Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems
Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems

FAMIUM MoQ

Next-Generation Streaming over QUIC

© AI-generated / Fraunhofer FOKUS

FAMIUM MoQ leverages standardized protocols like WebTransport, HTTP/3 and QUIC to minimize connection overhead and ensure reliable retransmission. WebTransport’s browser-oriented API enables real-time interaction, going beyond what is typically possible with traditional HTTP. These technologies form a foundation that makes ultra-low-latency media streaming more achievable:

Comparing HTTP/1.1 and QUIC 

  • Measurement setups show faster startup times using QUIC, often improving QoE for both live and on-demand scenarios. 
  • QUIC avoids head-of-line blocking, especially important for maintaining seamless playback.

Enhanced Throughput Estimation 

  • Potential synergy between server-based logs (RTT, qlog) and dash.js-level algorithms. 
  • Improves adaptive bitrate (ABR) decisions in dynamic, low-latency applications.

dash.js – Official Reference Player 

  • Maintained by Fraunhofer FOKUS and the DASH Industry Forum, employing MSE and EME for secure, adaptive streaming. 
  • Extended to leverage low-latency pipelines (e.g., WebTransport) for modern streaming applications.

Core Features

  • Lower Latency: Leveraging QUIC’s efficiency to reduce stall times and buffering.
  • Server Push Capabilities: Enhancing startup times for a smoother playback experience.
  • Improved Throughput Estimation: Refining ABR algorithms to maintain optimal quality under varying network conditions.
  • Metaverse & Cloud Gaming Integration: Seamless compatibility with Unreal and Unity engines, enabling next-level experiences.
  • Standards Compliance: Aligned with the IETF MoQ draft, ensuring future-proof implementations.
  • MSE & EME Client Support: Secure playback compatibility across modern browsers.

Our Offerings

  1. MoQ Testbed: A controlled environment for in-depth analysis, performance measurement, and validation of MoQ projects.
  2. Demonstrator: Showcases practical low-latency streaming scenarios over QUIC, highlighting easy integration and scalability.
  3. Research & Development: Ongoing innovation to refine protocols, optimize ABR strategies, and explore new applications (Metaverse, cloud gaming, etc.).

FAMIUM MoQ Testbed

© Fraunhofer FOKUS

As part of our MoQ Testbed we evaluate different types of MoQ players and servers, including measurements with “traditional“ playback via MPEG-DASH. For example:

  1. A dash.js (MSE) player retrieving video segments over HTTP from an Express.js server.
  2. A dash.js (MSE) player using a WebTransport server (“WebTransport-go”) for lower-latency delivery.
  3. A WebCodecs-based client connecting to a “moq-rs” server via MoQ (Media over QUIC) for lower-latency streaming.

The FAMIUM MoQ Testbed highlights how various protocols (HTTP, WebTransport, MoQ) and playback technologies (MSE vs. WebCodecs) combine to enable high-performance streaming scenarios. Through this flexible setup, developers and researchers can evaluate end-to-end performance, explore advanced ABR strategies, and test compatibility with emerging protocols like MoQ, pushing the boundaries of next-generation media delivery.

Cloud Gaming

© Fraunhofer FOKUS

FAMIUM MoQ integrates with Unreal Engine and Unity to feed media into an FFmpeg pipeline, which then publishes streams through MoQ components (moq-pub and moq-relay). Finally, the FAMIUM MoQ client (moq.js + MSE) receives and plays back the content. This design:

  • Supports Metaverse and Cloud Gaming: Seamless integration with leading game engines (Unreal, Unity) for immersive applications.
  • Facilitates Low-Latency Playback and cross-browser compatibility: The FAMIUM MoQ client uses MSE for smooth, near-real-time delivery.

By capturing Unity game scenes, encoding them via FFmpeg, and streaming through WebTransport, end-to-end latencies below 40ms have been demonstrated—illustrating an alternative to WebRTC where server-centric control and protocol customization are beneficial. Control and interactivity remain highly responsive, with local round-trip times of just 1–3 ms for user inputs. These findings validate the low-latency advantages of QUIC and highlight opportunities to merge WebTransport pipelines with FAMIUM MoQ’s broader media-over-QUIC architecture, including advanced ABR strategies and real-time adaptation for Metaverse experiences.