MSS in AWS Elemental MediaPackage - AWS Elemental MediaPackage v2
When to use MSSChoosing the right streaming protocol for your audiencePlanning your MSS implementationMSS use cases

MSS in AWS Elemental MediaPackage

AWS Elemental MediaPackage supports Microsoft Smooth Streaming (MSS) for delivering content to legacy devices such as smart TVs and other platforms where MSS is the preferred or required streaming format. This topic provides an overview of MSS and how it works with MediaPackage.

MSS remains important for reaching legacy devices and platforms that don't support newer protocols, even though HLS and DASH are more common in modern streaming environments.

Similar to other adaptive bitrate streaming protocols like HLS and DASH, MSS dynamically adjusts the quality of a video stream based on network conditions and device capabilities. The key difference is that MSS uses a different format and structure for its manifests and segments, and it was developed by Microsoft specifically for their platforms (like Silverlight, Xbox, etc.).

When to use MSS

MSS is particularly valuable in the following scenarios:

  • Legacy device support: If your audience uses older smart TVs, set-top boxes, or gaming consoles (particularly Xbox 360) that only support MSS, this format is essential for reaching those viewers.

  • Corporate environments: Many enterprise environments standardized on Microsoft technologies, including Silverlight-based players, and may not have updated their infrastructure to support newer protocols.

  • Multi-protocol strategy: For maximum audience reach, content providers often implement a multi-protocol strategy where the same content is available in HLS, DASH, and MSS formats, allowing the client to use whichever format it supports best.

  • Regions with older device penetration: In some geographic regions, older devices with MSS support remain common, making this format important for reaching those markets.

Choosing the right streaming protocol for your audience

To reach the widest possible audience, select the appropriate streaming protocols based on your viewers' devices. This section helps you decide when to use MSS versus other protocols.

Protocol selection guide

Use this guide to determine which protocols you need to implement:

  1. Identify your audience's devices: Survey your target audience to understand what devices they use to consume your content.

  2. Check device compatibility: If your audience includes any of these devices, consider implementing MSS:

    • Xbox 360 consoles

    • Legacy smart TVs (especially older Samsung and LG models)

    • Devices with Microsoft Silverlight players

    • Corporate environments with standardized Microsoft infrastructure

  3. Evaluate audience reach vs. implementation cost: Determine what percentage of your audience requires MSS support and whether the additional implementation effort is justified.

  4. Consider a multi-protocol approach: For maximum audience reach, implement multiple protocols and use device detection to serve the appropriate format.

Protocol comparison for implementation planning

This comparison helps you understand the key differences between streaming protocols to plan your implementation:

Streaming Protocol Comparison
Feature MSS HLS DASH
Developer Microsoft Apple MPEG
Year introduced 2008 2009 2012
Manifest format XML M3U8 (text) XML (MPD)
Segment format MP4 (ISM) TS or fMP4 MP4
DRM support PlayReady only FairPlay, AES-128 Multiple (Widevine, PlayReady, etc.)
Device support Xbox, Silverlight, older smart TVs iOS, macOS, newer smart TVs Android, browsers, newer smart TVs
Industry adoption Limited (legacy) Widespread Growing

Common implementation scenarios

Based on your audience needs, consider these common implementation scenarios:

Modern devices only

If your audience exclusively uses modern devices (smartphones, tablets, newer smart TVs, modern browsers):

  • Recommended: HLS and DASH

  • Not needed: MSS

Mixed device ecosystem

If your audience uses a mix of modern and legacy devices:

  • Recommended: HLS, DASH, and MSS

  • Implementation approach: Use device detection at the CDN level to route viewers to the appropriate format

Corporate/Enterprise environments

If delivering to corporate environments with standardized Microsoft infrastructure:

  • Recommended: MSS (primary) with HLS/DASH as alternatives

  • Implementation approach: Optimize for MSS playback while providing alternatives for BYOD scenarios

While HLS and DASH are now the dominant streaming protocols for modern devices, MSS continues to play an important role in comprehensive streaming strategies that aim to reach the widest possible audience.

Planning your MSS implementation

When you plan your MSS implementation in MediaPackage, you need to understand the technical requirements and considerations to ensure successful delivery to legacy devices.

Technical requirements

Make sure your implementation meets these technical requirements:

  • Container type: MSS requires the ISM container type. You cannot use CMAF or TS containers with MSS manifests.

  • Encryption: Only CENC encryption with PlayReady DRM is supported for MSS content. Key rotation is not supported.

  • Audio codecs: MSS typically uses AAC audio with the AACL FourCC code.

  • Video codecs: MSS typically uses H.264 video with the H264 FourCC code.

Implementation options

When you configure your MSS endpoints, consider these options:

  • Manifest layouts: Choose between:

    • Full layout: Better compatibility with older players but larger manifest size

    • Compact layout: Uses the FragmentRepeat field to significantly reduce manifest size for streams with consistent segment durations

  • Subtitles: If you need subtitles, use TTML format as MSS does not support WebVTT.

Implementation limitations

Be aware of these limitations when you plan your MSS implementation:

  • SCTE-35: MSS endpoints do not support SCTE-35 message passthrough or ad marker insertion. If you need ad insertion, consider server-side ad insertion before packaging.

  • DRM options: Only PlayReady DRM is supported. Key rotation is not supported for MSS content. If you need multi-DRM support, you'll need to implement additional protocols alongside MSS.

  • Subtitle formats: Limited to TTML subtitles only.

Implementation checklist

Use this checklist when you plan your MSS implementation:

  1. Verify your source content is compatible with MSS requirements (codecs, container)

  2. Decide on manifest layout based on your audience's devices (Full for maximum compatibility, Compact for efficiency)

  3. Understand that LookaheadCount is fixed at 2 and plan your segment duration accordingly for desired latency

  4. If encryption is needed, set up a SPEKE key provider for PlayReady DRM

  5. Configure your CDN with appropriate cache settings and MIME types for MSS content

  6. Test playback on representative devices from your target audience

For step-by-step instructions on creating MSS endpoints, see Create an MSS manifest.

MSS use cases

Consider using MSS endpoints in the following scenarios:

  • Delivering content to legacy smart TVs and devices that only support MSS

  • Supporting Microsoft platforms where MSS is the preferred streaming format

  • Creating multi-protocol streaming workflows that need to include MSS alongside other formats

  • Broadcasting to regions where older devices with MSS support are still common

  • Supporting Xbox 360 and other legacy Microsoft gaming consoles

  • Providing content to corporate environments that standardized on Microsoft Silverlight-based players

Here's a real-world example of MSS implementation:

Example Broadcasting sports events to multiple device types

A major sports broadcaster needed to stream live events to viewers using a wide range of devices, from modern smartphones to older smart TVs and gaming consoles. They implemented a multi-protocol strategy using MediaPackage to create:

  • HLS endpoints for iOS devices and newer smart TVs

  • DASH endpoints for Android devices and modern browsers

  • MSS endpoints for Xbox 360 consoles and older Samsung smart TVs

By including MSS in their delivery strategy, they were able to reach an additional 15% of their audience who were using legacy devices that didn't support newer protocols. The broadcaster configured their CDN to route viewers to the appropriate format based on device detection, ensuring optimal playback for all viewers regardless of their device.

For information about testing MSS playback on compatible devices, see Testing MSS playback in AWS Elemental MediaPackage.

The following sections provide more information about using MSS with MediaPackage.

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