Live streaming
HLS vs RTMP: choosing the right live streaming protocol
A practical comparison of latency, quality and compatibility for professional events.
When RTMP fits
RTMP remains a common way to send an encoder feed to a streaming platform and supports a straightforward workflow with relatively low latency. It suits interactive events where delivery speed is critical.
When HLS wins
HLS sends video as HTTPS segments, offers broad delivery compatibility and adaptive playback, and can support HEVC and HDR where accepted. The tradeoff is generally higher latency; YouTube does not support ultra-low latency with HLS ingestion.
Choose from requirements
Define acceptable latency, image quality, audience devices and redundancy before choosing. Test the entire path before the event, then monitor dropped frames, bitrate and audio sync during production.
Official sources
YouTube HLS guide: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10349430
YouTube latency guide: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7444635