What is Media Over QUIC (moq) ?
Media over QUIC (moq) is an initiative within the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) aimed at developing a streamlined and low-latency solution for the efficient delivery of media content, encompassing areas such as live streaming, gaming, and media conferencing. This solution is intended to cater to various scenarios and scale effectively, while also being compatible with both web browsers and non-browser endpoints.
The primary focus of this endeavor is to establish protocol mechanisms that facilitate the publication and reception of media content. The protocol designed for media publication will enable the transmission of diverse media forms, including audio, video, and timed metadata such as closed captions and cue points. The protocol's features will encompass:
Support for Multiple Formats: The protocol will accommodate one or more media formats, ensuring versatility in media representation.
Interoperable Indication: A standardized way to denote the type of media and the format being transmitted will be established for seamless interoperability.
Adaptation Strategies: Strategies for adapting to changes in codec rates, media encoding, and quality will be incorporated, enhancing the delivery experience.
Cache-Friendly Mechanisms: Mechanisms that facilitate media caching in a user-friendly manner will be included, enhancing efficiency.
The mechanism for naming and receiving media will empower clients to request media from a specific point in a stream and select desired encoding options such as language and bit rate.
Media content will be mapped onto the underlying mechanisms of the QUIC protocol, such as QUIC streams and QUIC datagrams. This media can be transmitted over the raw QUIC protocol or via the WebTransport mechanism.
The solution will support various media formats and encodings, ensuring flexibility and adaptability. Additionally, the solution will be extensible to accommodate evolving media technologies.
Authentication of clients to servers or relays for transmitting or receiving media will be accomplished through a simple method. Transport layer encryption using standard QUIC mechanisms will safeguard media content during transmission. In some use cases, media content might be end-to-end encrypted. While relays cannot access the actual content in such scenarios, they can still access authenticated metadata required for caching, forwarding decisions, and other functions.
The working group responsible for this initiative will not propose alterations to the core QUIC transport but may define requirements for potential QUIC extensions. Additionally, they will not establish signaling mechanisms for the discovery of relays or media producers/consumers.
This working group will collaborate with other relevant IETF groups, including QUIC, WebTransport, and MOPS, as necessary. It will also maintain communication with external entities such as the MPEG Systems WG, DASH Industry Forum, and W3C WebTransport, as appropriate to ensure alignment and comprehensive development.
