Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Anecdotally, consider that Apple's HTTP Live Streaming protocol (till version 6) relied on MPEG2TS This sounds like you might be confusing that MPEG2TS might have something to do with the video encoding instead of it solely being the way the video/audio elementary streams are wrapped together into a single contained format. The transport stream was designed specifically for an unreliable streaming type of delivery v…
> There is nothing wrong with using a TS stream for HLS that makes it inferior. Not wrong , but a bit surprising. As you mention, transport streams are designed to operate over unreliable connections (like satellite or terrestrial transmission). Reliability is not an issue with with HTTP or TCP. Other than being archaic, some disadvantages are that TS has somewhat more overhead than (f)MP4 and poor ergonomics for ran…
We seem to be confusing what reliable means here. Yes, HTTP/TCP can reliably transmit data in the fact that if packets are missed they will be resent so that you can be assured that the data will eventually be delivered. However, that doesn't do well for real time streaming of data that is necessary to be received in order. That's why UDP was made.
>If it were up to me to design a streaming protocol like DASH, HLS, Flash, or SmoothStreaming I'd instantly choose mp4 (or plain elementary streams). I wouldn't even consider TS or PS unless some spec forced me to.
Well, it's a good thing we didn't have to wait for you to come around and design a streaming protocol and we've been able to use it for the past ~20 years with the technology that was available at the time. Perfect is the enemy of progress.