FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For more information about the SRT Alliance and the SRT technology, have a look at our frequently asked questions and answers.
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)
Despite advances in internet streaming, live video transport still faces latency challenges due to:
- Packet loss when sending UDP-based low latency MPEG Transport Streams over the public internet
- Bandwidth limitations introduced by network congestion control when using the TCP protocol in RTMP
- Segment-based protocols such as HLS and DASH transmitted over HTTP (TCP)
Generally, overcoming these problems requires the provisioning of high-cost reserved links like MPLS or satellite networks. With the open source implementation of SRT, any developer has access to a streaming protocol that provides a secure and reliable solution for low latency video transport with packet loss recovery, end-to-end security with AES encryption, network health monitoring between endpoints, and simplified firewall traversal. Furthermore, developers can enable SRT functionality over any network, including cost-effective public internet.
SRT is a video streaming technology that leverages a combination of broad video ecosystem components and technology advantages to enable the best quality live video over unpredictable networks, even the public internet. SRT accounts for packet loss, jitter, and fluctuating bandwidth, maintaining the integrity and quality of your video. SRT enables you to keep your streams secure and easily traverse firewalls.
SRT source code, complete with building tools and tutorials, is for any developer who aims to deliver low-latency video streaming solutions for their users. This can include broadcast solution providers, video streaming technology vendors, enterprise video platform developers, live event production companies, OEM hardware developers, and any other developer needing low latency video streaming for hardware or software. Sample utilities are also included in the repository to accelerate trials and provide integration code examples.
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.
SRT source code is freely available on GitHub at https:/github.com/haivision/srt. Developers can improve upon, use, and re-contribute to SRT under the MPL-2.0 license.
Contributors from the open source community own it. The open source community reaps all the benefits of source code contributions; however, copyright and ownership remain with their respective contributors. The contributors grant licenses to others to use under MPL-2.0 license. The open source implementation of SRT is managed and maintained by the SRT Alliance.
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.
As an open source project, SRT source code is available for download and use by any developer. Should these developers want to promote the use of SRT in their applications, they can self certify and refer to themselves as “SRT Ready”. Partners will be responsible for providing their own testlab, installation documentation, plans, and results. The SRT Ready logo is available for download at the bottom of this page.
The mission of the SRT Alliance is to support the free availability of the open source SRT video transport protocol in order to accelerate innovation through collaborative development. Furthermore, the SRT Alliance will promote industry-wide recognition and adoption of SRT as a common and defacto standard for all low latency internet streaming.
An important goal of the SRT Alliance is to make new features available to the open source community.
Community-contributed open source SRT functionality will be available to any developer, and new developments by SRT Alliance members will migrate back into open source SRT on a regular basis.
SRT is now available on several solutions by many manufacturers and service providers. SRT can be found on various encoders, decoders, gateways, players, streaming platforms and more, including VLC and GStreamer. To know who offers SRT Ready solutions, visit the Members page and select the SRT Ready filter.
