FastPix Player for iOS

Building a video player for your iOS app often feels like solving a puzzle where the pieces just don’t fit. You start with something basic, like AVPlayer, but soon realize it’s too limited for your needs—whether it’s live streaming, adaptive resolutions, or switching between audio and subtitles. Then comes the security headache: how do you safeguard your content with token-based authentication and HTTPS without turning your setup into a tangled mess? And let’s not even get started on the time-consuming integrations, juggling dependencies, and troubleshooting unexpected quirks.

You’re perhaps not alone. Many developers face these exact struggles, searching for a solution that’s powerful, secure, and easy to work with—one that doesn’t compromise on performance or user experience.

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Using FastPix iOS player with our SDK

FastPix iOS Player SDK is designed for integrating and playing m3u8 videos within your iOS applications. It offers extensive customization options and advanced playback features. Once your video uploads reach the "ready" status, a stream URL is generated. Using this URL along with the playback ID, FastPix iOS Player enables seamless video streaming, making setup and playback easy.

The SDK supports all the features below, ensuring easy integration, enhanced playback performance, and a customizable streaming experience for iOS applications.

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1. Seamless media playback

With FastPix iOS Player you can play live and on-demand videos using streamType and publicPlaybackId.

For on-demand videos:

Swift

1// create an object of AVPlayerViewController()   
2 
3lazy var playerViewController = AVPlayerViewController()  
4 
5// using this method to play the videos using playbackID and streamType is set to on-demand 
6 
7playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID,playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions(streamType: "on-demand")) 

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For live-stream videos:  

Swift

1// using this method to play the videos using playbackID and streamType is set to live  
2playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID,playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions(streamType: "live"))

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2. Secure Playback:

In FastPix Player you can ensure content security with token-based authentication, secure playback IDs, and HTTPS support for both live and on-demand streams.

For live-stream videos:

Swift

1// use this method to play the videos using playbackID,playbackToken and streamType is set to live 
2 
3playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( streamType: "live",playbackToken: playbackToken))

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3. Custom domain streaming  

With FastPix Player you can stream videos from your own domain with minimal configuration.

For on-demand videos:

Swift

1// use this method to play the videos with custom Domain, playbackID, playbackToken and streamType is set to on-demand 
2 
3playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions(customDomain: "customeDomain", playbackToken: playbackToken, streamType: "on-demand"))

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For live-stream videos:

Swift

1// use this method to play the videos with custom Domain, playbackID, playbackToken and streamType is set to live  
2playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions(customDomain: "customeDomain", playbackToken: playbackToken, streamType: "live")) 

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4. Subtitle switching

• Enable switching between multiple subtitle tracks for enhanced accessibility and multi-language support.
• If the playback supports or is integrated with multiple subtitles, the FastPix iOS Player automatically detects and displays all available subtitle options, simplifying the implementation process.  

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5. Audio track Switching

• Allow users to dynamically switch between audio tracks during playback, perfect for multi-language or additional audio options.
• The FastPix iOS Player automatically detects and displays all available audio track options, If the playback supports or is integrated with multiple audio tracks simplifying the implementation process for dynamic audio switching.

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6. Control the playback resolution  

FastPix iOS Player allows you to configure playback resolution, including minimum, maximum, specific, and range-based resolutions for optimized streaming.

Use this method to play videos with custom minResolution and playbackID

Swift

1playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( minResolution :  (example :  . atLeast270p) )) 

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Use this method to play videos with custom minResolution, playbackID and playbackToken

Swift

1playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( minResolution :  (example :  . atLeast270p) , playbackToken: playbackToken ))  

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Use this method to play videos with custom maxResolution and playbackID

Swift

1playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( maxResolution :  (example :  .upTo1080p)  ))

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Use this method to play videos with custom maxResolution, playbackID and playbackToken

1playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( maxResolution :  (example :  .upTo1080p) , playbackToken: playbackToken ))

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Use this method to play videos with a specific resolution, playbackID and playbackToken

1playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( resolution :  (example :  .set480p, playbackToken: playbackToken )))

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Use this method to play videos with in a specific range of resolution, playbackID and  playbackToken

1playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( minResolution :  (example :  . atLeast270p) , maxResolution :  (example :  .upTo1080p , playbackToken: playbackToken)))

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7. Rendition order customization

In FastPix Player you can define resolution selection priority for an optimized viewing experience.

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Swift

1// use  this method to play videos with in a  specific range of resolution playbackID  and  renditionOrder  
2 
3playerViewController.prepare(playbackID: playbackID, playbackOptions: PlaybackOptions( minResolution :  (example :  . atLeast270p) , maxResolution :  (example :  .upTo1080p , renditionOrder:  .descending )) 

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Each of these features is designed to enhance both flexibility and user experience, providing complete control over video playback, appearance, and user interactions in FastPix-player.

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Steps to integrate FastPix-Player

Here are the steps that you need to follow in order to integrate Fastpix-ios-player

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Installing FastPix iOS player SDK in your project

To integrate the FastPix iOS Player SDK into your iOS project, follow these steps using Swift Package Manager:

1. Open Your Xcode Project

2. Go to File > Add Packages.

3. Add the SDK Repository URL

          Enter the URL: https://github.com/fastpix/fp-ios-player in the top-right corner.

4. Choose Dependency Rule

By default, Xcode pulls the latest version. To specify a version or range, adjust the Dependency Rule settings.

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Importing FastPix iOS player SDK

Once the SDK is installed, import it into your Swift file:

• Open your swift file
• Navigate to the file where you want to use the SDK (e.g., ViewController.swift). ‍
• Add the import statement
• At the top of the file, include:

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Swift

1import fp-ios-player

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• Start integrating player features you can now initialize the player, configure playback options, and handle video streams.
• With these steps, you can easily integrate high-quality video streaming into your app using the FastPix iOS Player SDK.

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Comparison with other iOS Players

When building an iOS application with video playback capabilities, selecting the right video player SDK is crucial for performance, scalability, and user experience. Below is a detailed comparison of the FastPix iOS Player with other popular iOS video players like AVPlayer, Vimeo Player, and YouTube Player, highlighting their features, limitations, and best-use scenarios.

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1. Feature set

FastPix iOS Player offers a comprehensive feature set, including support for HLS streaming, adaptive bitrate switching, and video analytics. In comparison, AVPlayer provides basic playback functionalities but lacks advanced streaming and analytics capabilities.

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2. In-terms of integration

• FastPix iOS Player: Easy-to-follow setup via Swift package manager. Offers simple methods like prepare() to configure and customize playback, making it developer-friendly. ‍
• AVPlayer: Requires manual setup and used for customization, especially for advanced features like secure playback or adaptive streaming. ‍
• Vimeo player: Limited to Vimeo-hosted content; straightforward for basic playback but lacks flexibility. ‍
• YouTube player: Designed exclusively for YouTube-hosted content with restricted customization.

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3. Performance and optimization

FastPix iOS Player offers high performance with efficient memory usage and low latency, optimized for HLS streaming. AVPlayer provides solid performance but lacks some of the advanced optimizations found in specialized players like FastPix.

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4. Scalability

FastPix iOS Player is designed to scale seamlessly for large-scale deployments, while AVPlayer is limited to iOS apps. Vimeo and YouTube players may face limitations with custom scalability.

• FastPix iOS Player: Suitable for enterprise-grade applications, offering scalability for large-scale content delivery with secure streaming options. ‍
• AVPlayer: Flexible but requires custom development for scaling features. ‍
• Vimeo/YouTube Players: Limited by their respective platforms, making them unsuitable for custom content hosting.

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When to choose FastPix iOS player?

Here’s when you should consider integrating FastPix iOS Player into your app :

• You need seamless live and on-demand streaming with support for both types of content. ‍
• Security is a priority, offering features like access tokens and HTTPS for protected media playback. ‍
• You require multilingual support, with easy switching between multiple audio and subtitle tracks. ‍
• Network optimization is key, with dynamic resolution control for smoother playback on varying network speeds. ‍
• You want easy integration with custom domains for direct media streaming from your own servers. ‍
• You need secure media delivery, including encryption and access control. ‍
• You prefer straightforward integration into your iOS app with minimal setup.

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Final thoughts…  

FastPix iOS Player is an ideal choice for developers seeking a high-performance and secure video playback solution. It offers easy integration, support for live streaming, adaptive bitrate, and advanced security features. With its flexibility and ability to handle diverse media requirements, you can build exceptional video experiences for your iOS applications.

Ready to build next-gen video-centric products? Try FastPix today!