ffmpeg-streaming

## CRITICAL GUIDELINES

### Windows File Path Requirements

**MANDATORY: Always Use Backslashes on Windows for File Paths**

When using Edit or Write tools on Windows, you MUST use backslashes (`\`) in file paths, NOT forward slashes (`/`).

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## Quick Reference

| Protocol | Latency | Output Format | Best For |
|----------|---------|---------------|----------|
| RTMP | 2-5s | `-f flv rtmp://...` | Twitch, YouTube ingest |
| HLS | 10-30s | `-f hls output.m3u8` | Web playback, CDN |
| LL-HLS | 2-5s | `-hls_flags low_latency` | Low-latency web |
| SRT | <1s | `-f mpegts srt://...` | Reliable contribution |
| DASH | 10-30s | `-f dash output.mpd` | ABR streaming |

| Platform | Ingest URL |
|----------|------------|
| Twitch | `rtmp://live.twitch.tv/app/{key}` |
| YouTube | `rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/{key}` |
| Facebook | `rtmps://live-api-s.facebook.com:443/rtmp/{key}` |

## When to Use This Skill

Use for **live streaming workflows**:
- Broadcasting to Twitch, YouTube, Facebook
- Setting up HLS/DASH servers for VOD
- Building ABR encoding ladders
- Low-latency streaming requirements
- Multi-destination restreaming

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# FFmpeg Streaming Guide (2025)

Complete guide to live streaming with FFmpeg covering RTMP, HLS, DASH, SRT, and WebRTC protocols.

**Current Latest**: FFmpeg 8.0.1 (released 2025-11-20) - Check with `ffmpeg -version`

## Streaming Protocols Overview

### Protocol Comparison (2025)

| Protocol | Latency | Compatibility | Security | Use Case |
|----------|---------|---------------|----------|----------|
| RTMP | 1-5s | Legacy, ingestion | TLS (RTMPS) | Stream ingestion |
| HLS | 6-30s | Universal | AES-128 | CDN delivery |
| DASH | 6-30s | Wide | DRM-ready | ABR streaming |
| LL-HLS | 2-4s | Apple/modern | AES-128 | Low-latency |
| LL-DASH | 2-4s | Modern browsers | DRM-ready | Low-latency |
| SRT | <1s | Growing | AES-128/256 | Contribution |
| WebRTC | <0.5s | Browsers | DTLS/SRTP | Real-time |
| WHIP | <1s | Emerging | TLS | WebRTC ingestion