November 27, 2023

Improved conformance tool helps ensure interoperability for DASH delivery

A freely available tool that validates the conformance of DASH content to relevant media specifications has been improved thanks to a collaboration between five industry bodies. The DASH-IF Conformance Tool is available as either an online service or open-source software.

While the MPEG DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) specifications describe client behaviour, conformance of DASH content is important for interoperability.

The Conformance Tool was launched by DASH-IF over a decade ago and has been continuously updated and extended to test against relevant specifications from other bodies. A joint project undertaken over the past two years has improved the tool, making it more reliable and accessible. Along with DASH content conformance, the new tool has options to check for CMAF and WAVE requirements, and for HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) requirements as well.

The JCCP (Joint Content Conformance Partners) was funded by the HbbTV Association along with DASH-IF, the DVB Project, the Consumer Technology Association^® WAVE (Web Application Video Ecosystem) Project, and ATSC. The project partners encourage the use of the tool by the industry and look forward to receiving feedback that can lead to further enhancements and improvements.

The DASH-IF Conformance Tool will be presented and discussed during the online OSMART Workshop #2 on December 6-7, 2023.

How DASH Works

Imagine you’re watching a movie on a streaming service like Netflix or YouTube. The movie starts playing right away, even though the entire movie hasn’t finished downloading. This is possible thanks to a technology called Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). DASH makes it possible to watch videos smoothly and without interruption, even if your internet connection is slow or unreliable.

When you watch streaming video using DASH, your device will automatically choose the best quality video stream based on your device’s capabilities and the speed of your internet connection. This way, you can enjoy the best possible video quality without buffering or interruptions.