

• Two-way communicationssuch as live chat. This is also true for live events in which Q&As are part of the.
• Experiences in real-timeis essential such as with online video games.
• Participation of the audience is required. This is the case, for instance, when it comes to cases of bets on sports, as well as auctions that live.
• Real-time monitoring. Examples include search and rescue missions as well as bodycams that are military grade, child and pet monitors.
• Remote operations which require constant connections between remote operators and machinery that they are in control of. Example: endoscopy cameras.

What are the best times to utilize streaming with low latency?

In summarising the scenarios we explored above It is necessary to have low latency streaming when you're streaming:

• Content that is time-sensitive
• Content that needs an immediate interaction with the audience and engages them

However, why shouldn't you use the lowest latency possible for all of your videos? After all, the lower the time your video content takes being seen by your viewers, more effectively, right? However, that's not the case. The low latency comes with drawbacks.

These drawbacks are:

• Low latency compromises video quality. This is because high video quality can slow down process of transmission due to the large volume of files.
• There's not much buffered (or loaded) content available in the line. There's not much space for error should there be a network issue.

If you stream live an online streaming service such as quickly pre-loads some content before stream to viewers. So, in the event of a network problem, plays the content buffered, and allows the slowdown due to the network to recover.

As soon as the problem with the network is fixed The player will download the highest possible video quality. All this, however, takes place behind the scenes.

The result is that viewers receive continuous, high-quality replay experience, unless in the course of events, a serious error on the network occurs.

When you select a low latency you'll see less replay video that the player prepares. It leaves little room for error when the network issues strike from the blue.

However, the high level of latency is useful in some situations. In particular, the longer delay gives the producers opportunity to block insensitive content as well as profane.

Similarly, in cases where you can't compromise with the quality of video broadcasting, you can increase the latency ever so slightly to ensure a high-quality viewing experience as well as allow for error correction.

How do you measure latency?

With the definition of streaming with low latency and the applications for it out of the way, let's see how you can measure it.

Technicallyspeaking, the term "low latency" is measured with a unit called the round-trip time (RTT). It denotes the time it takes a data packet to travel between points A and B, and then for the response to be returned to the origin.

Now to calculate this method, the best way to do it is to include video timestamps and ask a teammate to watch the live streaming.

Ask them to look out for the exact time frame that will appear on the screen. Then take the time stamp's date from the time the viewer got the exact image. That will calculate your latency.

You can also ask a friend to view your live stream, and take a cue whenever it occurs. Then, record the exact time that you performed the cue on your live stream, and note when your assigned viewer saw the cue. This will give you time, although not as precise like the previous method. But it's still good enough to get a general idea.

How to reduce video latency

What are the steps to achieve the lowest latency?

The reality is that there are a variety of elements that influence the speed of your video. From encoder settings to streamer you're using, various factors play a part in.

Let's take a look at these factors and ways to optimize them for reducing streaming latency while making sure your quality video doesn't take a significant hit:

• Internet connection type. The internet connection determines your data transmission rates and speed. That's the reason why Ethernet connections are better for live streaming than wireless and cell data (it's more beneficial to keep those as your backups though).

• Bandwidth. High bandwidth (the quantity of data that can be transferred at a time) means less congestion and more speedy internet.

• Size of video files. The larger sizes consume more bandwidth in transferring between points A and B. This increases the latency and vice versa.

• Distance. It's how far you are from the internet provider. The closer you are, the faster the video stream you upload will be transferred.

• Encoder. Choose an encoder that can help you keep low latency by sending signals from your device to your receiving device in as short a duration as you can. Make sure the one that you choose works with the streaming services you are using.
• streaming protocol or the protocol that transfers the data you've collected (including audio and video) through your laptop onto the screen of your viewers. To achieve low latency, you'll have to choose an option that minimizes data loss while introducing less latency.

Now, let's review the protocols for streaming that you could select from:

• SRT The protocol efficiently sends video of high quality over long distances with very low latency. But, as it's new, it's being utilized by various tech companies, such as encoders. How can you solve this problem? Use it in combination with an alternative protocol.

• WebRTC: WebRTC can be used for video conferencing however it has a few compromises on quality of video since it focuses on speed mainly. The problem, however, is that the majority of players aren't compatible with it as it requires an elaborate setup to deploy.
• HDL with low-latency This is ideal to use for latencies that are low, ranging from 1 two seconds. It's therefore perfect for live streaming with interactive features. However, it's still an emerging spec so it's not yet supported for implementation. development.
  

Live stream with low latency

A low-latency stream is achievable with an extremely fast internet connection, a high speed, the most efficient streaming protocol, and an optimized encoder.

Furthermore, closing the distance between your computer and internet connection as well as using smaller formats for video can help.