Overview#
An investigator reviewing surveillance footage from a remote field office should not have to wait for a large file download before they can start working. An analyst and a prosecutor reviewing the same body-worn camera clip need to see the same frame at the same moment, even when they are in different locations. The Media Streaming and Playback module delivers evidence video over adaptive bitrate streams that adjust to available bandwidth in real time, while supporting synchronised multi-user sessions and annotation overlays that make collaborative review practical.
This module is used across law enforcement investigation review, court preparation, military video intelligence briefings, and any context where evidence video must be accessed quickly, accurately, and by more than one person at a time.
Key Features#
- Adaptive bitrate streaming that adjusts quality to network conditions without interrupting playback
- Synchronised multi-user playback for collaborative evidence review across distributed teams
- Annotation overlay support displaying timestamps, analyst markers, and notes during playback
- Frame-accurate seeking for precise examination of specific moments in evidence footage
- Multi-format playback supporting the full range of evidence video formats encountered in practice
- Offline playback capability for field access where network connectivity is unreliable
- Playback speed controls including slow motion and fast forward for detailed review
- Bookmark and clip creation during review sessions, linked directly to case files
Use Cases#
- Streaming evidence video for remote review with quality adapting to the available connection, keeping investigators productive regardless of location
- Running synchronised multi-user playback sessions so analysts, prosecutors, and investigators can review the same footage simultaneously with shared timestamps
- Reviewing evidence with annotation overlays showing existing analyst markers, allowing a second reviewer to build on prior work without switching tools
- Creating clips and bookmarks during video review for targeted case preparation and court exhibit selection
Integration#
Media Streaming and Playback connects with evidence management, the annotation system, and collaborative review workflows. Clips and bookmarks created during sessions are written back to the case file. All playback activity is logged in the audit trail, supporting chain of custody documentation for court evidence.
Open Standards#
- HTTP Live Streaming (HLS / IETF RFC 8216): The streaming delivery layer generates and serves HLS manifest files (
.m3u8) with adaptive bitrate segment playlists, allowing playback clients to switch quality tiers in response to changing network conditions. - MPEG-DASH (ISO/IEC 23009-1): Alongside HLS, the platform produces DASH manifests (
.mpd) and exposes a dedicated DASH playback URL per video, giving clients a choice of adaptive streaming format. - TUS Resumable Upload Protocol: Direct client-side video uploads use the TUS open protocol for resumable HTTP uploads, ensuring that large evidence files survive interrupted connections without requiring a full re-upload.
- RTMPS / RTMP: Live streaming ingest endpoints accept Real-Time Messaging Protocol over TLS (RTMPS), providing a standardised ingest path for body-worn cameras, encoders, and broadcasting software.
- Secure Reliable Transport (SRT): Live inputs additionally expose SRT endpoints, an open-source low-latency transport protocol suited to unreliable wide-area links common in field deployments.
- WebRTC (W3C): Synchronised multi-user review sessions use WebRTC for peer signalling, exchanging SDP offer/answer messages and ICE candidates over WebSocket to establish direct media paths between participants.
- JSON Web Tokens (JWT / RFC 7519): Time-limited signed playback URLs are issued as JWTs, carrying the video identifier, expiry claim, and key identifier so that access-controlled streams can be validated without a round-trip to the server.
Last Reviewed: 2026-02-05 Last Updated: 2026-04-14