SRT, which stands for Secure Reliable Transport, is a video streaming transport protocol and technology stack (similar in concept to Reliable UDP). The open source implementation of SRT is based on Haivision’s SRT, a technology package and protocol that connects two endpoints for the purposes of delivering low latency video and other media streams across lossy networks.

SRT key features:

• AES 128/256 bit encryption
• Packet loss recovery through advanced low latency retransmission techniques
• Video and audio stream timing recovery
• Ability to designate any endpoint as “sender”, “receiver”, or “rendezvous” mode
• Detect the network performance between endpoints (packet loss, latency, jitter)

Open source SRT is distributed under MPL-2.0. We chose Mozilla Public License because it strikes a balance between driving adoption for open source SRT, while encouraging contributions to improve upon it by the community of adopters. Thus, any third party is free to use the SRT source in a larger work regardless of how that larger work is compiled. Should they make source code changes, they would be obligated to make those changes available to the community.

Haivision is providing SRT to the world to show market leadership and to embrace open source collaboration for progressing the technology.

For over 13 years, Haivision has been dedicated to innovating in video streaming technology. As video streaming becomes ubiquitous, Haivision recognises the need to ensure broader ecosystem collaboration given that real world custom workflows inevitably combine technology from multiple vendors. In order to ensure seamless interoperability in these complex ecosystems, Haivision believes that SRT can serve as the low-latency glue that bonds video streaming technology together.

Haivision recognizes that no matter how great SRT is, adoption is unlikely if the technology is proprietary. Technology providers need reassurance that they have control of their own technology roadmaps. Thus, the open source initiative.

By opening up SRT technology to the world, everybody including Haivision customers can benefit from an open ecosystem where they will be able to integrate their video streaming technologies with other video solutions, network infrastructures and systems.