Getting log stats on which stream was watched inside a SMIL file

Wowza Streaming Engine
1

Hi Everyone,

We are streaming ABR HLS on demand streams using a SMIL file as standard.

Currently we are only seeing stats in the logs for the actual container SMIL file. Is there are way to see which individual bitrate/quality the user watched/switched to within the SMIL?

Thanks for any light you guys can shed on this.

2

Hi,

When using a .stream file this becomes the name of the ABR stream. Wowza only logs the stream name which is being played and doesn’t provide information on which rendition is being played within the stream.

I found an older post from support member that said this has been added to the feature request list, which means that it will be looked at and considered for future versions of Wowza Streaming Engine.

Regards,

Salvadore

3

Hi,

Yes you’re correct, it appears to be a typing mistake in Sal’s post as he’s written “.stream” but intended to write “.smil”, which is easily done.

The rendition which is being played can sometimes be found from the player side as it’s the one which is doing the switches based on the end user’s available bandwidth.

You could also write a custom Module to override key functions to get each request for more customization. If you need assistance writing some custom code to do this, we have a list of independent consultants which is available on request. Alternatively you can post in our Find a consultant forum for assistance.

Regards,

Jason

4

Hey Salvadore,

Thanks for your reply.

We’re using a smil file so assuming this is the same right?

It’s useful to know your audience and which bitrates are are viewed over a period of time to get an understanding of users connections so it surprises me that there isn’t a way to get this info. Do you know if any custom development could achieve this with modules?

Cheers