Improved conformance tool helps ensure interoperability for DASH delivery

A freely available tool that validates the conformance of DASH content to relevant media specifications has been improved thanks to a collaboration between five industry bodies. The DASH-IF Conformance Tool is available as either an online service or open-source software.

DASH is a streaming technology that allows receivers to automatically choose the best quality video stream based on the device’s capabilities and the speed of the internet connection, allowing viewers to enjoy the best possible video quality without buffering or interruptions. While the MPEG DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) specifications describe client behaviour, conformance of DASH content is important for interoperability. 

The Conformance Tool was launched by the DASH Industry Forum over a decade ago and has been continuously updated and extended to test against relevant specifications from other bodies. A joint project undertaken over the past two years has improved the tool, making it more reliable and accessible. Along with DASH (including DVB-DASH) content conformance, the new tool has options to check for CMAF and WAVE requirements, and for HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) requirements as well.

The updates to the tool were funded by the JCCP (Joint Content Conformance Partners), a group of five organizations including the DVB Project, DASH-IF, the Consumer Technology Association WAVE (Web Application Video Ecosystem) Project, the HbbTV Association, and ATSC. The project partners encourage the use of the tool by the industry and look forward to receiving feedback that can lead to further enhancements and improvements.

The DASH-IF Conformance Tool will be among the projects presented and discussed during the online OSMART Workshop #2 on 6–7 December 2023.