Low-latency HTTP live streaming

A method for generating low-latency video streams using existing content delivery networks, the method comprising:

• creating a playlist for a video broadcast stream, the playlist identifying a quantity of segment files and, for each segment file, a respective tag with a target duration, the segment files including a current segment file and a next segment file, wherein each of the segment files includes header data, and wherein an interval at which key frames occur is independent of the target durations;
• transmitting the playlist and, for each of the segment files, the header data using HTTP chunk transfer protocol, to a cache server;
• obtaining the video broadcast stream as a series of frames;
• and
• determining, for each frame in the series of frames, whether the frame is a break frame;
• responsive to determining that the frame is not a break frame, assigning the frame to the current segment file and transmitting the frame to the cache server using an HTTP chunk transfer protocol, at least some of the frames being written to the current segment file subsequent to transmitting the header data for the current segment file to the cache server;
• and
• responsive to determining that the frame is a break frame:
• transmitting an end of file marker for the current segment file to the cache server,
• associating the break frame with the next segment file, and
• transmitting the break frame to the cache server as a chunk for the next segment file using the HTTP chunk transfer protocol.

A method comprising:

• receiving a playlist for a video broadcast stream from a caching server, the playlist identifying at least a current segment file and a next segment file and, for each segment file, a respective tag with a target duration, wherein an interval at which key frames occur is independent of the target durations;
• requesting the segment files from the caching server, wherein the next segment file lacks associated video frames when initially requested from the caching server;
• receiving a chunked HTTP transfer having content, the transfer identifying a segment file from the playlist;
• determining whether the chunked HTTP transfer is an end-of-file message;
• responsive to determining the chunked HTTP transfer is not an end-of-file message, adding the content of the transfer to a pipeline for rendering frames associated with the segment file identified in the transfer;
• and
• responsive to determining the chunked HTTP transfer is an end-of-file message, adding the content of the transfer to a pipeline for rendering frames associated with a next segment in the playlist.