SourceBuffer

The SourceBuffer interface represents a chunk of media to be passed into an HTMLMediaElement and played, via a MediaSource object. This can be made up of one or several media segments.

Properties

SourceBuffer.appendWindowEnd
Controls the timestamp for the end of the append window.
SourceBuffer.appendWindowStart
Controls the timestamp for the start of the append window. This is a timestamp range that can be used to filter what media data is appended to the SourceBuffer. Coded media frames with timestamps within this range will be appended, whereas those outside the range will be filtered out.
SourceBuffer.audioTracks Read only
A list of the audio tracks currently contained inside the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.buffered Read only
Returns the time ranges that are currently buffered in the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.mode
Controls how the order of media segments in the SourceBuffer is handled, in terms of whether they can be appended in any order, or they have to be kept in a strict sequence.
SourceBuffer.textTracks Read only
A list of the text tracks currently contained inside the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.timestampOffset
Controls the offset applied to timestamps inside media segments that are subsequently appended to the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.trackDefaults
Specifies the default values to use if kind, label, and/or language information is not available in the initialization segment of the media to be appended to the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.updating Read only
A boolean indicating whether the SourceBuffer is currently being updated — i.e. whether an SourceBuffer.appendBuffer(), SourceBuffer.appendStream(), or SourceBuffer.remove() operation is currently in progress.
SourceBuffer.videoTracks Read only
A list of the video tracks currently contained inside the SourceBuffer.

Event handlers

SourceBuffer.onabort
Fired whenever SourceBuffer.appendBuffer() or SourceBuffer.appendStream() is ended by a call to SourceBuffer.abort(). SourceBuffer.updating changes from true to false.
SourceBuffer.onerror
Fired whenever an error occurs during SourceBuffer.appendBuffer() or SourceBuffer.appendStream(). SourceBuffer.updating changes from true to false.
SourceBuffer.onupdate
Fired whenever SourceBuffer.appendBuffer() method or the SourceBuffer.remove() completes. SourceBuffer.updating changes from true to false. This event is fired before onupdateend.
SourceBuffer.onupdateend
Fired whenever SourceBuffer.appendBuffer() method or the SourceBuffer.remove() has ended. This event is fired after onupdate.
SourceBuffer.onupdatestart
Fired whenever the value of SourceBuffer.updating transitions from false to true.

Methods

Inherits methods from its parent interface, EventTarget.

SourceBuffer.abort()
Aborts the current segment and resets the segment parser.
SourceBuffer.appendBuffer()
Appends media segment data from an ArrayBuffer or ArrayBufferView object to the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.appendBufferAsync()
Starts the process of asynchronously appending the specified buffer to the SourceBuffer. Returns a Promise which is fulfilled once the buffer has been appended.
SourceBuffer.appendStream()
Appends media segment data from a ReadableStream object to the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.changeType()
Changes the MIME type that future calls to appendBuffer() will expect the new data to conform to.
SourceBuffer.remove()
Removes media segments within a specific time range from the SourceBuffer.
SourceBuffer.removeAsync()
Starts the process of asynchronously removing media segments in the specified range from the SourceBuffer. Returns a Promise which is fulfilled once all matching segments have been removed.

Examples

The following simple example loads a video chunk by chunk as fast as possible, playing it as soon as it can. This example was written by Nick Desaulniers and can be viewed live here (you can also download the source for further investigation.)

var video = document.querySelector('video');

var assetURL = 'frag_bunny.mp4';
// Need to be specific for Blink regarding codecs
// ./mp4info frag_bunny.mp4 | grep Codec
var mimeCodec = 'video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E, mp4a.40.2"';

if ('MediaSource' in window && MediaSource.isTypeSupported(mimeCodec)) {
  var mediaSource = new MediaSource();
  //console.log(mediaSource.readyState); // closed
  video.src = URL.createObjectURL(mediaSource);
  mediaSource.addEventListener('sourceopen', sourceOpen);
} else {
  console.error('Unsupported MIME type or codec: ', mimeCodec);
}

function sourceOpen (_) {
  //console.log(this.readyState); // open
  var mediaSource = this;
  var sourceBuffer = mediaSource.addSourceBuffer(mimeCodec);
  fetchAB(assetURL, function (buf) {
    sourceBuffer.addEventListener('updateend', function (_) {
      mediaSource.endOfStream();
      video.play();
      //console.log(mediaSource.readyState); // ended
    });
    sourceBuffer.appendBuffer(buf);
  });
}

function fetchAB (url, cb) {
  console.log(url);
  var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest;
  xhr.open('get', url);
  xhr.responseType = 'arraybuffer';
  xhr.onload = function () {
    cb(xhr.response);
  };
  xhr.send();
}

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
Media Source Extensions
The definition of 'SourceBuffer' in that specification.
Recommendation Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

DesktopMobile
ChromeEdgeFirefoxInternet ExplorerOperaSafariAndroid webviewChrome for AndroidFirefox for AndroidOpera for AndroidSafari on iOSSamsung Internet
SourceBufferChrome Full support 31
Full support 31
No support 23 — 31
Prefixed
Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: WebKit
Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 18
Full support 18
No support 15 — 18
Prefixed
Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: WebKit
Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 31
Full support 31
No support 25 — 31
Prefixed
Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: WebKit
Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 18
Full support 18
No support 14 — 18
Prefixed
Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: WebKit
Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
Full support 3.0
No support 2.0 — 3.0
Prefixed
Prefixed Implemented with the vendor prefix: WebKit
abortChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 25Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 2.0
appendBufferChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
appendBufferAsyncChrome No support NoEdge No support NoFirefox Full support 62
Disabled
Full support 62
Disabled
Disabled From version 62: this feature is behind the media.mediasource.experimental.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE No support NoOpera No support NoSafari No support NoWebView Android No support NoChrome Android Full support YesFirefox Android No support NoOpera Android No support NoSafari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support Yes
appendStream
DeprecatedNon-standard
Chrome No support NoEdge No support 12 — 79Firefox No support NoIE ? Opera No support NoSafari ? WebView Android ? Chrome Android ? Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android ? Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android ?
appendWindowEndChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
appendWindowStartChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
audioTracksChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox No support NoIE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
bufferedChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
changeType
Non-standard
Chrome Full support 70
Full support 70
No support 69 — 70
Disabled
Disabled From version 69 until version 70 (exclusive): this feature is behind the MediaSourceExperimental preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Chrome, visit chrome://flags.
Edge Full support 79Firefox Full support 63
Full support 63
No support 61 — 63
Disabled
Disabled From version 61 until version 63 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.experimental.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE ? Opera ? Safari ? WebView Android Full support 70Chrome Android Full support 70
Full support 70
No support 69 — 70
Disabled
Disabled From version 69 until version 70 (exclusive): this feature is behind the MediaSourceExperimental preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Chrome, visit chrome://flags.
Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android ? Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 10.0
modeChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
onabortChrome Full support 53Edge Full support 17Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android ? Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android ?
onerrorChrome Full support 53Edge Full support 17Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android ? Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android ?
onupdateChrome Full support 53Edge Full support 17Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android ? Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android ?
onupdateendChrome Full support 53Edge Full support 17Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android ? Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android ?
onupdatestartChrome Full support 53Edge Full support 17Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android ? Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android ?
removeChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
removeAsyncChrome No support NoEdge No support NoFirefox Full support 62
Disabled
Full support 62
Disabled
Disabled From version 62: this feature is behind the media.mediasource.experimental.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE No support NoOpera No support NoSafari No support NoWebView Android No support NoChrome Android Full support YesFirefox Android No support NoOpera Android No support NoSafari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support Yes
textTracksChrome No support NoEdge Full support 18Firefox No support NoIE No support NoOpera No support NoSafari Full support 8WebView Android No support NoChrome Android No support NoFirefox Android No support NoOpera Android No support NoSafari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android No support No
timestampOffsetChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
trackDefaults
DeprecatedNon-standard
Chrome ? Edge ? Firefox No support NoIE ? Opera ? Safari ? WebView Android ? Chrome Android ? Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android ? Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android ?
updatingChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox Full support 42
Full support 42
No support 25 — 42
Notes Disabled
Notes Limited support to an allowed list of sites, for example YouTube, Netflix, and other popular streaming sites. The limitation was removed when Media Source Extensions was enabled by default in Firefox 42.
Disabled From version 25 until version 42 (exclusive): this feature is behind the media.mediasource.enabled preference (needs to be set to true). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
IE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
videoTracksChrome Full support 23Edge Full support 12Firefox No support NoIE Full support 11
Notes
Full support 11
Notes
Notes Only works on Windows 8+.
Opera Full support 15Safari Full support 8WebView Android Full support 4.4.3Chrome Android Full support 33Firefox Android No support NoOpera Android Full support 14Safari iOS No support NoSamsung Internet Android Full support 3.0

Legend

Full support
Full support
No support
No support
Compatibility unknown
Compatibility unknown
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.
See implementation notes.
See implementation notes.
User must explicitly enable this feature.
User must explicitly enable this feature.
Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.
Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.

See also