Implementing HLS and DASH Video Streaming

INPUT="$1" OUTPUT_DIR="$2"

mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"

ffmpeg -i "$INPUT" -filter_complex "[0:v]split=3[v1][v2][v3]; [v1]scale=1920:1080:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease[v1080]; [v2]scale=1280:720:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease[v720]; [v3]scale=640:360:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease[v360]" -map "[v1080]" -map 0:a -c:v:0 libx264 -crf 22 -preset fast -b:v:0 5000k -maxrate:v:0 5500k -bufsize:v:0 10000k -c:a:0 aac -b:a:0 192k -map "[v720]" -map 0:a -c:v:1 libx264 -crf 23 -preset fast -b:v:1 2500k -maxrate:v:1 2750k -bufsize:v:1 5000k -c:a:1 aac -b:a:1 128k -map "[v360]" -map 0:a -c:v:2 libx264 -crf 24 -preset fast -b:v:2 800k -maxrate:v:2 880k -bufsize:v:2 1600k -c:a:2 aac -b:a:2 96k -f hls -hls_time 6 -hls_playlist_type vod -hls_flags independent_segments -hls_segment_type fmp4 -hls_segment_filename "$OUTPUT_DIR/v%v/seg%06d.m4s" -master_pl_name master.m3u8 -var_stream_map "v:0,a:0,name:1080p v:1,a:1,name:720p v:2,a:2,name:360p" "$OUTPUT_DIR/v%v/index.m3u8"

</details> Result: 

output/ ├── master.m3u8 ├── 1080p/ │ ├── index.m3u8 │ ├── seg000001.m4s │ └── ... ├── 720p/ │ └── ... └── 360p/ └── ...

 #### PHP Job for Queue The TranscodeToHlsJob class is a typical Laravel job. Timeout 2 hours, two attempts. We only handle the successful case. ```php class TranscodeToHlsJob implements ShouldQueue { public int $timeout = 7200; public int $tries = 2; public function __construct(private Video $video) {} public function handle(): void { $this->video->update(['status' => 'transcoding']); $inputUrl = Storage::disk('s3')->temporaryUrl($this->video->original_key, now()->addHours(3)); $outputDir = sys_get_temp_dir() . '/hls_' . $this->video->id; $s3Prefix = "hls/{$this->video->user_id}/{$this->video->id}"; mkdir($outputDir, 0777, true); $process = new \Symfony\Component\Process\Process([ '/usr/local/bin/transcode-hls.sh', $inputUrl, $outputDir ]); $process->setTimeout(7200); $process->run(); if (!$process->isSuccessful()) { throw new \RuntimeException('HLS transcoding failed: ' . $process->getErrorOutput()); } // Upload all files to S3 $iterator = new \RecursiveIteratorIterator( new \RecursiveDirectoryIterator($outputDir) ); foreach ($iterator as $file) { if (!$file->isFile()) continue; $relativePath = str_replace($outputDir . '/', '', $file->getPathname()); $s3Key = "{$s3Prefix}/{$relativePath}"; $contentType = str_ends_with($file->getFilename(), '.m3u8') ? 'application/x-mpegURL' : 'video/mp4'; Storage::disk('s3')->put($s3Key, file_get_contents($file->getPathname()), [ 'ContentType' => $contentType, 'CacheControl' => str_ends_with($file->getFilename(), '.m3u8') ? 'no-cache' // playlist not cached : 'public, max-age=31536000', // segments cached forever ]); } $this->video->update([ 'status' => 'ready', 'hls_manifest' => "{$s3Prefix}/master.m3u8", ]); // Clean up temporary files exec("rm -rf {$outputDir}"); } } 

AWS MediaConvert (Managed)

For high-load projects, we use MediaConvert. Configuration in Python:

def create_hls_job(input_key: str, output_prefix: str) -> str: client = boto3.client('mediaconvert', endpoint_url=MEDIACONVERT_ENDPOINT) job = client.create_job( Role=MEDIACONVERT_ROLE, Settings={ 'Inputs': [{'FileInput': f's3://bucket/{input_key}', 'VideoSelector': {}, 'AudioSelectors': {'Audio 1': {'DefaultSelection': 'DEFAULT'}}}], 'OutputGroups': [{ 'Name': 'Apple HLS', 'OutputGroupSettings': { 'Type': 'HLS_GROUP_SETTINGS', 'HlsGroupSettings': { 'Destination': f's3://bucket/{output_prefix}/', 'SegmentLength': 6, 'MinSegmentLength': 0, 'DirectoryStructure': 'SUBDIRECTORY_PER_STREAM', }, }, 'Outputs': [ {'NameModifier': '_1080p', 'VideoDescription': {'Width': 1920, 'Height': 1080, 'CodecSettings': {'Codec': 'H_264', 'H264Settings': {'Bitrate': 5000000, 'RateControlMode': 'CBR', 'GopSize': 90}}}, 'AudioDescriptions': [{'CodecSettings': {'Codec': 'AAC', 'AacSettings': {'Bitrate': 192000}}}]}, {'NameModifier': '_720p', 'VideoDescription': {'Width': 1280, 'Height': 720, 'CodecSettings': {'Codec': 'H_264', 'H264Settings': {'Bitrate': 2500000, 'RateControlMode': 'CBR', 'GopSize': 90}}}, 'AudioDescriptions': [{'CodecSettings': {'Codec': 'AAC', 'AacSettings': {'Bitrate': 128000}}}]}, {'NameModifier': '_360p', 'VideoDescription': {'Width': 640, 'Height': 360, 'CodecSettings': {'Codec': 'H_264', 'H264Settings': {'Bitrate': 800000, 'RateControlMode': 'CBR', 'GopSize': 90}}}, 'AudioDescriptions': [{'CodecSettings': {'Codec': 'AAC', 'AacSettings': {'Bitrate': 96000}}}]}, ], }], } ) return job['Job']['Id'] 

MediaConvert generates HLS playlists on its own. We pay only for transcoding minutes.

CloudFront CDN

To ensure fast video delivery worldwide, we configure CloudFront with two cache policies: for playlists (TTL 5 seconds) and segments (TTL 1 year).

resource "aws_cloudfront_distribution" "video" { origin { domain_name = aws_s3_bucket.videos.bucket_regional_domain_name origin_id = "s3-videos" origin_access_control_id = aws_cloudfront_origin_access_control.default.id } enabled = true is_ipv6_enabled = true default_cache_behavior { allowed_methods = ["GET", "HEAD"] cached_methods = ["GET", "HEAD"] target_origin_id = "s3-videos" viewer_protocol_policy = "redirect-to-https" forwarded_values { query_string = false cookies { forward = "none" } headers = ["Origin", "Access-Control-Request-Method", "Access-Control-Request-Headers"] } min_ttl = 0 default_ttl = 86400 max_ttl = 31536000 } # Playlists .m3u8 — short cache ordered_cache_behavior { path_pattern = "*.m3u8" allowed_methods = ["GET", "HEAD"] cached_methods = ["GET", "HEAD"] target_origin_id = "s3-videos" viewer_protocol_policy = "redirect-to-https" forwarded_values { query_string = false cookies { forward = "none" } } min_ttl = 0 default_ttl = 5 max_ttl = 30 } } 

React Player with hls.js

Client-side integration: hls.js for modern browsers, fallback to native HLS in Safari.

import Hls from 'hls.js'; import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react'; interface VideoPlayerProps { manifestUrl: string; poster?: string; } export function VideoPlayer({ manifestUrl, poster }: VideoPlayerProps) { const videoRef = useRef<HTMLVideoElement>(null); useEffect(() => { const video = videoRef.current; if (!video) return; if (Hls.isSupported()) { const hls = new Hls({ maxBufferLength: 30, maxMaxBufferLength: 60, lowLatencyMode: false, }); hls.loadSource(manifestUrl); hls.attachMedia(video); hls.on(Hls.Events.ERROR, (_, data) => { if (data.fatal) { if (data.type === Hls.ErrorTypes.NETWORK_ERROR) { hls.startLoad(); } else { hls.destroy(); } } }); return () => hls.destroy(); } else if (video.canPlayType('application/vnd.apple.mpegurl')) { // Safari: native HLS support video.src = manifestUrl; } }, [manifestUrl]); return ( <video ref={videoRef} poster={poster} controls playsInline style={{ width: '100%', maxHeight: '80vh' }} /> ); } 

What's Included in the Work

We handle the complete cycle for implementing HLS/DASH streaming on your website:

• Transcoding video into three qualities (1080p, 720p, 360p) using FFmpeg or AWS MediaConvert.
• Integration with queues (Laravel Horizon) for async processing.
• Development of a custom React player based on hls.js with UI customization support.
• Setting up CDN (CloudFront or Cloudflare) for fast content delivery.
• Detailed documentation of the pipeline architecture.
• Training your team on the system.
• 2 weeks of post-launch support.

Typical Mistakes

• Incorrect bitrates: too low for 1080p, too high for 360p. We use Apple recommendations.
• Playlist caching: if master.m3u8 is cached, the player won't see new qualities after retranscoding. We set no-cache.
• Missing CORS: browser blocks segments. We configure CORS on S3/CloudFront.
• Hydration mismatch: if the player renders on the server, it may mismatch with client. We use dynamic import.

Process of Work

1. Analysis — study source videos, DRM requirements, target audience.
2. Design — select stack (self-hosted FFmpeg or MediaConvert), determine bitrates, CDN.
3. Implementation — write transcoder, job, player.
4. Testing — check LCP, CLS, INP, Core Web Vitals.
5. Deployment — deploy to production, monitor logs.

Timeline and Cost

Cost is calculated individually based on video volume, bitrates, and DRM needs. Contact us for an assessment of your project — we'll calculate the timeline and cost. Order HLS/DASH streaming implementation and get a consultation. We guarantee your video will work lag-free on any device.