Introducing Near-Zero Latency, Live Video Streaming

Over the last couple of months, we've listened to your feedback and have made meaningful changes to your video security system to make it even better.

Today, Rhombus has released a new product update that will bring video lag down from 2-4 seconds to 100-400ms—the approximate time it takes to blink an eye. This is a major breakthrough in the IP/cloud camera market, where until now, the average video playback delay was 2-4 seconds. This near-zero latency video streaming is available for both LAN and WAN connections.

To learn more about low latency and why it matters for video security, check out: Guide to Ultra-Low Latency and Real-Time Video Streaming for IP Cameras

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With this innovative technology, Rhombus provides the best latency and streaming performance in the industry. Check out the video below comparing the current time vs. real-time feed (video updated as of July 2021).

Why Is Live Streaming Hard?

Traditionally, live media streaming for IP cameras has been done using conventional multimedia container formats like mp4 or Matroska, over media streaming protocols like DASH, HLS, and RTSP.

Due to the inherent nature of the multimedia container model, raw video frames (H264/HEVC) are first required to be collected before they can be bundled into the container for transmission over the network and to the video player. This means that if a multimedia container file represents 2 seconds of video, a minimum delay of 2 seconds will occur at the containerization module before the media is ready to be sent over the network. Once the containerized media file is sent over the network, the player must then unwrap the frames from the multimedia container, which causes traditional players to maintain a buffer of 0.5 to 2 seconds to smooth everything out for video playback. This is how the 2-4 second average delay time is created.

We saw removing this delay as a huge challenge. By tackling this problem head-on, we've developed an innovative end-to-end model for live media streaming that no longer requires multimedia containerization, unwrapping, and almost zero buffering. Additionally, no special client software or browser plug-ins are required. Everything works with the latest browsers, and we can’t wait for you to experience the difference for yourself. This next-generation model enables us to provide smooth live streaming with nearly zero seconds of video lag.

How can I get this?

This feature is available to all customers starting today at no extra cost. If you have any questions or comments, we always love to hear them.

Thank you for being part of Rhombus.