Firefox to Improve WebRTC Video Streaming Quality on Poor Internet Connections

ULPFEC and RED will solve your low-speed video conferencing

2 min. read

Published on October 19, 2023

published on October 19, 2023

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mozilla firefox improve poor video calls

Starting with Firefox 120, Mozilla ensures no packet loss for video during WebRTC calls by enabling Uneven Level Protection Forward Error Correction (ULPFEC) and Redundancy (RED) features. These features are enabled by default in Firefox Nightly builds.

Currently, most video clients/apps on the internet use Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), with some of the most popular being Google Meet, Google Hangouts, Zoom, Facebook Messenger, and Discord.

We landed 2 WebRTC features that should help with video streaming quality for users with spotty internet connections: Uneven Level Protection Forward Error Correction (ULPFEC) and Redundancy (RED). See RFC 5109 for the gory details. https://t.co/7a8nlNi8St
— Firefox Nightly 🔥 (@FirefoxNightly) September 29, 2023

Mozilla recently announced that it has landed two WebRTC features, ULPFEC and RED, in Firefox Nightly to help improve video streaming quality for spotty internet connections. This closed bug further confirms that. The features are on by default in Nightly by toggling the below preference to true.

media.navigator.video.red_ulpfec_enabled

What is ULPFEC?

ULPFEC is an acronym for Uneven Level Protection Forward Error Correction. It is a technique for recovering lost or corrupted data in video streams, especially in WebRTC applications. It is one of the payload types supported by the MS-SDPEXT protocol and the OvenMediaEngine server.

Setting technical details aside, these new features help smooth video streaming in some of the Firefox video apps/clients you use when running on low-speed internet connections. The features ensure no packet loss during WebRTC calls.

What do you think about this development from Firefox? Let us know in the comments below.

More about the topics: Firefox, internet connection errors, Video streaming

Venkat

Tech Journalist

Venkat, an experienced tech writer from India, specializes in uncovering new web browser features and tech trends. His work bridges the gap between technology and its users, making the digital world more accessible.