DASH: Implement Manifest-chaining

[peaBerberian]

NOTE: To facilitate tests, I deployed that work on the https://developers.canal-plus.com/rx-player/mpd-chaining demo page

This is a very naive implementation of the DASH Manifest chaining concept which allows to signal a next content to load from the first content's MPD. Use cases we've heard of are mainly pre-roll or post-roll contents (basically ad before and after a content) including for live contents.

I only handle the chaining at the end of the previous content for now. There is a second situation "Fallback Chaining" which is supposed to do so at the "failure" of a content that I do not yet handle as it poses much more questions in terms of RxPlayer API.

Even in that very simple chaining after ENDED, there is still some API question left: should we send an event when chaining? What loadVideo options should we set, should we ask the application? How can an application configure the start time of one of the chained content?

To note also that some other players preload the future content at the end of the previous one with the goal of having a lower transition time, I saw mainly the shaka-player with this. The RxPlayer has no preload concept yet.

[github-actions]

✅ Automated performance checks have passed on commit 216c111e2026390360ee01a5f65121973a66990d with the base branch dev.

Details

Performance tests 1st run output

No significative change in performance for tests:

Name	Mean	Median
loading	24.55ms -> 24.88ms (-0.327ms, z: 0.41297)	34.95ms -> 34.95ms
seeking	422.24ms -> 426.92ms (-4.679ms, z: 0.55685)	1518.30ms -> 1516.35ms
audio-track-reload	31.53ms -> 31.54ms (-0.002ms, z: 0.43421)	47.10ms -> 47.10ms
cold loading multithread	50.48ms -> 49.90ms (0.578ms, z: 10.19429)	74.55ms -> 73.65ms
seeking multithread	56.02ms -> 45.31ms (10.704ms, z: 0.46676)	19.55ms -> 19.50ms
audio-track-reload multithread	30.10ms -> 29.92ms (0.182ms, z: 1.98375)	43.95ms -> 43.95ms
hot loading multithread	19.88ms -> 19.67ms (0.217ms, z: 4.00063)	28.95ms -> 28.80ms

[github-actions]

✅ Automated performance checks have passed on commit 6d437d7c9a4c6bfc9c27ef6abfb9f9561a6b77ce with the base branch dev.

Details

Performance tests 1st run output

No significative change in performance for tests:

Name	Mean	Median
loading	24.90ms -> 26.05ms (-1.157ms, z: 0.31618)	34.80ms -> 34.80ms
seeking	222.05ms -> 180.80ms (41.251ms, z: 1.72349)	18.00ms -> 18.60ms
audio-track-reload	31.07ms -> 31.14ms (-0.071ms, z: 1.11488)	45.45ms -> 45.60ms
cold loading multithread	53.82ms -> 51.91ms (1.913ms, z: 9.12987)	77.40ms -> 76.20ms
seeking multithread	182.74ms -> 199.29ms (-16.542ms, z: 0.04829)	19.20ms -> 18.90ms
audio-track-reload multithread	30.31ms -> 30.25ms (0.061ms, z: 1.80043)	44.40ms -> 44.25ms
hot loading multithread	20.84ms -> 20.73ms (0.120ms, z: 3.22737)	30.45ms -> 30.15ms

[github-actions]

✅ Automated performance checks have passed on commit e775b5206ff22d00c6cadf7aaa72ae710e201150 with the base branch dev.

Details

Performance tests 1st run output

No significative change in performance for tests:

Name	Mean	Median
loading	26.27ms -> 26.05ms (0.215ms, z: 0.15838)	35.75ms -> 35.85ms
seeking	166.88ms -> 154.90ms (11.977ms, z: 1.21137)	19.05ms -> 19.05ms
audio-track-reload	32.59ms -> 32.64ms (-0.050ms, z: 1.45086)	48.05ms -> 48.30ms
cold loading multithread	54.39ms -> 54.34ms (0.052ms, z: 9.19315)	79.35ms -> 78.15ms
seeking multithread	96.35ms -> 93.07ms (3.286ms, z: 0.84311)	21.00ms -> 20.85ms
audio-track-reload multithread	31.55ms -> 31.50ms (0.051ms, z: 0.97289)	46.50ms -> 46.35ms
hot loading multithread	20.95ms -> 21.86ms (-0.914ms, z: 0.17415)	30.90ms -> 30.75ms

[github-actions]

✅ Automated performance checks have passed on commit b8dec96962712b01acd13aa8d8f04a0cf3e0ede6 with the base branch dev.

Details

Performance tests 1st run output

No significative change in performance for tests:

Name	Mean	Median
loading	26.17ms -> 27.53ms (-1.365ms, z: 0.35017)	36.45ms -> 36.60ms
seeking	172.02ms -> 189.32ms (-17.307ms, z: 0.42941)	19.20ms -> 19.05ms
audio-track-reload	32.73ms -> 32.72ms (0.014ms, z: 0.79392)	48.30ms -> 48.15ms
cold loading multithread	54.09ms -> 53.90ms (0.189ms, z: 7.71651)	79.65ms -> 78.45ms
seeking multithread	117.05ms -> 102.24ms (14.811ms, z: 1.96564)	20.70ms -> 20.70ms
audio-track-reload multithread	31.68ms -> 31.53ms (0.155ms, z: 1.18308)	46.50ms -> 46.50ms
hot loading multithread	21.92ms -> 21.02ms (0.901ms, z: 3.15473)	31.05ms -> 30.65ms

[github-actions]

✅ Automated performance checks have passed on commit 8ca0fe391132a906754324eb93032393e73ab073 with the base branch dev.

Details

Performance tests 1st run output

No significative change in performance for tests:

Name	Mean	Median
loading	24.90ms -> 25.16ms (-0.257ms, z: 0.15507)	34.80ms -> 34.80ms
seeking	201.23ms -> 207.38ms (-6.145ms, z: 0.77992)	18.90ms -> 18.75ms
audio-track-reload	31.36ms -> 31.43ms (-0.072ms, z: 0.56661)	46.35ms -> 46.50ms
cold loading multithread	52.66ms -> 52.09ms (0.568ms, z: 8.77344)	76.35ms -> 75.30ms
seeking multithread	96.15ms -> 88.09ms (8.057ms, z: 1.99534)	19.65ms -> 19.50ms
audio-track-reload multithread	30.48ms -> 30.53ms (-0.058ms, z: 0.38272)	44.70ms -> 44.70ms
hot loading multithread	20.47ms -> 20.33ms (0.139ms, z: 2.13519)	29.70ms -> 29.70ms

[github-actions]

✅ Automated performance checks have passed on commit 22106a80f6cedd883cd1b062566bc3b4074c6113 with the base branch dev.

Details

Performance tests 1st run output

No significative change in performance for tests:

Name	Mean	Median
loading	36.86ms -> 36.11ms (corrected: 0.641ms, A/A bias: 0.108ms, z: 0.22132)	29.70ms -> 29.75ms (corrected: -0.100ms, A/A bias: -0.050ms, z: 0.57735)
seeking	193.95ms -> 176.34ms (corrected: 14.923ms, A/A bias: 2.689ms, z: 0.28868)	11.70ms -> 11.50ms (corrected: 0.550ms, A/A bias: 0.125ms, z: 1.37121)
audio-track-reload	31.38ms -> 31.56ms (corrected: -0.114ms, A/A bias: -0.070ms, z: 0.20207)	29.80ms -> 30.20ms (corrected: -0.275ms, A/A bias: -0.025ms, z: 0.86121)
loading over active content	23.20ms -> 23.03ms (corrected: 0.055ms, A/A bias: 0.115ms, z: 0.03849)	21.50ms -> 21.25ms (corrected: -1.200ms, A/A bias: 1.275ms, z: 0.03849)
large multi-period manifest	94.62ms -> 94.29ms (corrected: -0.375ms, A/A bias: 0.710ms, z: 0.18764)	85.60ms -> 85.55ms (corrected: -2.775ms, A/A bias: -0.375ms, z: 0.18764)
cold loading multithread	52.74ms -> 51.98ms (corrected: 0.563ms, A/A bias: 0.193ms, z: 0.87565)	51.40ms -> 50.55ms (corrected: 0.800ms, A/A bias: 0.025ms, z: 3.48816)
seeking multithread	223.65ms -> 208.50ms (corrected: 40.240ms, A/A bias: -25.089ms, z: 0.91414)	13.80ms -> 13.70ms (corrected: 0.050ms, A/A bias: -0.250ms, z: 0.49075)
audio-track-reload multithread	30.71ms -> 30.48ms (corrected: 0.318ms, A/A bias: -0.087ms, z: 1.04885)	29.60ms -> 29.50ms (corrected: -0.000ms, A/A bias: 0.075ms, z: 0.01925)
hot loading multithread	21.03ms -> 20.89ms (corrected: 0.172ms, A/A bias: -0.031ms, z: 0.57254)	20.20ms -> 20.10ms (corrected: 0.000ms, A/A bias: 0.100ms, z: 0.17802)