What a streaming player does
- Reads the manifest and downloads video segments
- Chooses and switches quality as the connection changes
- Requests DRM licenses and plays protected content
- Shows subtitles and offers alternative audio tracks
- Inserts or signals advertising
- Reports playback events for analytics
- Remembers position so viewing can resume on another device
Players differ by platform
There is no single player that runs everywhere. Browsers use JavaScript players built on the browser's media extensions. iOS and tvOS use Apple's native player; Android and Android TV commonly use Google's Media3 ExoPlayer; Samsung and LG televisions have their own. A service needs each one configured to behave consistently.
What to look for
- Fast start and few stalls, measured on real devices
- Support for the DRM systems each device requires
- Controls viewers expect: speed, quality, subtitles, picture-in-picture, casting
- Live features: rewind within a live stream, jump back to live
- Accessibility: captions, audio description, keyboard and remote navigation
- Branding that matches the rest of the service
Player vs platform
A player on its own only plays a stream it is given. Encoding, storage, delivery, entitlement checks and billing happen elsewhere. An OTT platform supplies the player already integrated with all of those.
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