I am trying to write a JavaScript-based implementation of MPEG-DASH for video streaming. I have referenced the following documents:

• dash.js - .js/wiki
• Google Shaka Player -

These libraries are using MSE (Media Source Extensions).

My understanding

MPEG-DASH is an international standard for streaming video, but it is currently not natively supported in iOS devices. In other browsers and devices, it requires a JavaScript library or a video player that supports MPEG-DASH (eg: Dash.Js, Shaka player).

And another streaming technology is HLS. It is an adaptive streaming communications protocol created by Apple. The Safari browser can play HLS streams within a web page, iPhone, and iPod touch devices.

Here, we can see that MPEG-DASH (because of MSE) is currently not natively supported in iOS devices.

Now, my doubts:

1. How can we stream MPEG-DASH videos in iOS without MSE?
2. How Facebook and other streaming media services play their videos? is it with HLS only ?

Any suggestion/explanations would be more than helpful!

I am trying to write a JavaScript-based implementation of MPEG-DASH for video streaming. I have referenced the following documents:

• dash.js - https://github.com/Dash-Industry-Forum/dash.js/wiki
• Google Shaka Player - https://github.com/google/shaka-player

These libraries are using MSE (Media Source Extensions).

My understanding

MPEG-DASH is an international standard for streaming video, but it is currently not natively supported in iOS devices. In other browsers and devices, it requires a JavaScript library or a video player that supports MPEG-DASH (eg: Dash.Js, Shaka player).

And another streaming technology is HLS. It is an adaptive streaming communications protocol created by Apple. The Safari browser can play HLS streams within a web page, iPhone, and iPod touch devices.

Here, we can see that MPEG-DASH (because of MSE) is currently not natively supported in iOS devices.

Now, my doubts:

1. How can we stream MPEG-DASH videos in iOS without MSE?
2. How Facebook and other streaming media services play their videos? is it with HLS only ?

Any suggestion/explanations would be more than helpful!

• javascript
• ios
• html
• video
• mpeg-dash

• Clarification caniuse.com/?search=mse MPEG-DASH is currently supported in iPad OS, they even bragged about implicitly in an iPad keynote. I suspect this is carrier pleasing, like "5Ge." But also, battery life will be better if you don't watch HD video and use fallbacks instead. – Ray Foss Commented Mar 11, 2021 at 21:19

3 Answers 3

1. You can’t.

2. Yes they use HLS. iOS 10 and above support fmp4 in HLS. so the only difference between dash and hls is the manifest.

Try providing both HLS and DASH containers and let media queries choose the appropriate one.

You can setup proxy server on a device and then create a parser that will be translating mpd files into m3u8 and serve m3u8 for AVPlayer. For ios proxy GCD should do the trick: GCDWebServer