Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by, and normally presented to, an end-user (using a client) while it is being delivered by a streaming provider (using a server). Streaming can be accomplished using stateless communication between the client and server by breaking media up into chunks that are individually addressable and can be individually requested by clients. For a particular media event or content item, the streaming server provides a manifest file that describes each of the chunks that comprise the event. For example, a one-minute video may include 60 one-second audiovisual chunks. Each chunk contains metadata and media content.
The metadata may describe useful information about the media content, such as the bit rate of the media content, where the media content fits into a larger media element, a codec used to encode the media content, and so forth. The client uses this information to place the chunk into a storyboard of the larger media element and to properly decode and playback the media content. The chunks can be in any format, such as Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) 4 boxes or other containers. A client plays a media event to a user by reading the manifest and regularly requesting chunks from the server. The user may also skip around (e.g., seek, fast forward, rewind) and the client can provide these behaviors by requesting later or earlier chunks described by the manifest. For live events, the server may provide the manifest to the client piecemeal, so that the server informs the client of newly available chunks as they become available.